The Terps were thoroughly beaten in every facet of the game in their Big Ten opener.
After 68 minutes of consistent offensive pressure and three goals, Ethan Nakolo scored his first goal in a Northwestern uniform. Nakolo finished the play easily in the box, following a perfect cross from Peter Riesz.
The score sent No. 2 Maryland men’s soccer captain and goalkeeper Laurin Mack into a frenzy, jumping up and down in anger while berating his teammates.
The scene on the field was a culmination of the Terps’ frustrations following an equally disappointing and surprising 4-0 defeat.
“It seemed like every chance Northwestern had, they ended up in the back of the net,” said head coach Sasho Cirovski. “It was frustrating because there were a couple of preventable goals there.”
Entering Friday’s match against Northwestern fresh off a top-five victory against Georgetown, Maryland appeared to be firing on all cylinders. The Terps were perfect through their first five games, a first since 2011.
However, disaster struck the injury-depleted Terps on the banks of Lake Michigan in their first Big Ten game of the season.
Despite Maryland’s early-season success, injuries have been unavoidable for the Terps. Key contributors such as Jace Clark, Lilian Fichelle and Said El Eyssami have all missed time this season.
For the first time this season, the Terps were missing two cornerstone midfielders in Albi Ndrenika and Henry Bernstein. Unfortunately for Maryland, the third cornerstone, Leon Koehl, limped off the field in the 11th minute and didn’t return.
“Obviously not having Albi and Henry and then losing Leon in the first few minutes of the game was too much to overcome,” said Cirovski. “We will find a way to have this game make us better.”
Without the elite midfield trio, the offense looked disjointed and lackluster. After 45 minutes of play, the Terps had been outshot six to zero, sorely missing the playmaking of Bernstein and the offensive pressure of Ndrenika.
Koehl’s defensive presence was dearly missed as the Wildcats immediately took advantage of his replacement, freshman Noah Gassan. In the 14th minute, Aaron O’Reilly won a fifty-fifty ball against Gassan and pushed the ball forward to Nakolo. Nakolo delivered a pass to get Riesz into position, where he would score his second goal of the season from a perfectly placed shot.
The Wildcats scored again in the 37th minute after the Terps’ backline fell asleep, leaving a backside post pass available for an easy Italo Addimandi chip in. The play was reviewed for potential offside, but the call on the field of a goal stood for the Wildcats.
Maryland’s nightmare evening continued into the second half after the Wildcats struck for a third time in the 52nd minute. Northwestern was awarded a free kick along the goal line, where Andrew Millar kicked the ball into the box off Kenny Quist-Therson and into the goal.
“Last year we went the whole year undefeated [in the Big Ten] and we didn’t have to deal with adversity,” said Cirovski. “This is a moment now where we can collect ourselves and … get ready for our next Big Ten match.”
Three things to know
1. Defensive damage. The Terps have given up two or more goals in each of their last three games. The last time the Terps did so was in 2024, when Maryland allowed two or more goals in their last six games of the season. That season, the Terps fell in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Wake Forest.
2. Big disappointment. The Terps entered Friday’s match with a five-game unbeaten streak in their Big Ten opening games. Maryland’s last loss in a Big Ten opener was in the COVID season of 2020, a 3-2 loss to Penn State on the road. The Terps have allowed four goals in a Big Ten game just twice since 2020.
3. Lineup limbo. The Terps trotted out their sixth starting lineup in as many games for Cirovski. The lineup consisted of four defenders and attackers paired with two midfielders. The four attackers were a first for the Terps this season — Dominic Ayella and El Eyssami were inserted back into the starting lineup. The continued lineup shakeups will be something to watch as the season progresses for Maryland.
