Maryland men’s soccer midfielder Leon Koehl calmly placed a first-half penalty into the bottom right corner in the 40th minute, giving the Terps a one-goal advantage at halftime.
Almost 12 hours later due to a lightning delay that suspended play in the second half Friday night, Maryland withstood multiple Indiana attacks to earn a 1-0 road victory against the Hoosiers Saturday morning at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The Terps (4-1-3, 2-0-0 Big Ten) kept their second clean sheet in back-to-back outings against a conference opponent. With center back Bjarne Thiesen returning to the starting lineup and Alex Nitzl filling in at right back, Maryland’s back line looks poised to limit opposing attacks.
Maryland’s defense faced a struggling Indiana (2-3-3, 1-1-0 Big Ten) attack that ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten in scoring.
The Hoosiers only netted seven goals in their first seven games. Forward Tommy Mihalic accounted for four of them.
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Indiana registered the first two shots of the contest and put one on target in the opening 12 minutes. Maryland goalie Laurin Mack caught it and the Hoosiers didn’t record a shot for the next 13 minutes in the first half.
Mihalic looked like the biggest threat to beat Mack in the opening frame. The senior placed a shot on goal, but it was right down the middle for Mack to punch away. Mihalic also sent a volley high over the crossbar and had another effort blocked.
Indiana’s attack manufactured more chances in the second half just as it did in the first half, but a Terps defender or Mack stopped the Hoosiers from scoring.
Left back Luca Costabile and Theisen each got their bodies in front of an Indiana shot. Mack corralled another save and finished with five, setting a season-high.
Indiana continued to pressure Maryland’s goal as play restarted Saturday morning. The Hoosiers swung in four corners in the final 20 minutes, but didn’t trouble Mack and his defense.
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But as the Terps’ defense thwarted multiple shots from Indiana’s forwards, Maryland’s attack — which put three past Wisconsin last Friday — struggled to generate any offensive output early on.
Forward Colin Griffith had a long-range attempt blocked at the top of the box for the Terps’ only shot in the initial 19 minutes.
Costabile ventured forward and raced into the box with just under ten minutes left in the half, but Indiana goalie JT Harms denied his shot.
But the Terps finally put one past Harms a few minutes later.
Griffith was dragged to the ground as he advanced into the box, winning another penalty for the Terps. Their go-to penalty taker Koehl placed the ball onto the spot and fired a low kick into the net, his third successful penalty this year.
Forward Sadam Masereka and midfielder Matias de Jesus both had clear chances to extend Maryland’s advantage after halftime, but Harms kept both shots away from his net.
The Terps won their first two Big Ten matches of the season for the first time since 2021. After failing to earn a single victory last season, Maryland’s positive start to conference play could lead to a return to the Big Ten and national tournaments.
