Coach Sasho Cirovski admitted his team didn’t play its best game against No. 13 Rutgers Tuesday night. But No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer earned a convincing 2-0 win over a worthy conference opponent — another example of the team’s dominance on its home turf this season.
Maryland has won six of its seven home matches, the lone blip being a draw against Bucknell in late August. The Terps also own a positive 18 goal differential at home, the best mark in the Big Ten.
Some players, in addition to Cirovski, have pointed to a desire to entertain the devout supporters who consistently show up for the team.
Fans have found that entertainment in the Terps’ high volume of goal sat home this season. This dominance at Ludwig Field has also been because of the team’s defensive stability.
“You’re seeing a team with a lot of pride,” Cirovski said. “Tristen [Rose] and Lasse [Kelp] are an incredible partnership at the back, but we’re getting really good play from the whole team on the defensive side.”
Even at a position as physically demanding as center back, Kelp and Rose have played from start to finish in every game this season. In their 990 minutes alongside each other, Maryland’s only allowed five non-penalty goals.
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Mistakes have been rare between either defender, though they happen more frequently on the road.
When Maryland traveled to University Park in September, Penn State took advantage of gaffs — in both positioning and execution — to score a late go-ahead goal. In Los Angeles when they faced UCLA, Rose’s fumbled attempt at controlling possession gifted the Bruins a one-on-one scoring chance, but forward Sergi Solans Ormo botched the opportunity.
Goalkeeper Laurin Mack helps mitigate those occasional errors. He provides a “numerical advantage at the back,” according to Kelp.
Mack has played every minute in net for Maryland this season after a 2024 All-Conference Freshman Team campaign that saw him record three clean sheets and a 65.8 save percentage.
Through 11 games this season, he’s delivered four shutouts at home, two additional clean sheets on the road and holds the best overall save clip of starting Big Ten goalkeepers.
Mack held Rutgers’ front three — one of the most balanced attacking units in the Big Ten — scoreless by making five stops in a variety of ways.
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While goalkeepers are usually judged by quantifiable metrics, Cirovski feels the German sophomore has grown in some of the more nuanced facets of his position.
“His English is much better, so he’s able to articulate and communicate things better,” Cirovski said.
That element helps Mack organize the defenders in front of him.
“I feel like that’s a part of [my job] because I see the whole game from the back,” Mack said. “I can influence the game in a way where I can see where the [opposing] players are at and help my teammates cover those guys.”
Aided by Mack’s presence, a Maryland back line that’s been reliable on the road regularly transforms into a juggernaut at Ludwig Field. The defensive solidity the team has shown at home is also promising given its end to the regular season.
The Terps have four conference matches remaining, evenly split between home and away.
Maryland faces Ohio State and Michigan State in its pair of road trips — two teams that average less than 1.4 goals per game.
By contrast, the Terps will host the highest-scoring Big Ten team in No. 21 Washington and a No. 14 Indiana squad that features the conference’s leading goal scorer, Palmer Ault. But in the face of those tall defensive tasks, Maryland’s back line will likely benefit from its proven home-field advantage.
