When William James Herve scored his second goal of the game to give Maryland men’s soccer a 2-1 overtime win against Northwestern on Friday night, the freshman ripped off his shirt off in celebration, then flung it into the night sky.

There were 791 spectators at Martin Stadium to watch Herve score the first two goals of his college career. But there was one who meant the most to Herve: His mother, who had traveled more than 4,000 miles from France to see him play in college for the first time.

Louise Herve was rewarded with a standout effort from her son, who stepped up in Maryland’s Big Ten opener amid a slew of injuries to help the team earn its second straight win.

“It was great to see her. It’s been a long time,” Herve said. “I’m really happy to have scored these two goals for her.”

[Read more: William James Herve scores twice to push Maryland soccer over Northwestern, 2-1]

While on an overseas business trip in Chicago, Herve’s mother made a stop in nearby Evanston to catch the match. She was there to see Herve score the equalizer with just under seven remaining to force overtime. His next shot, in the 95th minute, snuck between goalkeeper Miha Miskovic’s legs to give the Terps a walk-off victory.

Herve’s added inspiration to perform for his mother was a much-needed spark for an undermanned Maryland team, which had four players unavailable for the game.

Defender Ben Di Rosa and forward Justin Gielen were ill and didn’t travel with the team, coach Sasho Cirovski said. Forward Vinicius Lansade fell ill while on the trip and became unable to play, as well. Defender Chase Gasper, who missed five games last year with a groin injury, didn’t play with a back injury, either.

After missing two straight matches with an ankle injury, forward Sebastian Elney returned to the field off the bench. While he wasn’t 100 percent for the 70 minutes he played, he still assisted Herve on his game winner.

“It is a setback to lose some players, but everybody knows they have their own role to do whether they’re a starter or a player coming in off the bench,” midfielder Amar Sejdic said. “It shows the versatility and the mindset that we have. Guys know they have to get in and do their job and execute at the highest level.”

[Read more: After tough nonconference slate, Maryland men’s soccer looks forward to Big Ten play]

Herve notched his second straight start after coming off the bench in his first three games, earning more responsibility with Elney’s injury and Cirovski wanting to change personnel after winning none of the first four games.

With the litany of inactive players, Maryland faced more adversity when Northwestern scored a goal against the run of play in the 61st minute. It was only the Wildcats’ third shot of the game. The Terps, who finished with a 20-4 shot advantage, needed two goals to open their Big Ten slate with a win, and Herve came through.

Defender Johannes Bergmann played a long ball near the box, where forward Eric Matzelevich headed the ball into the box to keep the play alive. It skipped around and fell to Herve’s feet, who was able to get enough contact on the ball to tie the game at one.

“Will found himself in a good spot on the first goal and did what we needed to do all season,” Sejdic said. “Just put it on frame and give it a chance.”

In overtime, Herve gave another shot a try. While it seemed unlikely to amount to anything spectacular, Herve’s attempt bounced before it snuck between the keeper’s legs and into the net. It ended the game instantly with a Maryland victory.

The Terps had just one goal as a team in their first five games of the season, but were optimistic they could score in spurts heading into conference play.

“Any time you can get three points on the road in the Big Ten is a very positive result,” Cirovski said. “For an undermanned group to come here and find a way to get a victory makes it a little bit extra special.”