No. 7 Maryland men’s soccer’s unbeaten streak ends as Terps fall to High Point, 2-1

No. 7 Maryland males’s soccer held a 1-0 lead at halftime, however as soon as sophomore defender William Kulvik dedicated an personal objective within the second half, issues took a flip for the more severe.

With the sport knotted at one, Excessive Level cashed in on a golden alternative within the 76th minute because the Terps lined up for a free kick. Maryland couldn’t maintain possession because the Panthers intercepted a cross and turned up discipline. Excessive Level freshman midfielder Brendan Krueger led the break earlier than dishing it off to senior ahead Sebastian Chalbaud, who tried a shot from 17 yards out.

The shot bounced off senior goalkeeper Niklas Neumann however nonetheless floated into the online for the rating, placing the Panthers forward for good.

Excessive Level survived a late-game assault from Maryland because the Terps suffered their second lack of the season, 2-1, in School Park on Monday night time.

“I’m past pissed off with the end result. As soon as once more, we gifted the primary objective [and] allowed Excessive Level to develop confidence,” head coach Sasho Cirovski mentioned. “We performed an incredible first half. We’re in management the entire recreation. We restrict the opposition to essentially no different possibilities. And but we find yourself with two targets towards us. So, proper now we’re essentially the most gracious crew in America, we hold gifting away tender targets.

Monday night time marked one other sluggish begin for Maryland, as neither crew tried a shot via the primary 9 minutes.

Junior ahead Stefan Copetti recorded the sport’s first shot on objective within the tenth minute, however it was simply scooped up by Northwestern goalkeeper Holden Trent.

Excessive Level acquired deep into Maryland territory within the sixteenth minute, however the Terps’ backline held robust and created a possibility of their very own.

Senior ahead Hunter George acquired the ball about 70 yards away from the online and took off. He weaved in between Excessive Level defenders and even nutmegged one within the course of. As soon as he acquired to the 18-yard field, George lined up his shot and snaked it previous Trent for the rating.

Now holding an early lead, the Terps relaxed and performed a bit extra conservative.

Neumann acquired concerned within the twenty ninth minute as he recorded his first save of the sport. Chalbaud tried to elevate the ball over Neumann’s head, however it was not excessive sufficient, because the keeper swatted it away.

The ultimate alternative of the primary half belonged to Maryland, when Dillon drilled a line drive towards the underside left nook of the online. Trent was in a position to make the diving save, although, stopping the Terps from taking a multi-goal lead.

The primary half was a defensive battle that noticed simply six mixed pictures, prompting each coaches to regulate their recreation plan in the course of the break.

Maryland’s lead didn’t survive the second half, as Kulvik made a vital mistake. Because the ball trickled in direction of the objective space, Kulvik tried to clear it and forestall a possible shot on objective. Sadly, Kulvik’s clear turned the shot on objective because it sailed previous Neumann and into the online.

“On a fairly harmless trying ball that I don’t suppose anyone was gonna get on the tip of,” Cirovski mentioned. “[It was] an instinctive choice there that William made and, you recognize, it was at the back of our web.”

With the rating knotted at one, the Terps needed to regain their aggression.

Maryland marched down the sector within the 53rd minute and was in a position to get Trent out of place. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Joe Suchecki charged the ball and headed it towards the middle of the online, however all-conference defender Finn McRobb slid into Trent’s place and booted the ball away.

Redshirt sophomore Joshua Bolma and George every had prime alternatives within the following 5 minutes, however they had been each a number of ft off course.

Excessive Level took benefit of those missed alternatives within the 76th minute when a Maryland free kick backfired. Dillon turned the ball over because the Panthers stampeded down the sector. Chalbaud gathered the ball on the fringe of the field and blasted it towards the online. Neumann was in a position to redirect it, however it was not sufficient to forestall the objective.

The 76th-minute objective was the ultimate of the match and snapped Maryland’s nine-game unbeaten streak. Maryland has simply three matches remaining earlier than the postseason begins.

Three issues to know

1. The Terps scored first. For the primary time in three video games, Maryland took an early lead and scored the primary objective of the sport. Scoring first was an idea that Cirovski burdened over the previous week after the Terps tied Northwestern and Wisconsin. Ciorvski’s want was granted on Monday night time, however the lone objective was not sufficient to beat the Panthers.

“We performed a fantastic first half. We performed very constructive, you recognize, we scored a fantastic objective, we perhaps even deserved one other,” Cirovski mentioned. “I believe perhaps we simply felt too good about ourselves at half.”

2. Maryland performed with out two starters. Senior midfielder Malcolm Johnston and graduate ahead German Giammattei had been sidelined towards Excessive Level because of damage. The 2 are answerable for 16 of the Maryland’s 73 factors this season. The Terps wanted them on this one, as they had been in a position to create alternatives however couldn’t end the job.

3. The Terps’ kind has faltered as of late. Maryland went from a juggernaut with only one loss to a crew that can’t appear to get within the win column. The Terps performed maybe their best stretch of the season over the past three video games however got here away winless. Northwestern and Wisconsin sat on the backside of the Large Ten standings, whereas Excessive Level was 2-3-2 in nonconference play getting into Monday’s recreation.

“Fortunately, it’s not the final recreation of the season and we now have an opportunity to hopefully be taught and turn out to be stronger,” Cirovski mentioned.