Midfielder Mael Corboz moves to cut off a pass from a Georgetown player during the first half of the Terps match against the Georgetown Hoyas on Sep 30, 2014 at Ludwig Field.
After Georgetown forward Brandon Allen’s 78th-minute game-winning strike trickled past Zack Steffen’s fingertips into the back of the net, the Terrapins men’s soccer goalkeeper climbed to his feet and began gesturing and hollering at defender Suli Dainkeh.
“Trying to get each other fired up,” Steffen said. “Trying to get each other mad.”
Dainkeh was late to slide on the Hoyas’ four-on-three breakaway. Dainkeh stood on the left side of the box as Allen slipped wide open to the right and buried the one-timer.
The score was the first goal the Terps allowed in 274 minutes of play, a streak that stretched back to the first half of the team’s Sept. 19 loss to Michigan State. While the team’s offense has been wildly ineffective all year, the backline has kept the Terps in games before the streak ended on Tuesday.
“On the goal, we obviously should’ve done better holding them in on that side and not letting them out,” Steffen said. “But the defense has played well. We started becoming more of a family back there and communicating and staying connected.”
Dainkeh, Odoi-Atsem and Steffen, who are all sophomores, endured early struggles last season. While veteran forwards provided ample scoring, the young defense faltered and the Terps battled inconsistency, beginning the season 1-2-2.
The roles have been reversed this year, with Steffen leading an experienced unit that’s averaging less than a goal allowed per game. And the group held a potent Wisconsin offense scoreless this past Friday.
The loss snaps the Terps’ two-game winning streak, which coincided with Dainkeh having an increased presence. After alternating between the starting lineup and the bench early on, the 5-foot-11 Dainkeh has started the previous three contests alongside defender Chris Odoi-Atsem.
Defender Alex Crognale, meanwhile, hadn’t played since the Spartans game before coming off the bench on Tuesday.
“[Odoi-Atsem and Dainkeh] have a very good relationship, they understand each other,” coach Sasho Cirovski said after the Terps’ 2-0 win over Wisconsin. “We’ve been able to work with a lot of different people. I thought they were solid today. But I also think both Alex and [defender] Dakota [Edwards] have been playing really well in practice lately.”
Crognale spelled Dainkeh about five minutes after Allen’s goal, and the Terps defense prevented Georgetown from adding another score.
The Terps had one final look at goal in the 90th minute. With 42 seconds remaining, defender Mikey Ambrose punched a ball to midfielder Michael Sauers along the left flank. Sauers collected the effort and smashed a left-footed cross at goal, but Hoyas goalkeeper Tomas Gomez corralled the ball and fell to the ground.
“We need to have someone emerge and put the ball in the back of the net,” Cirovski said. “I honestly thought we were going to get one or two goals today. And I know how good Georgetown is.”
In the Terps’ win over Wisconsin, Steffen didn’t even have to make a save, as the backline fended off the Badgers forwards, stymieing nearly every opportunity. Through 77 minutes, it did the same to Georgetown. The Hoyas registered seven shots, one on goal, before Allen broke through.
“That’s too soft a goal to give up to a good team like Georgetown,” Cirovski said. “That should never happen. We defended very well. Zack didn’t have to make a save that I remember.”
Georgetown coach Brian Wiese added: “You have someone like Brandon Allen, you only need to get one little break. He’s not going to miss.”
Yet for all the disappointment and distress Tuesday’s loss caused, the Terps are still fourth in the Big Ten standings.
Cirovski isn’t content with fourth place, though. After losing in the College Cup in consecutive years, the Terps began the season with hopes of hoisting national hardware in December.
Two seasons ago, the Hoyas halted the Terps’ title run when they upended the Cirovski’s team in the 2012 national semifinals. Tuesday’s defeat didn’t end the Terps’ season, but under the bright lights of Ludwig Field, the Terps once again experienced heartbreak — even after Steffen urged his team to respond.
“I laid into them a little bit,” Steffen said as his voice softened. “It didn’t really help, I guess.”
