Sophomore Tsubasa Endoh scored one goal and added two assists as the No. 13 Maryland men's soccer team defeated Duke 3-1 in front of a Ludwig Field record crowd of 8,397 Friday night.
The Terrapins (1-1-1, 1-0 ACC) fell behind early for the third time this season, but fought back with three second-half scores from Endoh, Helge Leikvang and Patrick Mullins to overcome the Blue Devils (1-1-1, 0-1 ACC).
Energized by a packed crowd, the Terps controlled the early going. Mullins almost opened the scoring in the 11th minute, but Duke goalkeeper Alex Long denied the Terrapin striker.
Maryland's best chance of the first half came in the 17th minute when freshman centerback Alex Crognale headed a Sunny Jane free kick off the right post.
In the 25th minute, Sean Davis capitalized on the Blue Devils only set piece opportunity of the half, putting a 25-yard free kick past goalkeeper Zack Steffen for his first goal of the season.
The Terps revved up the pressure in the second half with Endoh pulling the strings from the midfield. The sophomore drew the Terps even in the 55th minute with a left footed strike from just outside the box.
Endoh supplied the service on the go-ahead goal in the 64th minute, with Leikvang heading the ball past Long off a corner kick. The senior took advantage of his first start of the season, helping a young Terrapin backline with his composure in the midfield.
Mullins finished off the Blue Devils in the 66th minute, completing an offensive sequence that involved Endoh and sophomore Mikey Ambrose. It was the senior's second goal of the season.
“It was one of the great, magical nights in Maryland soccer history,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “The support by the student body and all of the Maryland soccer community was just amazing. It's humbling and to see it continue to grow is a source of pride.
“I thought our team grew up a lot tonight. We played a full 90 minutes. We stayed positive and came out on fire in the second half. That's a very good Duke team and they are going to win a lot of games against some good teams.”
The Terps return to action Sunday against VCU with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Ludwig Field.
