COLLEGE PARK, MD — Albi Ndrenika scored in the 83rd minute on Friday night at Ludwig Field to provide the only goal in the battle of the Big Ten's best teams. His heroic goal gave the No. 2 Terps (11-0-3, 7-0-2 Big Ten) a massive 1-0 win over No. 14 Washington (10-4-2, 7-2 Big Ten) to claim the top spot in the Big Ten standings.

Ndrenika's third goal of the season couldn't have come in a much bigger moment. After a birrage of second-half scoring opportunities, he broke through with a huge goal in the 83rd minute to put the Terps ahead 1-0 in the closing minutes. 

THE TERPS TAKE THE LEAD!!! pic.twitter.com/hwSHoGbukK

— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) November 1, 2025

The Terps defeated their fifth ranked opponent this season — their most since five in 2022 — and took over sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standings with just one match remaining in the regular season. Maryland largely dominated the ranked Huskies on Friday, outshooting No. 14 Washington 17-10 in the win. 

Maryland's Laurin Mack continued his brilliant play against ranked opponents. In five matches against ranked teams in 2025, Mack has only allowed two goals and never allowed his Terps to trail. He made two crucial saves on Friday night. 

MACK WITH THE DIVING SAVE! pic.twitter.com/AyKQK59lMC

— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) November 1, 2025

The Terps have just one match remaining in the regular season against Michigan State on Nov. 7. Maryland will claim the top spot in the Big Ten Tournament and the right to host it with either a win or a draw against the Spartans. 

How it Happened:

• The Huskies were awarded the night's first corner in the sixth minute, but Maryland didn't allow a shot on the opportunity. 
• Washington recorded the match's first shot in the 15th minute, but Mack made his first save of the night. 
• Stephane Njike put up Maryland's first shot in the 16th minute, but it was blocked in front of the net. 
• Washington made its first save on an Njike shot in the 25th minute.
• Njike's third shot of the night rang off the post in the 36th minute of action.
• Maryland outshot UW 3-2 in the first half. 
• UW missed a pair of shots early in the second half. 
• A Chris Steinleitner shot sailed high in the 50th minute. 
• A shot from Joseph Umberto Picotto missed in the 51st minute. 
• Washington's Harrison Bertos picked up a yellow card in the 57th minute. 
• Mack made a diving save in the 58th minute. 
• Ndrenika put up a shot in the 61st minute.
• Maryland was awarded a corner in the 62nd minute.
• UW made a save on Sadam Masereka in the 63rd minute. 
• An Njike shot went just wide in the 70th minute.
• Maryland had another great look in the 71st minute, but Njike missed wide. 
• The Terps took a corner in the 79th minute, but the Huskies turned it away.
• Washington's Egor Akulov was served a yellow card in the 82nd minute after dragging Masereka down on a breakaway.
• Ndrenika (3) scored in the 83rd minute from Masereka (2) and Umberto Picotto (3) to take a 1-0 lead. 

Sasho Cirovski's Takeaways:

• "That was a hard-fought win. That's an exceptional Washington team."
• "I felt like we probably deserved more than one goal with our play. We had a couple of really top chances."
  "I'm really proud of the guys and their overall effort. They knew the challenge was there and they rose and the guys played brilliantly."
• "I felt like we created a lot of chances. I thought we possessed the ball and all the faucets played well.
• "I'm very happy with the result and we've got to look forward to the next one."
• On his seniors: "The four-year guys I'm really proud of. Our culture is exceptional. We honored 12 guys today. When you have that much experience on the field and they know that this is their final year of eligibility, it means a lot more."

Albi's Awesome Attack:

• "We kept the pressure on and it fell at my feet. I'm very blessed for that." 
• "We're buzzing. We've got a team full of warriors and we can stick around for 90 minutes, as shown today. I'm happy with the result, but nothing's done yet and we all understand that."
• "With the talent that we have and being at home, we all have a belief that we;re going to find a way to win. We know that if we don't let them score, we're eventually going to get one."
• On Mack: "When you have that insurance policy in goal, and you make a momentum-shifting save like that just uplifts the whole team."

Numbers to Know:

• 2: The Terps have only relented two goals against ranked opponents in five matches this season.
• 2: Maryland dealt Washington just its second conference loss of the season to take over first place in the Big Ten standings. 
• 3: The Terps improve to 3-1 all-time against UW.
• 5: Njike recorded a team-high five shots in the win.
• 5: Maryland defeated its fifth ranked win of 2025.
• 14: The Terps are unbeaten through 14 games for the first time since 2016.
• 45: With two saves on Friday, Mack moves his season save total to 45, the second-highest mark in the Big Ten. 
• 78: Maryland has still only trailed for a total of 78 seconds in 2025.

Up Next:

• Maryland concludes its regular season with a road match against Michigan State on Nov. 7. The match will start at 7PM and air on B1G+. With a draw or win, the Terps will have a chance to clinch the top spot in the Big Ten Tournament and host it at Ludwig Field.