No. 6 Maryland (8-1-4, 5-0-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 19 UCLA (6-3-4, 3-2-2 Big Ten)
October 21, 2024
Ludwig Field
7:00Â p.m. ET
BTN
COLLEGE PARK, MDÂ --Â The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team closes out its two-game home stand as it hosts UCLA. The two programs will be meeting for the first time since 2019, and the first time as Big Ten opponents. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on
Big Ten Network.
The Terps returned to College Park, defeating George Mason 2-0. The Terps opened the scoring in the 29th minute, as Sadam Masereka put one past the Patriots' keeper. For Masereka, it was his second goal in his last three games. Leon Koehl added a goal in the 65th minute, scoring on a penalty kick opportunity for his sixth goal of the year. The Terrapins defense held George Mason to just one shot on target, while goalkeeper Laurin Mack was in goal for his third clean sheet of the season.
Scouting the Bruins
- No. 19 UCLA comes to College Park after a 3-0 win on the road against Rutgers. The Bruins got the scoring started in the 56th minute on a goal from Andre Ochoa. Jose Contell added a goal in the 70th minute and two minutes later Nicholas Cavallo added the third. Nelson Wyatt got the start in goal for the Bruins, making a career-high eight saves.
- The pair of Edrey Caceres and Jose Contell lead the Bruins in goals with four. Philip Naef leads the team in assists with five, which is tied for the seventh-most in the Big Ten.Â
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The duo of Sam Joseph and Nelson Wyatt have split equal time in goal for UCLA. Nelson has made 24 saves on the season, while Joseph has made 21 saves. Both keepers have similar Goal Against Averages of 1.14 for Nelson and 1.17 for Joseph. Joseph leads the way with four clean sheets, while Nelson has two on the season.
Series History - UCLA
- UCLA and Maryland have met on 12 occasions in the all-time series. The two programs last met in 2019 in Los Angeles, with UCLA edging out a 3-2 win.
- The Terps opened the scoring in the 5th minute, as Eric Matzelevich scored off a rebound. UCLA would score three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead. The Terps would attempt a late comeback, starting with a 72nd minute goal from Brayan Padilla. Brett St. Martin's headed effort in the 81st minute was just barely parried away by the UCLA keeper.
Kalm, Koehl, Kollected
- Sophomore Leon Koehl is tied for the team lead with six goals this season, with them all coming from the penalty spot. Koehl's effectiveness from the spot is much appreciated for the Terps, after the squad failed to convert on all four of their opportunities in 2023.
- Koehl is 6-6 from the penalty spot in 2024, which is the most for a Terps player since Patrick Mullins went 9-9 in 2013. Koehl's six penalty kick goals are the most in the Big Ten and are the most in Division I.
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Koehl scored from the spot in consecutive games for the Terps on two separate occasions this season. Koehl first accomplished the feat against Virginia on Sept. 2 and Sept. 6 against Brown. He scored from the spot in Maryland's last two games, with PK goals at Indiana on Sept. 20 and at Northwestern on Sept. 27. Koehl also joins Johnston, who scored penalty kick goals in consecutive games in the 2022 season vs. Virginia on Sept. 5, 2022 and at Georgetown on Sept. 10 2022.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
- Yale transfer Max Rogers has been a crucial part of Maryland's offensive effort. Rogers currently has seven assists on the campaign, which is the second-most in the Big Ten.
- Rogers had a hand in all three goals for the Terps in their conference-opening win over Wisconsin on Sept. 20. Rogers got his first assist in the game in the 17th minute, whipping a corner kick into the box to set up Chris Steinleitner for his first goal in a Maryland uniform. His second assist came just after halftime, delivering a free kick to the back-post for Bjarne Thiesen to double the Terps lead at 2-0. Rogers' final assist came in the 53rd minute, finding Colin Griffith in space for a shot just outside of the box.
- It marked the second consecutive season a Terps player had three assists in a game, with Luke van Heukelum picking up three assists in Maryland's win over Villanova on Oct. 10, 2023.
Max Rogers leads the Terps with seven assists on the season. That total is the second-most in the Big Ten.
The Griffith Show
- With a game-winning goal in the 74th minute against Washington, Colin Griffith scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season. Six goals is also a career-high for goals in a single-season for the junior forward. Griffith's previous season-best was three during his freshman season in 2022.
- It was the fourth game in a row that Griffith had scored in a match. Griffith previously scored against Northwestern (Sept. 27) and Penn State (Oct. 1). The last Terp with a score streak as long as Griffith was Ben Bender, who scored in five-straight games in 2021.
- Griffith has now scored in consecutive games twice this season. Earlier this season, Griffith scored in consecutive games against San Diego State on Sept. 9 and then No. 8 Wisconsin on Sept. 13. It was the second time in his career that Griffith scored in consecutive games. Griffith last scored goals in back-to-back games on Nov. 4, 2022, against Northwestern and Nov. 9, 2022, against Indiana.
Griffith scored in his fourth-straight game on Oct. 11 against Washington. Griffith has scored in consecutive games twice this season. This is the second time this season and third time in his career the junior forward has done it, The first time occurred Nov. 4, 2022, against Northwestern and Nov. 9, 2022, against Indiana.
Let's Go Streaking
- The Terps have turned it on since a 2-0 loss to then No. 16 Georgetown. Since that defeat, the Terps have gone on an impressive unbeaten run.
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The 2-0 home win over George Mason extended the Terps unbeaten run to 11-straight games, with a record of 8-0-3 during the run. The last time the Terps had an double-digit unbeaten streak was in 2017 when they started the season with a 13-game unbeaten streak (10-0-3). The 11-game unbeaten run is tied for the second-longest active streak in the nation with Monmouth. Both teams trail Western Michigan, who has begun the season on a 14-game unbeaten streak.
The Terps are unbeaten in their last 11Â games, with a record of 8-0-3 during the streak. The last double-digit unbeaten streak for the Terps came in 2017, when they started the season with a 13-game unbeaten streak.
