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University of Maryland Athletics

NDRENIKA,ALBI
2
Fairleigh Dickinson FDU (10-6-3, 6-0-2)
5
Winner Maryland UMD (11-3-5, 4-0-4)
Fairleigh Dickinson FDU
(10-6-3, 6-0-2)
2
Final
5
Maryland UMD
(11-3-5, 4-0-4)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Fairleigh Dickinson FDU 0 2 2
Maryland UMD 3 2 5

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Terps Dominate FDU In NCAA Tourney Opener, 5-2

COLLEGE PARK, MD – In Maryland's 100th all-time NCAA Tournament game, the Terps took control early and scored often in a convincing victory over Fairleigh Dickinson, winning 5-2, on a chilly Thursday night at Ludwig Field in the NCAA First Round.  The Terps (11-3-5 overall) advance to face No. 14 seed Cornell on Sunday at 2 p.m., in Ithaca, N.Y. That game will air on ESPN+.

Stefan Copetti, Malcolm Johnston, Albi Ndrenika all scored in the first half while Joe Suchecki and Hunter George scored in the second half. Johnston added two assists for a career-best four-point game.

Less than two minutes into the game, Copetti scored on the Terps' first shot to begin the Terps' onslaught. Johnston scored in the ninth minute to increase that lead to 2-0. Johnston then set up Ndrenika for his first-career goal in the 25th minute to making it 3-0. 

In scoring five goals, the Terps equaled their school record for goals in an NCAA Tournament game, previously accomplished five times, the last in the 2012 first round against Coastal Carolina. 

In net, Niklas Neumann made five saves to earn the win. 

The win was head coach Sasho Cirovski's 50th in the NCAA Tournament as he is coaching in his 30th NCAA Tournament overall, a record for most tournaments coached in ever. 

NEC Champion FDU had its season come to an end with a 10-6-3 record. 


The XI

Niklas Neumann (GK)
Luca Costabile (LB), Chris Rindov (LCB), William Kulvik (RCB), Nick Richardson (RB)
Alex Nitzl (DM)
Joshua Bolma (MF), Albi Ndrenika (MF)
Stefan Copetti (F), Joshua Bolma (F), Colin Griffith (F)


Breaking Down The Action
  • The Terps wasted no time as Copetti scored 1:45 into the game off a pass from Richardson as Copetti deposited the ball into the right side of the net. Johnston was also credited with an assist. 
  • Maryland took a 2-0 lead, 9:32 into the game as Johnston scored into the bottom right corner off his right foot. Bolma and Costabile assisted the goal. 
  • In his first-ever college start, Ndrenika shot the ball from the right side into the middle of the net off a splenid back-heel flick from Johnston to make it 3-0 at halftime. 
  • Suchecki made it 4-0 as he took a feed from Copetti in the 63rd minute, scoring to the right side of the goal off his left foot. 
  • FDU broke the shutout as Matt Giraldo scored in the 74th minute, making it 4-1, he added another goal in the 88th minute. 
  • George tallied the fifth goal of the game in the 81st minute. 
  • The second half was physical as FDU was issued five yellow card and one red card. Two Terps were booked as well. 

Maryland's NCAA History
  • Maryland is playing in its 22nd straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the second-longest active streak in the nation. It is also the Terps' 40th appearance in the NCAA Tournament overall. 
  • The Terps became the fifth program to play 100 NCAA Tournament games joining: Indiana (138), UCLA (118), Saint Louis (112) and Virginia (106).
  • Maryland is now 61-31-8 all-time in its 100 NCAA Tournament games.
  • The Terps are fifth all-time in NCAA Tournament wins ever following: Indiana (97), UCLA (71), Saint Louis (70) and Virginia (67).
  • Sasho Cirvovski coached in his 30th NCAA Tournament, an NCAA record for most tourneys coached in, with 28 at Maryland at two at Hartford. He is now 50-22-7 overall, second-most wins for a coach in NCAA Tournament history behind Indiana's Jerry Yeagley (67).
  • The Terps are now 48-20-7 under Sasho Cirovski in the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins have won three national titles since 2000, tied with Stanford and Indiana for the most in the nation in that span.
  • The Terps have won four national titles (1968, 2005, 2008, 2018) in school history and reached the round-of-16 in 19 of the last 28 years. 
  • Maryland has one player remaining from its 2018 National Championship side: Richardson (redshirt year). Prior to tonight, the Terps had 16 players that played in NCAA Tournament matches in their career, 15 at the Division I level and German Giammattei at the Division III level at Amherst College in Massachusetts. Giammattei is the only player on Maryland's roster to play in a match beyond the second round at any level.
 
Numbers To Know
  • 4: Johnston's four points set a new single-game high in his 60-game career. 
  • 5: The five goals for Maryland were its most in an NCAA Tournament game since beating Coastal Carolina, 5-1, in 2012, equalling its school record for the sixth time ever.
  • 6: Johnston and Copetti each scored their team-best sixth goal in the win.  
  • 9: Copetti has scored five goals in his last nine games, coming on late in the season. 
  • 20: Johnston leads the Terps with 20 points after his four-point game. 
  • 22: The Terps are playing in their 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament.
  • 30: Sasho Cirvoski coached in his 30th NCAA Tournament (28 at Maryland and two at Hartford)
  • 50: Cirovski won his 50th game as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament with 48 coming at Maryland. 
  • 61: The Terps won their 61st all-time game in NCAA Tournament play in their 40th Tourney. 
  • 100: Maryland played its 100th all-time NCAA Tournament game. 

Up Next

  • The Terps will move ahead to the NCAA Tournament Second Round as Maryland will face No. 14 seed Cornell (13-3-1) on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+
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