Maryland Soccer Returns Home to a Draw

By Kevin Chaney Jr. on September 2, 2018 • ( 0 )

The Maryland men’s soccer team and No. 10 Stanford played 110 minutes of competitive, scoreless soccer in front of 5,802 fans at Ludwig Field Friday night.

The Terrapins (0-1-1) and Cardinal (0-0-2) both had chances, but could not find the breakthrough in a matchup between two of the premier programs in the country. Maryland has the better of the play for much of the second half, with junior Paul Bin and freshmen Justin Gielen and William James Herve showing well in the attack.

FINAL

Hard fought battle between two of the best programs in the country. Next up we face UVA on Labor Day at Audi Field. #FearTheTurtle pic.twitter.com/HPI8EiYj4K

— Maryland Soccer (@MarylandMSoccer) September 1, 2018

“I thought it was a great performance by our team today,” Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “Stanford is a tough nut to crack. They’re very organized and compete really hard. I thought that we matched them on the competitive side of things and I also think we played some good soccer and created some good chances. I loved the effort our guys put out tonight. We made blocks and ran balls down. When you play a three-time reigning champion, they have a lot of mojo and belief. I think tonight we took a good step in finding our mojo. We didn’t get the goals or a result but it was a positive performance and I think we can build on that.”

After a Stanford free kick slammed off the bar in the opening two minutes, Bin almost found the opener in the fourth minute. The junior received a bouncing cross 10 yards out, but could not direct his half volley past the keeper.

The first 45 minutes were cagey, with both teams exchanging possession. The Terps started bright in the second half. In the 52^nd minute, senior Sebastian Elney’s cross from the left found the path of DJ Reeves, who just missed slotting home from close range.

Seb with an absolute screamer that nearly sent @UMDcrew into euphoria…#FearTheTurtle pic.twitter.com/qzQz53kWdr

— Maryland Soccer (@MarylandMSoccer) September 1, 2018

Maryland continued to press for the opener with Bin and Herve, the latter making his Maryland debut, providing good direct play. Gielen also posed a problem for the Stanford backline and almost found his first career tally in the 78^th minute. The freshman ran at a Stanford defender in the box and unleashed a right-footed effort that went wide.

The Terps backline game up with the goods at the end regulation, making a pair of big blocks to keep the Cardinal at bay. The held up at the end of the second overtime period as well. Junior center back Donovan Pines continued his strong early season play with another solid performance next to a sturdy Johannes Bergmann in central defense.