Maryland men’s soccer trailed Washington twice on Friday. Still, the Huskies led for just five of the match’s 90 total minutes.
The Terps’ quick answers after conceding showed a resiliency that led them to score the game-winning goal with 16 minutes left. Maryland used it to earn a 3-2 win in Seattle.
“Those are mental moments,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “The first five minutes after you score or get scored on is a critical time … twice today we met the moment and we won the moment.”
The first occurrence came after Washington’s Chris Meyers placed a free kick into the top corner in the 12th minute. Maryland’s deficit lasted only four minutes as forward Max Rogers struck back.
The Huskies regained their advantage in the second half, but the Terps scored another equalizer one minute later.
Maryland didn’t have a comeback victory at any point last season. Whenever it fell behind, its best result was a draw. It now has two come-from-behind successes in 2024.
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Rogers, who played centrally at times in the first half, was vital to each Maryland tying goal, standing at the top of the box when defender Luca Costabile dribbled toward the center of the pitch. Rogers received a pass, took two touches and fired a low shot past Huskies’ goalie Jadon Bowton to net Maryland’s first score in the 16th minute.
The Terps’ rapid response kept the game tied the rest of the first half. When they fell behind in the opening five minutes of the second half, Rogers was crucial to another goal.
The graduate student swung in a free kick that was cleared straight into the air by a Washington defender. Forward Colin Griffith positioned himself to control the airborne ball, but he was shoved in the back by Huskies’ midfielder Cooper Brunell in the box.
Rogers’ delivery created a penalty, and Leon Koehl dispatched it down the middle one minute after the Terps conceded. On Maryland’s first entrance into the attacking third after falling behind, it instantly leveled the score 51 minutes in.
“We now have that belief and that proof that we can turn [games] around, which is huge,” Rogers said after the Michigan State game.
The Terps completed their triumph in the 74th minute. Rogers took the ball from the midfield line all the way into the box. He chipped in a cross to the front post for Griffith, who turned the ball goalward and past Bowton for Maryland’s first lead.
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After the Huskies took their first two leads of the game, Maryland was able to swiftly level the score. The Terps made sure to not allow Washington to do the same when they went in front.
The Huskies pushed players forward when they trailed for the first time, putting multiple crosses into the Maryland box that were met by a Terps’ defender. Washington midfielder Alex Hall was able to get a shot away, but defender William Kulvik made a block.
Maryland didn’t concede in the first five minutes after scoring — a crucial period, Cirovski said — and finished the final moments of the game unscathed.
The Terps’ fast answers to going behind allowed them to stay in the match, eventually leading to a winner that kept Maryland at the top of the Big Ten table.
“That’s the sign of a mature, mentally strong, determined team,” Cirovski said. “We don’t want to put ourselves in too many situations because you can’t always get that response in soccer. But tonight we showed that high level of toughness.”
