Maryland men’s soccer released its 2024 regular season schedule on Tuesday, which features 11 regular season home matches at Ludwig Field. The campaign will come after their worst season in over two decades.
The Terps failed to win a Big Ten game that resulted in a last-place finish in 2023, denying them a spot in the conference tournament for the first time. Maryland’s run of 22 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances also ended.
It lost forwards Stefan Copetti and the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Kimani Stewart-Baynes, who was selected fourth overall by the Colorado Rapids in last year’s MLS SuperDraft. Goalkeeper Mikah Seger, who appeared in eight games and made six starts in 2023, departs after entering the transfer portal alongside graduate Jamie Lowell.
But seven players — including midfielder Alex Nitzl and defender William Kulvik — are back in 2024 along with 11 new additions in an attempt to make a return to both the conference and national tournament.
The Terps begin the year away at UMBC on August 22, the first meeting between the two schools since 2021. A run of six straight home contests follows.
[Maryland men’s soccer couldn’t overcome its inexperience in historically poor season]
Georgetown comes to College Park on August 25 after last season’s meeting was postponed, followed by Detroit Mercy. Virginia will play at Ludwig Field for the first time since 2015 a week later on Labor Day. Maryland hosts Brown and San Diego State before beginning Big Ten play against Wisconsin to close the homestand.
The Terps visit Indiana, the 2023 Big Ten regular season and tournament champions, and Northwestern. Then, they return home to play Penn State and Michigan State.
The Terps will face nonconference foe George Mason in between playing two of the newest Big Ten schools in Washington and UCLA. They’ll make the 2,700-mile trip to Seattle on October 11 and welcome UCLA to Ludwig Field on October 21. Maryland lost to Washington, 2-0, in 2018 and to UCLA, 3-2, in 2019 — the two most recent meetings between the Terps and the West Coast schools.
Maryland closes out its conference slate at Michigan and Rutgers before hosting Ohio State in the regular season finale on November 3.
“Our goal in building our schedule every season is to play the best competition possible to prepare us for the postseason, and this schedule accomplishes that goal,” coach Sasho Cirovski said in a release.
