COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Freshman George Campbell scored the game-winner Saturday as the Maryland men's soccer team picked up a pivotal conference victory against Ohio State, 1-0, on Senior Night at Ludwig Field.
Maryland (10-5-2, 4-2-1 Big Ten) picked up its lone goal of the match when Campbell corralled a ball from short-range and shot the ball above leaping Buckeye goalkeeper Alex Ivanov for the score in the 75th minute. The Terps have won seven-straight matches, surrendering a mere four goals in that span.
Maryland outshot Ohio State (7-6-4, 4-3-0 Big Ten) a commanding 13-4 for the contest, including a stiff 7-0 advantage through the match's opening stanza.
Campbell's goal at 74:14, his second this season, was originally set up by a Tsubasa Endoh corner kick. Dan Metzger headed Endoh's boot to Alex Crognale, who made the final distribution to Campbell for the eventual game-winner. The Terps now boast nine multi-goal scorers this season.
“This was a huge win tonight for us,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “There is a lot of emotion on senior night and I thought we controlled the game from the beginning to the end. It was a complete performance. Ohio State is a very good college soccer team. They made it difficult for us. They were disciplined, very organized and dangerous on the counter but we managed virtually every situation well today. I'm really proud of the growth of our team.”
The Terps honored their six member class – Mikias Eticha, Dan Metzger, Alex Shinsky, Kyle Roach, Jordan Tatum and Jereme Raley – prior to Saturday's kickoff. The class has recorded a staggering 61-14-13 during their four-year tenure in College Park, including two conference regular season and tournament titles and back-to-back trips to the College Cup.
Maryland returns to action Wednesday when it heads to Rutgers. With Saturday's win, the Terps moved into second place in the Big Ten standings. The 2014 Big Ten Conference tournament is set to begin with quarterfinal play next weekend.
