
The Sharks broke through with less than two minutes remaining to take the lead.
Maryland men’s soccer had to scratch and claw to try and get the offense moving against a tough Long Island team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
While it seemed to be breaking through with 10 minutes to go in regulation, LIU broke off down the far side of the pitch. In the blink of an eye, forward Assane Ben Fall ripped a shot from the corner of the box, finding the back of the net as the Maryland backline held its hands over its heads in disbelief.
It was a shocking end to a game that seemed all but certain to be heading into extra time. With so little time for a rebuttal, the clock ran out before Maryland could get off an equalizer as the Long Island Sharks pulled off the massive upset on the road to advance.
Maryland hadn’t lost a home game the entire season, but it couldn’t recover from an uninspiring first half en route to a 1-0 defeat in College Park on Thursday night.
Maryland looked to get off on the right foot after its 11-day hiatus from the pitch. Just over a minute into the match, forward Hunter George got a shot on goal, leading to a corner opportunity for the Terps.
While the intensity was there, the execution was a tad off. Maryland had a handful of sloppy moments in the opening few minutes. Those didn’t translate too many chances for Long Island, but it put a lid on Maryland’s effort on offense.
Furthermore, the rain began to pick up in the 14th minute, putting a halt on much offensive momentum from either side.
There was a glimpse at breaking through for the Terrapins in the 24th minute with an excellent through ball to George, but the slippery conditions caused George to mishandle the feed.
A few more set pieces came up empty for the Terps, while LIU chose an alternative route — booming the ball down the field and hoping to beat the backline in a foot race.
With forward Emil Jaaskelainen — the second-leading goal scorer in the country — at its disposal, the Sharks tried to optimize his scoring prowess in worsening conditions.
But Maryland’s backline held strong, maintaining its stronghold on the time of possession. The Terps defense went into the half having not allowed a single shot attempt, but the offense didn’t fare much better despite collecting five corner kicks and three shots on goal.
The first half struggles seen from time to time this season came to the forefront of this otherwise one-sided affair. While the match was in Maryland’s favor due to the poise of its defense in the difficult conditions, the offense failed to gain much momentum in the first 45 minutes.
The Sharks finally began to turn it up as Jaaskelainen broke through for LIU’s first shot attempt in the 52nd minute.
Seven minutes later and a slip up from defender Chris Rindov left Jaaskelainen with another look, but goalkeeper Niklas Neumann came up with the tough deflection before the second effort from the feared goal scorer hit the top crossbar.
Maryland got away with one and suddenly this turned into an even-toed matchup as the clock continued to wind down without a score.
There just wasn’t any momentum built by either team in this one. Throughout the middle of the second half, Maryland and LIU traded possessions as they tried to breakthrough.
An 81st-minute free-kick sent in by midfield David Kovacic found the head of defender Brett St. Martin, but it sailed a bit wide. On the ensuing LIU possession, too many men forward for the Terps seemed to spell trouble on the other end, but the backline caught up to the speeding Sharks to corral any threat.
The Terps kept on getting chances as the end of regulation approached.
An 83rd minute shot from defender William Kulvik went wide left before Maryland’s 11th corner kick set up forward Jacen Russell-Rowe with a beautiful header. But it was NEC Goalkeeper of the Year getting the big save, leading to Ben Fall’s game-winning goal.
A promising season came to an abrupt end for the Terrapins as this makes it back-to-back seasons with an NCAA Tournament loss in the first round.
Three things to know
1. Maryland’s defense contained Jaaskelainen and the LIU offense. It took 52 minutes for the Sharks to get off its first shot of the game, but even that attempt was denied by a stout Maryland backline. Jaaskelainen’s shot was deflected by defender Brett St. Martin and although the nation’s second-leading goal scorer began to get off some looks thereafter, it was no match for the Terrapins defense. The rest of LIU’s offense was nonexistent in the first half and early in the second half as Jaaskelainen remained the only Shark to get off a shot. But, the Sharks answered with a goal soon after. LIU finished with five shots and the lone goal was enough to beat Maryland’s otherwise stout defense.
2. Maryland’s poor start eventually determined its fate. The Terps were locked with the Sharks at the end of the first half, but their inability to score in the first 45 minutes was ultimately a big reason as to why they fell on Thursday night. Maryland rattled off five shots in the opening half, however, it was unable to slip one past the Sharks to cash in. The Terps were shut out after 90 minutes, marking just the fifth time this season that they didn’t score after full time.
3. The Terps fall in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive time. During the spring season, Maryland fell to Missouri State, 1-2 in the first and now, it conceded the late goal to LIU as the Sharks walked away with the victory. For Brayan Padilla, Justin Gielen and Brett St. Martin this could potentially be the final time they stepped onto Ludwig Field in a Maryland jersey if they chose not to use their extra year of eligibility.