About two weeks ago, the Maryland men’s soccer team opened Big Ten play against rival Indiana, now the No. 2 team in the nation.
Though the teams played to a scoreless tie, the Terps were disappointed with their performance, the first time since 2006 Maryland didn’t put a shot on goal.
Since then, the Terps have shifted formations, helping them beat two of the weaker teams in the conference, Rutgers and Penn State, with relative ease.
When they travel to play No. 6 Michigan State on Friday, the No. 3 Terps will face the stingiest defense in the country and have a chance to prove their improvement. Michigan State has surrendered one goal through the past seven games.
“I definitely want to go there and make a statement,” midfielder Amar Sejdic said. “Show them that we’re not here to play around and that we’re going to put this whole, ‘One goal [allowed]’ thing or ‘no goals allowed streak’ thing to an end.”
Sejdic is one of the players who has benefited most from Maryland’s (6-0-1, 2-0-1 Big Ten) formation change. The junior scored nine goals and had nine assists last year, but in the first five games this season his role was more defensive and he took just five shots.
In the two games since, the Louisville, Kentucky, native has played higher up the field, where he said he’s more comfortable and taken six shots.
“That’s just kind of where my talent is,” Sejdic said. “Seeing the field and playing through balls and putting people into good places. … This is going to be my third game playing in that position so I have a good feeling that there’s going to be a good outcome from it.”
Coach Sasho Cirovski’s team started its first four games using three forwards. Against Indiana, Cirovski swapped forward DJ Reeves for defensive midfielder Andrew Samuels.
The 4-4-2 is more similar to what the Terps played in last year, when Maryland went undefeated through the regular season before a stunning upset loss to Providence in its first NCAA Tournament game.
The formation allows Sejdic and fellow midfielders Jake Rozhansky and Eryk Williamson to go forward, where they can show their attacking prowess.
“We know where to be with the four-man midfield, and with two strikers, they know where to be on the ball,” Sejdic said. “We’re all very comfortable with it.”
Maryland’s defense hasn’t allowed a goal in the 4-4-2, but its offense has sputtered at times.
Cirovski said his offense will need to play its best Against the Spartans (7-0, 2-0).
Rutgers scored a penalty kick in the 82nd minute against Michigan State on Sept. 8, the only time the Spartans have conceded all year, recording six clean sheets in seven games.
Defender Donovan Pines said Michigan State’s stinginess comes from their consistency, intelligence and experience. Sophomore Michael Wetungu is the youngest starter in Michigan State’s defense. He was a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection last year after starting every game.
“They’re a tough team to break down,” Cirovski said. “We’ll need some good individual brilliance at times, whether it’s through combination play or individual effort.”
Having returned to the formation that led Maryland to the nation’s second-leading offense last year, Sejdic is confident the team can improve on its performance against Indiana and derail the Spartans.
“Our mentality is a little bit more of a killer instinct,” Sejdic said. “We know that we’re the way more talented team and we’re definitely a lot more fierce in our attack than some of the teams that they’ve played this season.”
