Leading up to the Maryland men’s soccer team’s game against West Virginia on Monday, goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier hadn’t been too busy in the net. While the backline erased most of the opponents’ opportunities, Niedermeier averaged 1.8 saves per game.
Yet the then-No. 24 Mountaineers found openings in Maryland’s backline. They outshot the Terps, 15-8, including eight looks on goal.
Niedermeier faced one of his largest tests of the campaign. He responded with a personal best outing.
The redshirt senior recorded a career-high eight saves in the No. 1 Terps’ 1-0 victory and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.
“I told him ‘You’re going to be called on a few times,'” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “He was, and he responded extremely well. He made a couple of great saves, but he also did really well on some difficult crosses. I was very proud of him.”
After redshirting his freshman year in 2012, Niedermeier sat behind goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who now plays for the Columbus Crew, for two seasons.
Niedermeier beat Dayne St. Clair for the starting job last year and took advantage by anchoring a defense that allowed the second fewest goals per game in the Big Ten (.85).
Earlier this season, the Terps struggled defending counterattacks and surrendered goals on small errors, such as failing to clear the ball. Niedermeier said the key to stopping those mistakes is communication, something he and the backline have improved on to record five consecutive shutouts.
“Every game, I’m more vocal and becoming a guy the team can look to for guidance or relaxing the play when it needs to be relaxed,” Niedermeier said Sept. 9. “Just making sure people are in the right place.”
The Terps played in a hostile environment on Monday. West Virginia had a crowd of 2,019 people – the fourth largest in program history. There was also a group of fans standing next to Maryland’s goal, yelling at Niedermeier throughout the contest.
Plus, freshman Miles Stray, who had played 43 minutes entering the match, started in place of injured defender Alex Crognale, Maryland’s leader in minutes entering the clash.
But the pressure didn’t faze Niedermeier.
One of his biggest saves of the night came in the 16th minute. Mountaineers midfielder Jad Arslan was open inside the box and launched a shot to the upper left corner of the net. The six-foot, 197-pound netminder dove to catch the ball in the air.
By halftime, Niedermeier had four saves, and the Arnold native continued his momentum in the second half by saving four more shots either through diving saves or kneeling to corral the ball.
Maryland trailed in shooting for the second time this season and struggled to create opportunities, attempting just two shots on goal. But Niedermeier’s dominance between the pipes helped the Terps secure their seventh straight win after midfielder Amar Sejdic scored in the 26th minute.
“Niedermeier made some great saves,” Sejdic said. “[He] really showed the type of goalie he is: a shot-stopper.”
With the help of Niedermeier, Maryland has tied its longest shutout streak in program history. Performances such as Monday’s are one of the reasons Cirovski trusts the redshirt senior down the stretch.
“Cody’s a mature kid,” Cirovski said. “He sometimes relishes these moments with the big crowd and big moments.”
