Midfielder Sunny Jane attempts to volley the ball to a teammate during the Terps’ 2-1 victory over Boston College on Oct. 4, 2013.
For the third straight game at Ludwig Field, the Terrapins men’s soccer team held a convincing 2-0 lead late in regulation Friday night.
For 70 minutes, the Terps dominated conference foe Boston College, establishing a clean and fluid possession game. The backline — playing with midfielder Jereme Raley at right back instead of defender Chris Odoi-Atsem — looked structured and poised, bottling any Eagles counterattacks without getting beat over the top.
But, just as they did Tuesday against Tulsa, the Terps surrendered a late second-half goal with a two-goal advantage. Still, the No. 8 Terps’ efficient play early in the match was enough, as they hung on to beat the Eagles, 2-1, for their third straight win.
“I think we got too comfortable and complacent because we thought we won the game,” midfielder Sunny Jane said. “[Coach Sasho Cirovski] always says we have to play every play, and I don’t feel like we did that in the second half at all. Defensive wise, we’ve got to get better and start taking care of the ball better when we’re up and trying to put teams away because we haven’t done that this year.”
The Terps’ dominant first-half play resulted primarily from a renewed intensity from Jane. The midfielder was focused, proving to be a hassle for a host of Eagles defenders with his combination of on-the-ball moves and dangerous crosses from the right side.
“[Cirovski] challenged me that I’m one of the leaders and that I have to bring energy to the team,” Jane said. “That’s all I wanted to do, and it worked out pretty well.”
As a result, the Terps broke through less than five minutes into the match. Jane received the ball down the right sideline, cut inside and delivered a curling cross toward the center of the box. Midfielder Michael Sauers made a run to the ball and delivered a well-placed header into the corner of the net.
Sauers’ first career goal was the earliest the Terps have scored all season.
“Sunny was outstanding, particularly in the first half,” Cirovski said. “He was very confident. Obviously, a great cross on the first goal — really unbalanced them with his movement. It was a good night for him.”
The Terps — who outshot the Eagles 18-10 — added insurance in the 30th minute. Sauers delivered a cross from the left sideline that deflected off Eagles midfielder Giuliano Frano and into the net for an own goal.
After 30 minutes of nonconsequential play from both sides to start the second half, the Eagles struck back. Forward Isaac Normesinu slipped midfielder Zeiko Lewis through in the 18-yard box, and Lewis put a sliding shot past goalkeeper Zack Steffen to cut the Terps’ lead to one.
After the goal, the Terps upped their offensive pressure once again, looking for another goal. With 11:10 remaining in regulation, midfielder David Kabelik had a one-on-one opportunity inside the box, but goalkeeper Alex Kapp made a quality save to keep the deficit at one.
The Eagles caught the Terps on the counterattack several times over the last 10 minutes of regulation and nearly scored the equalizer. With 45 seconds remaining in the game, Steffen was forced to make a charging save, his fourth of the game, on a wide-open shot to ensure a Terps victory.
“2-0 is a delicate lead,” Cirovski said. “And when you don’t get that third goal, teams think they still have [a] chance, and they did [tonight] and they came back and made it interesting. That’s still part of the process for this team, but we’re getting better. It’s always nice to learn something while you win the game.”
