Maryland men’s soccer draws with Bucknell, 2-2

Hundreds of students filed into the Ludwig Field stands for Maryland men’s soccer’s long-awaited home opener against Bucknell. The first of six Friday Night Lights games — the most the Terps have had in a single season since 2008 — certainly lived up to the hype.

In a battle between two squads on the fringe of the United Soccer Coaches Poll, fans were treated to an eventful 90 minutes. But ultimately, a winner could not be decided.

Two brilliant first-half strikes from forward Stephane Njike and defender Luca Costabile were neutralized by an 85th minute equalizer by Bucknell defender Ben Sheffield. The score leveled the game at two apiece and left both teams with one point.

“I scheduled Bucknell because they were a tournament team last year and I expected them to be a tournament team this year,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “This tie is not the end of the world.”

The Bison have now scored a goal after the 75th minute in all three of their games.

To find the last meeting between these sides, you’d have to go all the way back to 2006. The Terps won that meeting, 4-1. Maryland’s key standouts from that year — Graham Zusi and Maurice Edu — went on to have long professional careers and were part of the U.S. National Team.

Despite the eventful game that was to come Friday, it was another slow start for the Terps. 

Pinning Maryland in its own defensive half, Bucknell used methodical passing to attempt to break down a stifling Terps’ defense. The backline didn’t budge, though.

Maryland broke out of its defensive shell in the seventh minute, and its efforts were rewarded with the first shot of the game. Forward Sadam Masereka scooped up an errant Bucknell pass and immediately fired off a long-range effort, forcing a difficult save from goalie Freddie Lapworth.

With the tide changing, the Terps’ frontline trio finally broke through in the 22nd minute.

Forward Luke Van Heukelum switched the point of attack to the left side, finding a wide open Njike just outside the box. The LIU transfer took a few dribbles and faked a shot with his right foot, instead electing to shoot with his left. Njike fired home a beautiful effort into the top corner. 

The goal combined with his celebration sent the home faithful into a frenzy. Njike sprinted to the corner flag and pulled off a well-executed backflip.

Maryland’s offense was only getting started. Just six minutes later, the Terps doubled their advantage.

With acres of space in front of him, Costabile picked up his head and took a peek at the goal. The left back fired off an effort that will likely be in the conversation for best score of the season. Costabile rifled a 30-yard strike that left Lapworth frozen.

However, Bucknell wouldn’t go down without putting up a comeback effort. In the 37th minute, defender Jace Clark went in for a challenge that he would like to forget. The result was a penalty kick that defender Jackson Sullivan calmly tucked home, halving the deficit completely against the flow of the game. 

“I think we have to be able to close out the halves,” Cirovski said. “There were a couple moments [we made] mistakes. That was a poor challenge to give away a penalty and then we didn’t challenge on a corner. Those are two things that we can’t have.”

After dominating the possession from the sixth minute on, the Terps only led 2-1 heading into the break. But they came out of the locker room with a second gear, and created some quality chances.

Midfielder Leon Koehl missed a penalty in the 47th minute, his first in over a year. Koehl led the country with a perfect 7-of-7 conversion rate from the spot last season.

“Uncharistically, he missed one, but that’ll be the only one he’ll miss all year,” Cirovski said.

Forward Sadam Masereka thought he had his second goal of the season in the 73rd minute. An inviting cross from Njike found Masereka at the backpost, but the winger was ruled offside after a video review.

The Bison ultimately clawed their way back with an 85th minute equalizer off a corner kick, leaving Maryland a result that stung more like a defeat.

Three things to know

1. Koehl is back from injury. After missing Monday’s season opener against then-No. 25 Georgetown, Koehl’s return to the center of the pitch was a promising sign for the Terps. While his penalty shot was saved, the midfielder looked sharp on the ball.

2. Njike shines in home debut. The last time Njike touched the pitch at Ludwig Field, he scored a goal and had an assist in the NCAA Tournament opening round. His impact on the left flank gave Maryland a jolt of energy, creating several close chances and scoring his first in a Terps uniform.

3. Set pieces were killer. Bucknell’s only two goals of the game came off a penalty kick and a corner kick, outside of the run of play. While those two areas decided the outcome of the game, Maryland’s lapse is certainly one it will aim to tighten up.

“We missed the penalty, they converted their penalty,” Cirovski said. “Some of the key moments in the game we didn’t execute in the way that we typically would. But there’s a lot of positives from this game.”