HOOVER, Ala. – After a furious rally, the Terrapins men’s soccer team couldn’t complete a comeback against Georgetown in the College Cup semifinals at Regions Park.

The No. 3-seed Hoyas defeated the No. 2-seed Terps, 4-3, in penalty kicks after 100 minutes of soccer at Regions Park ended in a 4-4 tie.

“It’s very difficult to cope with the reality that we’re not advancing,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “Tonight, I thought our defending let us down.”

Midfielder Helge Leikvang’s final penalty kick was saved by Georgetown goalie Tomas Gomez, sending Hoyas players streaming onto the field and the team into its first-ever College Cup final.

The Terps (20-1-3) held a 3-2 advantage after three rounds of penalty kicks. But Gomez stopped defender Taylor Kemp and Leikvang, and Terps goalkeeper Keith Cardona couldn’t come up with saves against forward Andy Riemer and midfielder Ian Christianson, whose goal ended up being the difference for the Hoyas (19-3-3).

But after the previous 110 minutes of soccer, it was remarkable the game even reached that point.

All hope seemed lost for the Terps in the second half. Hoyas forward Steve Neumann had just scored his third goal of the game in the 61st minute to put the Hoyas up 4-2. The Terps hadn’t come back from a two-goal deficit all season long, and with the play up to that point, they looked finished.

But they rallied. First, forward Patrick Mullins pulled them to within one in the 74th minute after reserve defender Mikey Ambrose placed a perfect pass into the box. Then, forward Christiano Francois deked multiple Hoya defenders before placing one past Gomez in the 77th minute.

Suddenly, it was 4-4.

“I thought it was just typical of our team,” Mullins said. “We’ve been down before this year, and I don’t think we ever … thought we weren’t going to come back, and that’s just a testament to our team mentality all year.”

Neither team could break through in 20 minutes of bonus soccer despite chances for each squad. Francois sparked multiple chances, but he and forward Jake Pace couldn’t get the game-winner past Gomez.

The Terps struggled from the outset, as Georgetown controlled possession through the first 15 minutes. Finally, they gained some traction in the 22nd minute when forward Schillo Tshuma scored a goal on a flick from Mullins. It appeared the Terps had settled in.

But Georgetown countered in the 33rd and 34th minutes, as Neumann scored twice in 1:39 to put the Hoyas up, 2-1, a score that would hold until halftime.

Any hopes of a quick Terps rebound early in the second were dashed, as Georgetown forward Brandon Allen challenged Cardona on a clear attempt and deflected the ball into the back of the net.

Tshuma and Mullins connected in the 59th minute for Tshuma’s 10th goal of the year to bring the Terps to within 3-2.

Then, chaos reigned through the remaining 51 minutes, with the game — and the Terps’ season — ending in penalty kicks.

“We had a couple really close chances there to win it late in the game,” Cirovski said. “It was a game of inches. I think they made one more save than us, and they’re advancing.”

The Terps finished with an 18-12 shot advantage, while the Hoyas placed one more on goal, 7-6. Cardona made three saves in goal, while Gomez made two for Georgetown.

For a team that seemed destined for a championship at times this year, it was a sudden end to a long journey. But in defeat, Cirovski saw the characteristics that got the Terps to this point shine through.

“In our Maryland fashion, we put some things together and put it right and really pushed, not only to get back, but get the winner,” Cirovski said. “We came up a little empty. I love my team. I told them that. I love them even more after this game.”

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