Maryland men’s soccer had scored 20 of its 28 goals in the second half this season heading into Saturday’s meeting at Ohio State. Against the Buckeyes, they flipped the trend. 

Midfielder Joseph Picotto notched his second point as a Terp only 46 seconds into the match against Ohio State — the first of four goals Maryland scored in a shutout against Ohio State.The 4-0  win improved the Terps’ record to 9-0-3 as they remained unbeaten in 12 games to open 2025. 

“Shut-outs are team achievements. It takes the whole team committed to the cause and I think we’ve done a good job of understanding how important it is,” Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski said.

Picotto’s goal came after Maryland forward Stephane Njike sent a cross curling into the box. The ball ricocheted off a crowd of players and dropped to Picotto’s feet, where he fired a shot past Ohio State goalkeeper Max Trejo — only for midfielder Ashton Bilow to block it on the line.

Moments later, the whistle blew and Maryland’s players threw their arms into the air. Bilow’s deflection had come from behind the goal line, awarding Picotto the score.

“For the second game in a row now, we followed up a loose ball in the box and Joseph was the man on the spot again,” Cirovski said.

Maryland and Ohio State were evenly matched for the rest of the half and traded shots. While Maryland did not have another shot on frame, Ohio State had multiple.

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As the game resumed after halftime, the game became increasingly physical as scoring attempts went unanswered.

This drew a Maryland penalty kick in the 66th minute.

As Maryland forward Sadam Masereka cut into the penalty box from the right side, he blew past Ohio State defender Nick McHenry. McHenry grabbed a handful of Masereka’s jersey, yanking him back and drawing a yellow card.

With usual penalty taker Leon Koehl sidelined, Masereka stepped up to the spot. He delivered, slotting the ball into the left-center of the net for his fifth goal of the season — tying Stephane Njike for the team lead.

Masereka’s goal didn’t stop the Buckeyes’ physicality. When Justis Olorunto’s reckless misconduct earned him a yellow card in the 75th minute, Picotto stepped up to take the free kick just outside the Buckeye’s penalty box.

Picotto’s strike curved through the air, finding its mark as Maryland midfielder Kenny Quist-Therson headed it into the upper net for his first goal of the season.

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“Our set piece execution was very good today,” Cirovski said. “The way that we came out in the second half, we were able to create that penalty, and then after that we just took control of the game.”

Maryland saw a freshman pair collaborate to score its final two goals.  

In the 85th minute, forward Rocket Ritarita threaded a precise through-ball to Henry Bernstein, who cut the ball back and finished high into the upper net — just over the outstretched fingers of Trejo.  

Goalkeeper Laurin Mack continued his dominant run against the Buckeyes, making three first-half saves. He hasn’t allowed a goal in four straight matches. 

Two of those stops came in the 10th and 18th minutes, when Mack denied Ashton Bilow’s left-corner attempts. Ohio State kept pressing, but Maryland’s defense held firm. 

When Bilow played a ball through to Luciano Pechota in the 40th minute, Mack easily scooped up the weak shot under pressure. Four minutes later, Tanner Creech’s strike from outside the box was deflected into the air by Tristen Rose, allowing Mack to collect it calmly.  

Maryland’s backline continued to star in the game — now having allowed only seven goals the entire season.