Despite recording a hat trick against Delaware on Tuesday night, Maryland men’s soccer forward Gordon Wild struggled.
Coach Sasho Cirovski was upset with Wild’s effort in the first half, so the veteran coach sat the sophomore for the beginning of the second half. In overtime, Wild missed a penalty kick that would’ve won the game.
Still, Wild stayed positive. As a result, he scored the game-winning goal to lift No. 1 Maryland to a 3-2 win.
“That’s my job, to help the team score goals,” Wild said. “I had a feeling I let the team down on my PK. [It] shouldn’t have happened. I’m glad I could redeem myself a little bit and get us the win.”
Entering Tuesday, Wild led the Big Ten with 11 goals after transferring from South Carolina Upstate this past spring. Yet the German wasn’t happy with all of his performances. He wanted to make a bigger impact off the ball.
Wild helped Maryland get out to a quick start Tuesday, though, scoring in the fourth minute. Midfielder Amar Sejdic passed into the box, and Delaware midfielder Carlos Perales tried to clear the ball. Wild blocked Perales’ strike and kicked the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net.
But in the 23rd minute, Wild jogged back on defense after the Terps turned the ball over. Blue Hens forward Guillermo Delgado scored moments later to tie the match at one.
At halftime, Cirovski told Wild, forward Sebastian Elney and midfielder Jake Rozhansky they didn’t play with enough intensity in the first half, so he replaced them with forwards George Campbell and DJ Reeves and midfielder Keegan Kelly. In the 61st minute, Wild checked back in.
“The first half was not the right effort,” Wild said. “George and DJ, they’re quality players. When they step in, they show this kind of effort and they earned to play. I accept that. As soon as I came in, I just tried to prove myself that I’m also able to step up and [show] effort.”
In the 73rd minute, Delgado scored again off a counter attack. But Wild responded with his own goal about three minutes later to eliminate Maryland’s upset scare. Defender Chris Odoi-Atsem sent a cross into the box to Wild. After positioning himself in front of Delaware defender Carlos Perales, Wild back-heeled the ball into the goal.
That set up Wild’s penalty kick in the 106th minute after Rozhansky got tripped in the box. Wild connected on two of his three penalty kicks entering Tuesday, and on the attempt he missed, Wild followed up his shot to score. This time, however, he kicked the ball over the goalpost. The 5-foot-10, 172-pound striker stood motionless with his hands over the back of his head for about five seconds after the miss.
As Wild walked toward the opposite side of the field, Sejdic gave him a hug. His other teammates encouraged him by saying, “We’re a team.”
Less than one minute later, Wild got vengeance. Midfielder Eryk Williamson sent a cross into the box, and Wild headed the ball past Blue Hens goalkeeper Todd Morton for his 14th goal and sixth game-winning goal, both of which lead the Big Ten. As he ran toward the flag post, Wild raised his index fingers toward the sky before his teammates corralled him with hugs.
Tuesday marked Wild’s first hat trick with the Terps and the third of his career.
“Gordon has been clinical on his last couple of penalties,” Cirovski said. “We all cheered him up because we thought there’d be another chance. He was ready for his next chance. That’s what a good forward has to do. You have to file the last one and get ready for the next one.”
Wild has also stepped up in high-pressure situations in past contests. Against Penn State on Sept. 18, the Terps trailed, 2-1, with seven minutes remaining. Wild scored twice — including in overtime — to lead Maryland to victory. Wild also scored the game-winning goal with 45 seconds remaining in Maryland’s 2-1 win over Georgetown on Sept. 2.
“Gordon is a great player, and I love playing with him,” Williamson said. “I kind of expected it from him because he’s scored so many goals this year. It’s kind of like, ‘Oh, there’s Gordon again.'”
