Maryland men’s soccer to host Long Island in first round of NCAA tournament

Maryland men’s soccer received an at-large bid in the 2024 NCAA tournament and will host Long Island in the first round at Ludwig Field at 7 p.m. on Thursday, the NCAA men’s soccer selection committee announced Monday. If the Terps win, they’ll travel to No. 8-seed Wake Forest for the second round on Sunday.

Maryland returns to the national tournament after missing out last year. The Terps failed to win a Big Ten contest in 2023 and didn’t receive an entry into the tournament for the first time in more than two decades.

The Terps lost to Long Island, 1-0, in the first round of the 2021 tournament.

Coach Sasho Cirovski led Maryland back into the national rankings earlier this season, reaching as high as No. 2 in the country. The Terps notched a ranked victory over then-No. 8 Wisconsin and recorded road wins at Indiana, Northwestern and Washington in conference play.

But a subpar final five matches knocked Maryland out of contention to receive a national seed and multiple home games in the tournament. The selection committee ranked the Terps as the fifth-best team on Oct. 17, but Maryland has not won a game since.

[Maryland men’s soccer’s disastrous defense led to quick Big Ten tournament exit]

Maryland lost its final three regular season contests and was dismantled by UCLA in the Big Ten tournament, 6-0.

Two weeks of rest should benefit the Terps entering the NCAA tournament. Sophomore midfielder Leon Koehl, who missed the last three regular season games with an injury, played nine minutes in the loss to the Bruins, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year William Kulvik also missed an outing during the Terps’ five-game winless streak.

Maryland’s defense — a unit that has struggled during the stretch of losses — will be vital for a deep run in the tournament. The Terps collected two clean sheets and gave up just five scores in five wins and a draw during their early Big Ten success, but conceded 14 goals in their last five games.

Maryland’s last national title in 2018 consisted of a defensive run where it didn’t allow a single score through the championship match. The Terps need improvement in defending their own goal to succeed in the tournament — that starts against the Sharks, who have averaged 1.32 goals per game this year.