COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Freshman David Kovacic scored a pair of second half goals as the Maryland men's soccer team took down Rutgers, 3-1, at Ludwig Field on Wednesday night.

The XI
Niklas Neumann (GK)
Nick Richardson (RCB), Brett St. Martin (CB), Johannes Bergmann (LCB)
Eli Crognale (MF), David Kovacic (MF)
Luke Brown (CAM)
Justin Gielen (F), Eric Matzelevich (F)

View From The Box

• A scoreless first half was followed by a frantic second 45 minutes as the Terps picked up three points for the first time in Big Ten play this season.
• The second half scoring started off in the 57^th minute after some sustained Maryland pressure. Freshman Justin Harris attempted a shot from the top of the box that deflected into the path for junior Eric Matzelevich. The junior calmly finished with his right foot from inside the box for his third goal of the season.
• After Rutgers came back with an equalizer in the 64^th minute, the Terps responded with menace in the attack. Kovacic broke the deadlock in the 78^th minute. Brett St. Martin flicked a throw in from Chris Rindov into the path of Fola Adetola in the box. Adetola brought the ball down and laid it off to Kovacic, who ripped it into the bottom left corner with the outside of his right foot. The goal was the first of the Slovenian's Maryland career.
• Kovacic finished off the match in the 86^th minute. After a failed clearance on an Eli Crognale free kick, Rindov headed the ball back across the face of goal and into the path of Kovacic who volleyed it in from close range.
• Maryland overcame an injury to announced start and top goal scorer Brayan Padilla. The sophomore was injured during pre-match warmups, which forced Justin Gielen into the starting lineup.
• The Terps were on the front foot for the majority of the contest and racked up 17 shots for the contest. Matzelevich had seven himself and the junior was buzzing in the first half, almost tallying goals on a chip attempt in the 22^nd minute after forcing a save minutes earlier.
• Maryland received big contributions from multiple players that came into the match with limited minutes. Freshman Jacob Chakroun had played just 16 minutes before patrolling the center of the park expertly for 41 minutes tonight. Adetola, who picked up his first career assist, had played 49 minutes entering Wednesday. Rindov, another assist man on the night, had been on the pitch in a Terrapin uniform for just 65 minutes coming into the contest.
• Translation: The Terps have some serious depth.
• Maryland held its annual LGBTQ Pride Night on Wednesday. The event is held in ode to former Maryland standout Robbie Rogers, the first athlete in major American professional sports to come out. Four-hundred Pride flag pins were handed out to fans and The Crew let off Pride Flag colored smoke at halftime.

From The Boss
"Our kids are resilient. They are tough. I was really proud of them. We needed to get through points and I felt we deserved it. I thought that was a very good Rutgers team. After they got the tying goal, I thought we stood tall. It was a great response." – Sasho Cirovski

From the Boys
"We have great chemistry here. We are a program of great culture. We respect each other and we are like a family. Just like family, when you see someone who is sad [Brayan Padilla], you try and cheer them up. I scored and I just wanted to give my goal to him so he could feel happy." – David Kovacic

Up Next
Maryland will face a stern text as No. 14 Cal State Fullerton comes to College Park on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and fans can watch the action live on BTN Plus or listen on WMUC.