A year ago, Stephane Njike was a fan favorite for the Maryland men’s soccer faithful. He made major contributions on offense, often finishing a spectacular goal with his signature backflip celebration.
This offseason, Njike traded Maryland red and gold for Indiana’s crimson and cream.
And in the 63rd minute of the matchup between the two teams, Njike struck his signature move for the Hoosiers, flipping five times after scoring their third goal of the game. He led No. 2 Indiana to a 3-1 statement victory over No. 6 Maryland, handing the Terps their first ranked loss of the season.
The demoralizing goal came after the Terps’ Laurin Mack made two consecutive goal-saving stops to seemingly keep the Terps in the game.
Mack hunkered down to make the stop on Alex Barger before leaping up to keep the deflection out of the net. Despite Mack’s efforts, the Hoosiers quickly created another dangerous chance for Oduro, which was stymied again by the netminder.
The Terps’ defense left Mack in difficult positions all game long, a new development this season compared to seasons past.
“I think our team’s connectedness and pressing has to become better,” said head coach Sasho Cirovski. “We’re putting too much pressure on our backline . . .”
The Hoosiers took control of the game early on by dominating possession through a stifling press and keen passing in all three levels of the field. Indiana’s pressure paid off in the 17th minute in the form of a Maryland own goal.
The Hoosiers crossed the ball into the box to their leading goal scorer, Oliver Moller-Jenson, whose quick touch on the ball was deflected by a sliding Kenny Quist-Therson. But the Quist-Therson clear ricocheted off his midfield partner, Leon Koehl, and past an out-of-position Mack.
Just three minutes later, Njike sparked a run that generated Indiana’s second goal. The winger soared down the left wing and boomed a cross-field pass to Easton Bogard, who found Charlie Heuer on the back post. Heuer finished the play, finding enough space between Mack and the pipe to score his second goal of the season.
The first half was one to forget for the Terps, who looked completely outmatched on every level of the field. Indiana’s Alex Matthews smothered the Maryland midfield, making multiple chase-down tackles on Dominic Ayella. Their outstanding goalkeeper, Michal Mroz, was hardly challenged, facing just three shots. Hoosiers head coach Todd Yeagley credited the first-half result to their superb press and tempo.
Maryland came out of the half with improved conviction, possessing the ball more consistently than they had in the first but not turning that into any goals. Finally, in the 71st minute, a Rodrigo Neri header broke the ice for the Terps and gave them the team lead with five minutes to go.
Neri had another opportunity late in the game after the Terps earned a penalty shot. Neri elected to shoot left, but Mroz was in position to make the stop.
The road hasn’t been kind to the Terps in Big Ten play — they have two losses by a combined score of seven to one. Maryland has a chance to redeem itself next Tuesday in Piscataway as it takes on Rutgers.
“The team showed some character and toughness,” said Cirovski. “We need to take that toughness to our next game from the start of the game.”
Three things to know
1. An unfamiliar place. After losing their second game in conference play, the Terps sport a 1-2-1 record against Big Ten opponents. Last year, Maryland ran through the Big Ten unscathed, going undefeated and earning the regular season Big Ten title. With a difficult conference schedule looming, the Terps will need to battle to stay afloat in contention for the Big Ten title.
2. Streaks broken. Entering Friday’s match, Maryland had won their last two matchups against Indiana while also winning all three of their ranked matchups this season. The Hoosiers’ emphatic victory broke both of those streaks for the Terps. The Terps hadn’t lost in Bloomington since 2020.
3. Storied history. Indiana and Maryland have been two titans of college soccer, combining for 12 national championships and 23 Big Ten titles. Yeagley and Cirovski have combined for 61 years of head coaching in the Big Ten and are considered two of the best at their position. Entering Friday’s match, the all-time series was tied at 7-7-8. Following its win, Indiana holds the slight advantage in the series.
