Forward George Campbell fires a shot during Maryland’s 4-3 comeback win at Penn State at Jeffery Field on Oct. 9, 2015.
George Campbell played 21 minutes and did not record a shot Monday against Villanova, but coach Sasho Cirovski had high praise for the Terrapins men’s soccer forward in the 2-0 win.
“I saw his aggressiveness,” Cirovski said. “I saw his competitiveness. That’s the George Campbell that scored goals for us late last year, and I think it was a good sign that he looks like he’s ready to take a bigger role.”
Campbell did just that Friday night, scoring three of the team’s four goals against Penn State. And behind the Baltimore native’s offensive onslaught off the bench, the Terps edged out a 4-3 win against the Nittany Lions for their second Big Ten win of the season.
READ MORE: Terps come back from two-goal deficit against Penn State
After entering Friday’s game without a goal this year, Campbell notched the Terps’ first hat trick since former forward Jason Garey accomplished the feat in a 3-0 win over St. Bonaventure in 2005.
“George all year has been unbelievable,” midfielder Mael Corboz said. “He hasn’t necessarily gotten the playing time or anything, but his attitude every day is unreal.”
Campbell, the 2013 NSCAA Boys High School National Player of the Year at the McDonogh School, became an immediate scoring threat upon his arrival to College Park last season. He made 20 appearances (nine starts) and finished second on the team with four goals, all of which came in the team’s final seven games.
While he hadn’t built off his rookie campaign in 11 appearances entering the Terps’ match with Penn State, Campbell’s demonstrated his lethal attacking potential Friday night.
His first goal came with two seconds to go in the first half off a corner kick from forward Jorge Calix. Campbell connected on a header that beat goalkeeper Matt Bersano to the near post, providing the equalizer for the Terps before intermission.
“George’s goal in the final two seconds of the first half was really the game-changer,” Cirovski said in a news release. “He was certainly the man of the match and gave us an incredible spark off the bench.”
With his first goal under his belt, Campbell wasted little time before securing his first career game with multiple goals. The 5-foot-8 sophomore took a short pass from Corboz in the 56th minute and beat Bersano again to put the Terps ahead for good.
Campbell’s teammates commended him as he ran toward midfield, but the full-fledged celebration began moments later.
In the 59th minute, Campbell and three Nittany Lion defenders attempted to run down a long pass from Corboz. Campbell got their first, however, and just before the ball bounced for a second time, he scorched a bending strike over the outstretched hands of Bersano.
Immediately after scoring, Campbell pointed and ran toward the Terps’ bench as the players on the field sprinted in the same direction. The team met at the sideline and engulfed Campbell with a group hug, celebrating their teammate’s historic performance.
“[Friday] we saw the real George Campbell and the fight that he can bring and obviously the goals he can bring as well,” Corboz said. “Moving forward, he’s obviously going to be a huge piece for this team, just like he was last year.”
