Forward Patrick Mullins celebrates after scoring the Terps’ third goal of the second half the team’s 3-1 victory over Duke on Sept. 6, 2013.
The Terrapins men’s soccer team made a statement in Clemson, S.C., on Saturday night: It isn’t going anywhere.
And judging by the Terps’ recent history, that could cause trouble for the rest of the teams in the nation.
The No. 17 Terps (2-2-2, 2-0-1 ACC) handed No. 13 Clemson (6-1-0, 2-1-0) its first loss of the season in a 3-1 victory behind two penalty-kick goals from forward Patrick Mullins.
A backline that has been shaky all season fought off intense pressure from the Tigers attacking front all game with the help of defender Dakota Edwards’ first 90-minute performance of the season, and the Terps played with a connectivity in the offensive half that had been missing in the first five games.
“That’s a difficult place to play and also an outstanding team that’s very hot,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “So to go in there and get a good result is a credit to the growth of our team.”
The Terps converted the game’s opening goal just under 10 minutes before the end of the first half. Defender Mikey Ambrose curled a pass from nearly midfield into the 18-yard box. After a deflection, forward Jake Pace — who entered the game for midfielder Tsubasa Endoh in the 30th minute — found the ball at his feet, but he was taken down illegally from behind.
Mullins finished the penalty kick with ease past Tigers goalkeeper Chris Glodack to give the Terps a 1-0 lead that they carried into halftime.
Clemson answered just less than two minutes into the second half, though. After a lengthy offensive possession, Austen Burnikel slipped a through ball from the top of the box to a wide-open Ara Amirkhanian, who finished low past Terps goalkeeper Zack Steffen.
But it didn’t take long for forward Schillo Tshuma — who scored both goals in a 2-2 draw at No. 2 North Carolina on Sept. 13 — to give the Terps the lead once again.
Sunny Jane received the ball on the left side and whipped a cross into the box, where Tshuma broke free from his defender and headed the winning goal into the back of the net with 40:19 remaining in regulation.
“[Schillo] seems to rise to the moment and to the occasion,” Cirovski said. “He’s very tuned it. He’s always aware of his surroundings and he’s in position to make plays for us on both sides of the ball. He’s been fantastic.”
Mullins added an insurance goal in the 83rd minute, drawing a penalty kick after Glodack tripped him up in the box. He finished in the bottom left corner for his second goal of the game and fourth of the season.
Now the Terps can put the grueling first third of their season behind them. Cirovski and his squad have survived a stretch of three road games against top-15 teams in the first six contests of the season with a .500 winning percentage.
Not to mention, the Terps will begin playing midweek games, starting tomorrow night against Old Dominion at Ludwig Field, and the young group will finally get a chance to get into a routine after a rough opening slate.
Cirovski said the timing couldn’t be better for the team to gel.
“We’re making progress,” Cirovski said. “To get a tie and a win in your first two away ACC games against the kind of teams that we played shows that we have some very good pieces and they’re starting to come together.”
