COLLEGE PARK, MD  –  No. 11 Maryland played their most balanced game of the season as they defeated George Mason, 2-0. The Terps (3-0-0) controlled the entire pitch from start to finish and never let the Patriots (1-1-1) get into a rhythm. A beautiful send-in pass from Hunter George in the 13th minute sprung Joshua Bolma down the left hand where he managed to stop, cross back over to his right foot, and fire one past the George Mason goalie. Just under two minutes later, the Patriots leaked behind the Terps defense but a save by Jamie Lowell and a subsequent scramble on the goal line preserved the Maryland lead. Insurance came in the form of a second half corner kick in the 62nd minute by Ben Bender which found the head of Chris Rindov. The Maryland native hammered it into the net, marking his first career goal for the Terps. The win keeps Maryland undefeated on the young season while also handing the Patriots their first loss of the season.


Spreading The Wealth

• Joshua Bolma and Chris Rindov became the sixth and seventh different Terps to score in a game this season.
• Despite having seven different goal scorers, none have scored more than one. 

Bounce Back Defense

• After surrendering three goals to UMBC including two in the final ten minutes, Maryland shut down the George Mason offense and only allowed four total shots.
• Defenders Kento Abe, Nick Richardson and Brett St. Martin played a starring role on the back line playing the entire 90 minutes. 

Goalie Report

• After both Jamie Lowell and Niklas Neumann started in a game apiece so far this season, it was Lowell who earned the start on Friday night. 
• It was relatively quiet night for Lowell as thanks to stellar defense he only faced two shots on goal, both of them saved. 

Friday Night Lights

• Maryland played their first Friday Night Lights game in front of their home crowd for the first time in 686 days with an announced crowd of 3506.
• The Crew was packed wall-to-wall and made their presence felt early and often with cheers, jeers and chants. 

From The Coach

"I'm very proud of our team's performance tonight. We challenged our team to be better defensively coming out of the UMBC game and to be better in transition, be better in the mental moments of the game and I thought they responded really well. Second half we held a good George Mason team without a shot on goal. I think that's kind of defensive performance that I'm looking for. I have to credit George Mason from where they've been the way they've put together a strong team like that is a credit to Elmar Bolovich, their coach who's a dear friend of mine after years coaching against each other in the ACC but I think that's a good team. They're gonna win some games. That's a very good win for our team. I'm delighted for Josh Bolma to get on the score sheet. He was with us all spring but was unable to play due to NCAA rules and I think Nick Richardson predicted that one so I have to give Nick credit on that one. Just over the moon happy for Chris Rindov who's just been a great performer and worked all summer on his attacking heading and that was about a good of an attacking header as you'll see on a corner. Overall. great night. The support was outstanding for the Crew, they were magical. I thank them again."

Up Next

• The Terps will hit the road for the first time this season as they'll take on their old rival Virginia at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Sept. 6. 
• The rivalry dates back all the way to 1941 with the Terps holding a 42–30–10 advantage all-time.