Lasse Kelp tied the game for the Terps with just minutes left, and their game-winning shot with seconds left was saved.
No. 23 Maryland men’s soccer wasn’t going to be denied at least one point from Tuesday night’s clash with Penn State.
Just five minutes separated the Terps from their first defeat of the season. Down a man and a goal, they earned a free kick seconds after blowing its one-goal lead. The setpiece opportunity was likely Maryland’s last chance at rescuing anything.
Lasse Kelp stood over the ball on the edge of the box. The senior defender shuffled his feet forward, picked his head up to decide on a placement and curled it low between two Penn State players to deliver a stunning equalizer. Kelp’s first career goal in a Maryland uniform was a beauty, sealing the Terps’ 2-2 tie against Penn State.
With five seconds left, the Terps nearly found a winner. Kelp whipped in a dangerous free kick from the top right corner of the box but Penn State goalkeeper Jonathan Evans pushed it out of harm’s way.
Despite ample chances in the waning moments of the game, the first half was sluggish for both sides.
While Maryland dominated possession in the first half, the two teams combined to create three shots on goal. The Terps consistently attacked down the flank, hoping to utilize their speedy wingers to produce quality chances.
Despite easily skipping past the first defender, Sadam Masereka and Stephane Njike were met with double teams all night long. Eventually, when it seemed like all hope for a first-half score disappeared, freshman Farouk Cisse delivered.
In the 40th minute on Tuesday, the German defender — a product of Borussia Dortmund’s youth academy — found his way on the scoresheet. Evans attempted to punch the ball out on a corner, but instead the ball harmlessly rolled out to Cisse on the edge of the box. He pounced on it, striking a beautiful low-driven shot back into the traffic and into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
But Penn State’s attack woke up late in the final moments of the first half. The Nittany Lions fired three shots off, but came away with nothing to show for.
Trailing by one-goal at the break, Penn State seized the momentum of the game. Through some sloppy play in the back, the Nittany Lions capitalized on a careless giveaway in the 50th minute. Chris Steinleitner was caught facing his own goal, and the ball was poked free from his foot. One pass later, midfielder Ben Madore fired it home to level the match at one.
While Maryland created a few quality chances immediately after, Penn State weathered the early storm and got a gift in the 73rd minute. Njike was caught in a scuffle inside the Nittany Lions’ defensive box. He lifted his right knee and delivered a blow to the midsection of a Penn State defender, resulting in a red card.
With Maryland now a player down, head coach Sasho Cirovski was forced to make some adjustments on the fly. Still, the Terps created some half-chances in the attacking half.
But it was Penn State that found the next goal. A through ball behind Maryland’s backline created all sorts of problems. Kelp was taken down, either by the ground or a soft nudge, despite being first to the ball. That put the Nittany Lions’ forward Christian Dionne one-on-one with Laurin Mack. Dionne calmly tucked it home to put Penn State up 2-1 with six minutes left.
But the Terps still created waves of attacking pressure, and it was rewarded one minute later. Kelp’s goal in the 85th minute provided the Terps some late-game heroics to stave off a first defeat.
Three things to know
1. Unbeaten record remains intact. While Maryland came away with a draw in its second Big Ten clash, it still doesn’t have a loss on its record. The Terps are unbeaten through seven games for the first time since 2017 and are one of 21 remaining Division I teams in the country without a loss.
2. Winless in Happy Valley. Maryland entered tonight without a road win in the series in eight years. Despite taking a one-goal lead into halftime, the Terps left Happy Valley without a victory. But Maryland showed a lot of grit to earn a point given its circumstances — down a man and a goal late in the game.
3. Thrilling second half. It’s been no secret that the Terps have been a second half team this season. While Maryland tacked on one more goal to its tally — 14 of its 20 goals have come in the final 45 minutes — it allowed Penn State to produce two goals on some sloppy play in the back.
Category: General Sports
