As the second half got underway Friday night in the Terrapin men soccer team’s 4-1 win over No. 5 North Carolina, a defensive letdown seemed imminent for the Terps.
Even while the No. 12-ranked Terps gained a two-goal lead in the first half, the Tar Heels controlled the tempo and had several scoring opportunities in the Terps’ zone.
So with a full half to play in a vital ACC match, the Terps needed an offensive spark despite being ahead.
They got it in the first two minutes when sophomore midfielder Maurice Edu knocked home his second goal in as many games off a cross from junior midfielder A.J. Godbolt.
“It was huge,” Godbolt said. “Our goal coming out of the half was to kind of take the air out of them a little bit, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Edu, who also assisted on a first-half goal by senior defender Chris Lancos, agreed the goal changed the tone of the game.
“It gave us a boost of energy,” Edu said. “It increased the momentum in our favor. Plus, a 3-0 lead is pretty hard to come back from.”
The offensive outburst gave the Terps (10-3-0, 4-1-0 ACC) their fifth consecutive win and continued their dominance at Ludwig Field. During the winning streak, the Terps have outscored their opponents 17-3, including 10 goals in the past two games.
Prior to the game, it appeared the Terps would have trouble cracking the stingy Tar Heel defense, which entered as the best in the ACC.
North Carolina’s defense played as well as expected, but the Terps scored on four of their six shots on goal.
“We put a lot of emphasis on taking care of the ball,” Edu said. “They are a good defensive team so we knew when the opportunities came up we had to finish them.”
Goals by freshman forward Robbie Rogers and Lancos – who scored his first goal since last season’s ACC semifinal win over the Tar Heels – came within three minutes of each other and constituted the Terps’ only shots on goal during the first half.
The four goals given up by the Tar Heels (9-3-1, 1-3-1 ACC) were the most they have allowed since the Terps scored four in last season’s semifinal victory.
“They haven’t given away a lot of goals all year,” said coach Sasho Cirovski, who celebrated his 43rd birthday with the win. “Because they are a very good attacking team, they leave some space to attack. Our execution on counters was exquisite tonight.”
Edu’s goal was followed seven minutes later with another by senior forward Jason Garey, putting the game out of reach for the Tar Heels.
A late goal by Tar Heel forward Brian Shriver, along with another shot saved, were the only real challenges to freshman goalkeeper Chris Seitz, who improved his record to 6-0 as a starter.
The win moved the Terps’ record to 6-1 on the season against ranked opponents. With No. 7 Virginia coming to town Wednesday, the Terps can take over first place in the ACC with a win. After struggling to score early in the season, the Terps have turned on the offensive fireworks at the perfect time.
“I think we’ve found our stride,” Godbolt said. “We had a low in the middle of the season, and I think that gave some teams a chance to disrespect us. But I don’t think those teams will forget that we’ve been to three final fours and we know how to get it done.”
Contact reporter Greg Dohmann at sports@dbk.umd.edu.
