PISCATAWAY, NJ -- Nick Richardson took a pass from Malcolm Johnston with 17 minutes remaining and scored from outside the box, giving the No. 8 Terps a massive 3-2 come-from-behind win after initially falling behind 2-0 on the road at Rutgers. The Terps now sit atop the Big Ten standings with 10 points through four matches. 

After neither team was able to find any good chances through the first 20 minutes of action, the pace of the match picked up in a hurry with three goals scored in a span of five minutes. Rutgers scored a pair of goals in quick succession before the Terps and Hunter George responded with a beautiful curling strike from 25 yards to make it 2-1.

Johnston scored the equalizer in the 63rd minute with a spectacular finish. Richardson flicked a ball into the box that Stefan Copetti headed into the path of Johnston. The Canadian did the rest, rising up to score on a bicycle kick from seven yards out.

Richardson put the Terps up for good. Hunter George served a ball from the left channel to the back post that was parried away by the Rutgers' keeper. It fell to Johnston who laid the ball of to Richardson before the redshirt fired a deflected effort into the back fo the net, sending Maryland back to College Park with three points. 

Richardson recorded a goal and two assists for the game. Niklas Neumann made his first start in goal since Sept. 10 at Georgetown, as he was sidelined for the last four matches with an injury. He recorded two saves, including a game-saving one with nine minutes left. 

The match was originally scheduled to be played at 7 pm at Yurcak Field but was moved to a 3:45 pm start time at the Miller Family Soccer Complex due to inclement weather conditions. 

The Terps moved to 7-1-2 on the season and 3-0-1 in conference play. They also extended their unbeaten season to seven, their longest streak since 2018. The Scarlet Knights dropped to 5-2-4, 2-1-2.  

The XI

Niklas Neumann (GK)
Luca Costabile (LB), Chris Rindov (LCB), William Kulvik (RCB), Nick Richardson (RB)
Joshua Bolma (MF), Malcolm Johnston (MF), Alex Nitzl (MF)
German Giammattei (F), Hunter George (F), Griffin Dillon (F)

Breaking Down The Action

• The Scarlet Knights scored in the 20th and 22nd minute to grab the early lead.
• George came up with the equalizer three minutes after the second goal, connecting on a curler from 25-yards away. It was George's first goal since Maryland's opening match against No. 9 New Hampshire on Aug. 25. 
• The Terps created more offensive pressure with consecutive good looks from Stefan Copetti and Alex Nitzl towards the end of the first half.
• The Terps tied it up in the 63rd minute off Johnston's bicycle kick goal. Nick Richardson notched the assist. 
• Richardson and Johnston flipped roles in the 73rd minute as Johnston found Richardson for the game-winning goal.
• Neumann made a massive save in the 81st minute to clinch the win. 
• It was Maryland's first comeback from two goals down since they defeated Michigan 3-2 on 10/30/16.

Notable Numbers

• 0: The number of Big Ten teams with more ranking points than Maryland. 
• 3: The number of unanswered goals Maryland scored to complete its biggest comeback of the season. 
• 5: The number of shots on goal the Terps recorded, besting Rutgers' four.
• 5: The number of goals Johnston now holds this season, the most on the team.
• 7: The number of consecutive matches Maryland has gone without suffering a defeat, their longest streak since 2018, when they ended the season with seven matches unbeaten to win the national championship.  

Up Next

• The Terps will stay on the road for another Big Ten showdown and face Northwestern on Sunday at 1 pm EST. The match will air on B1G+.