Maryland (2-1-3) vs. No. 8 Wisconsin (5-0)
September 13, 2024
Ludwig Field
7:30Â p.m.
B1G+
COLLEGE PARK, MDÂ --Â The Maryland men's soccer team begins Big Ten play on Friday night as it hosts No. 8 Wisconsin. Kickoff is set for 7:30, and the match will be broadcast on
B1G+.
Maryland enters the match-up following a 1-1 draw at home against San Diego State. San Diego State struck first, scoring to take a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute. The Terps answered eight minutes later, as Colin Griffith got on the scoresheet for the first time in over a year to even the game. The Terps had three opportunities in the second half to go in front, but were unable to get the ball past the Aztecs' keeper.
Match Day Promotions
- Mental Health Matters Night
- Testudo Appearance:Â Everyone's favorite mascot, Testudo will attend the game.
Scouting the Badgers
Series History - Wisconsin
- This will be the 15th meeting all-time between Maryland and Wisconsin, with the Terrapins holding the advantage with a 8-4-2 record. The Terps won the first seven meetings between the two teams, a streak that started in 1997 and lasted until 2017.
- Since moving to the Big Ten in 2014, the Terps hold a record of 6-4-2. The two teams have played every season since Maryland joined the conference, with Wisconsin winning last season's match-up 1-0.
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The two teams were deadlocked at zero for most of the match until the 72nd minute, when Wisconsin scored the go-ahead goal. Maryland earned a penalty kick in the game, but was unable to convert to get on the scoreboard.
Kalm, Koehl, Kollected
- Sophomore Leon Koehl has scored two goals this season, with both of them 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 becomes the first Terp to have two or more penalty kick goals in a single-season since 2022, when Malcolm Johnston converted on four penalty kicks.
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Koehl has scored from the spot in consecutive games for the Terps, with penalty kick goals against Virginia on Sept. 2 against Virginia and Sept. 6 against Brown. 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.
BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Graduate student midfielder Alex Nitzl, graduate student center back Bjarne Thiesen and senior William Kulvik were named Big Ten Players to Watch, the league announced.
- Nitzl, a two-time team captain, entered his final season in College Park with 52 matches under his belt. With his ability to patrol the midfield and play any spot along the back line, he has established himself as one of the most versatile players in the country.Â
- Thiesen, who came to Maryland after an All-American season at West Virginia in 2022, will once again team with Kulvik, a 2023 All-Big Ten selection, as the Terps' center back pairing. The two have combined to play 110 matches in their careers.Â
- Maryland's other rostered player with past Big Ten plaudits is left back Luca Costabile, who was named an All-Freshman team selection in 2022. Fellow veteran Dalton Hass could also feature in an outside back spot for the Terps and the versatile Mack DeVries and Brian St. Martin can play multiple positions along the back line.Â
A second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023, center back
William Kulvik has already scored two goals and notched an assist in 2024.
Welcome the NEWCOMERS
- The Terrapins have welcomed 12 newcomers, a combination of freshmen and transfers that will bolster the roster for the 2024 season.Â
- One of Maryland's most intriguing new additions is transfer Sadam Masereka, a dynamic attacking player who scored 22 goals and added seven assists in two seasons at Lindsey Wilson College. Yale transfer Max Rogers will also add to the attack after a first-team All-Ivy League season in 2023. The freshmen quartet of Mikkel Lejbowicz, Travis Thompson, Jameson Michel and Aidan Sheppela will also look to play roles in a Terps' attack that will look to return to form this fall.
- Maryland has become stronger between the posts with the additions of Brown transfer Hudson Blatteis, a Second-Team All-Ivy League selection in 2023, and freshman Laurin Mack from SC Freiburg of the German Bundesliga, who gained valuable experience with the Terps after joining the squad in the spring. They'll compete with talented sophomore Saxon Wolcott for playing time.Â
- The back line will be infused with two freshman talents in Baltimore native Jace Clark and Tampa's Alexi Mihalek. The transfer additions of Chris Steinleitner (Eastern Florida) and Joel Brown (Saint Leo) give the Terps additional experience in the defense.
- The Terps also have newcomers on staff, joining Cirovski and longtime assistant coach Jake Pace, with Brian Rowland and Michael Gould joining as assistants. Rowland is no stranger to success at Maryland after serving on staff with Cirovski from 2010-17. He helped the Terps win 123 games, 10 conference trophies and advance to two College Cups, including the national championship game in 2013. Rowland spent the 2023 season with UMBC and previously was the head coach at Temple from 2018-22. Gould was an assistant coach at Chestnut Hill College in 2023, primarily working with goalkeepers, and he will continue to tutor that position in College Park.Â
Uganda native
Sadam Masereka has started in all six games for the Terps after coming to College Park this season.
