EVANSTON, IL – No. 19 Maryland men’s soccer picked up its third consecutive win to start Big Ten play as the Terps defeated Northwestern 2-1 on a windy Friday night at Martin Stadium. It marks the first time the Terps have won their first three games to start Big Ten play ever, moving to 3-0 and 5-1-3 overall. This marks the best start to conference play for the Terrapins since the 2012 season, when the Terps began ACC play with six consecutive victories to start conference play.
With the win, the Terps unbeaten run moves to six-straight games, with a record of 4-0-2. The last such unbeaten run came back in 2022, when the Terps went unbeaten in eight games (6-0-2).
Leon Koehl got the scoring started for the Terps in the 12th minute. Colin Griffith beat the Northwestern defender, who took down the forward in the box to give the Terps the penalty opportunity. Like he has done before, Koehl buried the effort from the spot to put the Terps up 1-0. For Koehl, it makes the sophomore 4-for-4 from the spot early in the season. Koehl’s four PK goals is the most for a Terp since Malcolm Johnston, who had four for Maryland during the 2022 season.
The Terps are rolling in Evanston 😎#B1GMSoccer x @MarylandMSoccer pic.twitter.com/gPColzz2rb
— Big Ten Soccer (@B1GSoccer) September 28, 2024
The next opportunity for the Terps came just five minutes later. Griffith found himself free in the box after a back heel pass from Luca Costabile, finishing the chance to double the lead for the Terps to 2-0. The goal for Griffith was his third of the season, which equaled his career-high from the 2022 season.
COLIN!!!
Huge start for the Terps on the road taking a 2-0 lead pic.twitter.com/9rAB50ODVs
— Maryland Men’s Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) September 28, 2024
Northwestern outshot Maryland 4-3 in the first half, but all four shots were blocked by the Maryland backline. Laurin Mack didn’t make his first save until the second half, just after halftime in the 46th minute, stopping a shot at the bottom left corner of the net.
Northwestern got its only goal of the match in the 64th minute, as Christopher Thaggard scored on a free kick. The goal cut the score to 2-1 and came on a double assist from Luke Shriner and Collin McCamy.
The XI
Another crucial game for the Terps under the lights in the Big Ten
Your XI
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