Two weeks ago, the Maryland men’s soccer team played a scoreless tie against Indiana, a team that rose to No. 1 in the rankings shortly after.

Friday, the No. 3 Terps traveled to No. 6 Michigan State, the team’s first ranked opponent since playing Indiana.

Again, neither squad managed a goal in 110 minutes, as Maryland played its second 0-0 tie of the season. Again, Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski expressed disappointment after the game.

He was unhappy with his team’s play against the Hoosiers, but Friday, the disappointment stemmed from a belief the Terps performed well enough to win.

“We went on the road and were the aggressor for much of the game,” Cirovski said, “and feel a little bit empty about tying on the road today.”

The Terps didn’t manage a shot on goal against the Hoosiers but were much more dangerous against the Spartans, taking 20 shots and putting seven on target.

“There were spurts we played our best soccer of the season,” midfielder Jake Rozhansky said. “The team as a whole can say we’re much happier with this performance rather than Indiana.”

The Terps travelled to East Lansing, Michigan, looking to make an offensive statement against a Spartans team that had conceded just once in its first seven games, but the Michigan State backline was up to the test.

Rozhansky said the attack was simply missing a final pass or touch, a prognosis the team has made frequently this season after periods of offensive struggles.

They nearly found that final touch in the sixth minute, when midfielder Eryk Williamson found space in the middle of the box and used the outside of his right foot to float a shot towards goal. It ricocheted off the outside of the post and out of bounds.

“If we can look back at the chances we had, we probably could’ve put away one or two,” Rozhansky said. “That [would’ve] drawn them in to come in and attack us, and things [would’ve opened] up.”

In the 60th minute, Michigan State goalkeeper Jimmy Hague made two of his saves in quick succession. First, he dove to stop a Williamson shot. Forward Gordon Wild headed the rebound on target before Hague could even stand up, but the redshirt junior stuck his hand up and kept Maryland off the board.

“You have to credit their goalkeeper on an incredible save on [Wild’s] header,” Cirovski said. “That probably could’ve been the difference in the game.”

Maryland goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made six saves of his own, part of a defensive effort that led to Maryland tying a school record by recording its fifth consecutive shutout. It was another impressive showing from a backline with four new starters and playing in front of St. Clair, also in his first year starting.

“When they had a few looks,” Cirovski said. “We came up strong, whether it was the backs making plays or [St. Clair] making plays.”

The Terps outshot the Spartans, 20-9, though many of their efforts came from distance and didn’t threaten Hague.

Both teams put dangerous crosses into the box in the first overtime period, but the Spartans defense cleared Maryland’s attempt and a miscommunication led to the demise of the Michigan State chance. A Spartans header that went wide was the best look of the second overtime.

At the end of both overtimes, Maryland took a last-second shot. Both times, the shots were deflected out, meaning the Terps earned 10 corner kicks but took only eight.

“We perhaps deserved a little bit better from the result,” Cirovski said. “But we’ll take a hard-earned tie on the road against a good team.”