BALTIMORE – Just minutes after stepping onto the field against Loyola last night, Patrick Mullins seemingly had his first collegiate goal in hand.
As he ran to the edge of the sideline in the penalty box, Mullins laced a shot that ricocheted off a Loyola defender and into the net.
Officials said the goal, the first of the night, wasn’t his. It was Loyola’s — an own goal.
The goal as it stood would have been the difference had it been the only one. But Mullins wanted personal redemption. And in the second half, he got it, sprinting into the penalty box and heading in a cross from Doug Rodkey.
The freshman’s play off the bench elevated the No. 7 Terps over their in-state rival, 3-0, at the new Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore. Not even at full strength, Mullins still powered the Terps’ offense.
“Honestly, I’m not known for getting a lot of header goals, so that was good for me,” said Mullins, who also scored in the preseason on a header. “It feels great.”
As soon as he checked into Tuesday night’s game, Mullins immediately left his impression on what was only his second career collegiate match. The midfielder collected a pass and sprinted down the left side of the field, launching a cross into the penalty box. A Loyola defender could only knock the ball out of bounds, producing a corner kick opportunity for the Terps.
Minutes later, the New Orleans native helped put the Terps on the board with his goal that never was.
“Right when I got the ball, I went to the byline and made an in-and-out move and tried to get the ball into the danger area,” Mullins said.
After enrolling a semester early this spring, Mullins led the team in goals during its top-flight slate of spring exhibitions. But after suffering a hamstring injury in practice before the team’s opening weekend, he had to wait another week to start his career.
Against Boston College, he played for a little more than 30 minutes and registered one shot. But Tuesday, Mullins had a breakout performance. It was only made complete through Rodkey, though, who dizzied two Loyola defenders with his quick dribbling on the left side and then launched a picture-perfect cross for the streaking Mullins.
“A lot of guys are getting in good spots and are making my life easy,” said Rodkey, who also assisted on the Terps’ lone goal against Boston College. “The runs have been fantastic so far.”
The Terps, despite some first-half struggles, dominated offensively. After the Rodkey-to-Mullins connection, forward Matt Oduaran scored on a cross from defender London Woodberry. For the third time in four games this season, the Terps scored at least three goals.
“I thought it was the most complete 90 minutes of this season,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We really kept the ball on the ground and attacked the spaces. We take pride in playing good, attractive soccer.”
The Terp defense, meanwhile, held the Greyhounds in check, allowing only 10 shots even as it dealt with multiple injuries and rotations.
After slogging through a double-overtime tie against No. 13 Boston College on Sept. 10, the Terps summoned more than enough energy to take down the Greyhounds on the road in front of 2,090.
“This was a great night for college soccer,” Cirovski said. “These are the kind of games that will help us get better in November and December.”
ceckard@umdbk.com
