Maryland men’s soccer defender Jace Clark attempted to clear a bouncing ball inside his own penalty area. The starting right back launched the ball to what he hoped was clear of the Terps’ back line, but hit midfielder Alex Nitzl in the back instead.
Georgetown forward Mitchell Baker touched a shot past Maryland goalie Laurin Mack inside the first three minutes to give the Hoyas an early advantage. Baker’s first of two scores created a deficit the Terps’ attack couldn’t surmount.
Maryland lost its first game at Ludwig Field to local rival No. 16 Georgetown on Sunday, 2-0.
The Terps (0-1-1) dropped their second consecutive home opener and have scored just one goal in their first two matches. The Hoyas’ (1-1-0) sound showing secured their fourth-ever win at Ludwig Field.
“We played good enough to get several goals today,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “I thought their keeper made two or three outstanding saves today… We have some errors that we want to improve on. We will get better.”
[Maryland men’s soccer draws 1-1 with UMBC in season opener]
Maryland’s attack, which struggled in Thursday’s draw against UMBC, experienced similar suffering on Sunday.
After falling behind early, Maryland created numerous chances through its play down the wings — primarily from forwards Sadam Masereka and Max Rogers.
The speed of Masereka, who played all across the Terps’ attack, created dangerous opportunities along the goal line. But every hopeful ball sent into the box was repelled by Georgetown goalkeeper Tenzing Manske, who finished the night with three saves. Maryland’s eight first half corners and six shots didn’t amount to a goal.
Midfielder Kenny Quist-Therson sent the Terps’ best effort of the first half flying from outside the box in the 17th minute, but Manske tipped the ball onto the post for the save.
The Terps, despite an advantage in corners, only put three first half shots on target and allowed Georgetown to double its lead midway through the period.
Mack received and cleared the ball out of play from his penalty area as defender William Kulvik went down with an injury. The Hoyas opted to continue attacking after the restart instead of playing the ball back to Maryland.
The Hoyas struck again when Baker found himself on the end of another bouncing ball inside the box. He stretched out his leg to poke it past Mack again, this time from the right side of the net.
“The throw-in should have been thrown back to us by the Georgetown players,” Cirovski said. “There was an injury on the play, and that is the sporting thing to do. And I’m very disappointed that they failed to act in a sporting manner.”
[Maryland men’s soccer looks to rebound after its worst season in two decades]
More crosses entered the Georgetown box from Maryland attackers in the second half. Each floating ball evaded a Maryland attacker and was cleared by a Hoyas’ defender. The Terps ended the game with 13 corners.
Maryland outshot Georgetown, 13-10, but failed to put an effort on goal for the entirety of the second half. The slow offensive performance comes after the Terps only put half of their attempts on frame and only scored once in their first contest of the year against UMBC.
As the Terps struggled to generate offensive opportunities, the Hoyas didn’t need to push forward possessing a two-goal lead. Georgetown’s impressive defensive display in the second half prevented a Maryland comeback.
“When they needed to be, I think Georgetown won the moment,” Rogers said. “Whether that be scrambling to block shots, or to clear balls or winning that set piece header, which they did so often today.”
The Terps’ attack, which was lackluster a year ago but seemed to be improved ahead of this season, could begin to come together on Friday when they host Detroit Mercy, who gave up 36 goals a season ago.
