COLLEGE PARK, MD – Goals from Justin Gielen, Jacen Russell-Rowe, and Malcolm Johnston pushed No. 12 Maryland past Northwestern, 3-1, at Ludwig Field Friday night.

The Terrapins (8-2-1, 3-1-1 Big Ten) are now an unbeaten 6-0-1 at Ludwig Field so far this season after dispatching the Wildcats (4-6-2, 1-4-0 Big Ten). Northwestern scored the opening goal of the match in the first half before Maryland dominated the remainder of the match, registering a season-high 26 shots.  

After an early mistake gave Northwestern a 1-0 lead through Vicente Castro in the 15th minute, Maryland responded with relentless pressure that eventually resulted in the tying goal. In the 35th minute, Brayan Padilla found the head of Justin Gielen with a beautiful left footed service and the senior headed the ball past Miha Miskovic and into the Northwestern net. Gielen tied Joshua Bolma for the team-lead with three goals. 

The Terps piled on the pressure in the second half and were rewarded with two tallies. In the 49th minute, a flowing move through the center of the park resulted in Ben Bender finding Russell-Rowe at the top of the box and the Canadian made no mistake, putting a left-footed shot past Miskovic to make it 2-1. 

Maryland went on a relentless search for a third goal, peppering the Northwestern goal with shots. The Terps earned a penalty kick in the 80th minute after Jose Del Valle stopped a goal scoring chance with a hand ball in the box. Johnston added the exclamation point with his penalty kick finding the back of the net.

The home side's back four of Alex Nitzl, Chris Rindov, William Kulvik and Kento Abe was consistent throughout the night as the Terps dealt with the absence of regulars Brett St. Martin and Nick Richardson. Niklas Neumann made two saves on the night, including a key one-on-one stop to keep it 2-1 in the middle of the second half. 

Great Goals

• Gielen scored his third goal of the season which ties him for the team lead along with Joshua Bolma. 
• Russell-Rowe's goal in the 49th minute served as the game-winner and was his second tally of the year. 
• Johnston and Russell-Rowe's goals were their firsts since the UMBC match on 8/29.

Russell Payne Returns

• Former Maryland assistant coach and standout goalie Russell Payne is now the head coach at Northwestern.
• In his five seasons on the sideline with the Terps, Payne helped lead Maryland to 83 wins and national titles in 2005 and 2008. 

Sasho and Mo, Hall of Famers

• Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski will be inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2021. Former men's soccer standout Maurice Edu will also be honored as a Hall of Famer. 
• The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on November 19, 2021, at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. 
• The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the dinner to follow at 6:30 p.m. For ticket information, please visit here or call the M Club office at 301-314-6394.

Up Next

• The Terps will travel to Newark, Delaware, where they'll take on the Delaware Blue Hens on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.