Even with several moving parts and a defender starting only his second game at center back, the Terrapin men’s soccer team found a way to submit one of the best defensive efforts of its season last night.
And it arrived just in time.
As the attack worked its way out of an offensive funk, it was the backline that broke into the scoreline, and defender London Woodberry who put the scoring load on his back — literally.
In the 55th minute, midfielder Matt Kassel launched a free kick into the penalty box for Woodberry, who awkwardly struck the ball with his backside for his first career goal.
With the defense still intact and additional offense arriving late, the Terps (4-1-1) held on to beat the Patriots, 2-0, at Ludwig Field, erasing memories of last season’s midseason loss and capitalizing on the program’s 1,000th match.
“I didn’t black out, which I was surprised by,” Woodberry said, admitting that the goal was by far the most unorthodox of his career. “But it’s always good to get the first one. Hopefully, when it rains, it pours.”
Only a week ago, Woodberry likely wasn’t expecting such a starring role in the game.
But with starting defender Greg Young out for a second straight game with an undisclosed injury, defender Alex Lee again made the transition to center back. Woodberry replaced Lee at right back, assuming the responsibility for keeping in check an offense that scored twice against the Terps last season in a 2-0 win.
Paired with Terp defensive stalwarts Taylor Kemp and Ethan White, the unit held George Mason without a shot for the first 38 minutes.
Less than 10 minutes after Woodberry’s score, another Kassel free kick struck off George Mason defender Chase Miller and soared into the net in the 64th minute. The team’s control of the match reflected that of the scoreboard — the Terps outshot the Patriots, 17-3.
“We didn’t give them many opportunities to keep the ball,” coach Sasho Cirovski said.
While the reworked defense showed some rough edges against the Patriots (4-2), things never got going for George Mason. The Terps finished with their third shutout of the season, perhaps more importantly keeping away the soft goals that have plagued the team all year.
“We were very committed from our forwards to our midfielders to our backs in terms of defending,” Kassel said.
After giving up a late goal against N.C. State on Saturday, Cirovski focused his training sessions this week on defense. He issued the Terps a challenge: Get the shutout against the Patriots that they should have had against the Wolfpack.
“We’ve been working with them the past two days, not just their defending, but also their attacking and spacing,” Cirovski said. “I thought today we moved the ball better.”
The Terps have had no problems scoring goals this season. Instead, a disastrous season-opening loss made an unstable defense the primary area of concern. From Lee’s move to center back to Woodberry’s insertion at right back to Cirovski’s challenges of reorganizing the defense, the defense has been far from set.
Last night’s performance against a quality George Mason attack, though, gave the unit another boost of confidence.
“It wasn’t our best night,” Cirovski said. “But I was pleased with by the commitment and overall play [of the defense].”
ceckard@umdbk.com
