COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Mael Corboz and George Campbell both notched goals as the top-seeded Maryland men's soccer team defeated No. 8 seed Rutgers 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Big Ten Tournament Sunday at Ludwig Field.
Maryland (12-5-2) dropped Rutgers (6-12-1) for the second time in five days. The Terps will take a nine-game winning streak into Big Ten Championship, which begins Friday with a pair of semifinals at Ludwig Field at 1 and 3:40 p.m.
Corboz's penalty kick was set up by a nice run from senior Alex Shinsky. Shinsky, who tallied two key assists in Maryland's win against the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday in New Jersey, was taken down in the box. Corboz connected for his team-leading ninth tally of the year at 31:17. Maryland has now made 15 consecutive penalty kick attempts dating back to its loss in the College Cup in 2012.
Campbell's goal in the 75th minute provided the Terps with a bit of insurance as it battled a gritty Rutgers squad, which defeated Wisconsin Saturday to punch its ticket to the quarterfinals. After Mikias Eticha dished a ball to a driving Jereme Raley down the far sideline, Raley re-centered the ball to Campbell, who finished to Scarlet Knight goalkeeper David Greczek's right from 10 yards for the 2-0 lead.
A sturdy defensive effort held Rutgers to only four shots on the day and registered its eighth shutout of the year. The Terps have surrendered a mere six goals during the current winning streak.
Head coach Sasho Cirovski, who guided the Terps to their first Big Ten regular-season title Wednesday, is seeking a third-straight conference tourney crown, all of which would come on Maryland soil.
“There isn't a better place in the country than Ludwig Field. We need all our fans to plan their schedules accordingly because it's an early kickoff,” Cirovski said. “We need to make sure Ludwig is rocking so we can demonstrate to everybody what a great place it is. To host next weekend's championship on campus is really unique and special for us and we are really looking forward to it.”
Maryland will battle No. 5 seed Michigan State Friday in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Ludwig Field will play host to the all weekend's festivities, which will culminate with the conference championship Sunday at 12:30 p.m. All three matches will be shown live on the Big Ten Network.
