COLLEGE PARK, MD - Ludwig Field drew 5,085 fans on Friday night as Maryland (1-0-1) worked a draw with Bucknell (2-0-1), 2-2. Both the Terps and the Bison received votes in the latest poll, and both displayed their talents on the pitch. Two first-half goals built a Maryland lead, but a late goal from Bucknell led to a draw.
Stephane Njike blasted a shot past Bucknell's keeper in the 23rd minute for the Terps' first home goal of the season to put Maryland ahead 1-0. Luke van Heukelum picked up his first assist of the season on the goal.
Minutes later, a long shot from Luca Costabile found the back of the net from nearly 30 yards out. His first goal of the season doubled the lead and built a 2-0 advantage for the Terps.
Bucknell was awarded a penalty kick in the 38th minute and Jackson Sullivan drove it home to put the Bison on the board. Maryland took a 2-1 lead into the half.
The Bison's Ben Sheffield scored in the 85th minute after a corner kick to tie the match. The 2-2 score held until the final whistle, marking the first tie in the Terps' all-time series with Bucknell.
How it Happened:
- Masereka recorded the match's first shot in the sixth minute.
- Bucknell's first shot came in the 12th minute.
- Laurin Mack's first save of the night came in the 12th minute.
- Njike scored in the 23rd minute to put Maryland ahead.
- Maryland scored again in the 29th minute on Costabile's first goal of the season.
- Bucknell scored in the 38th minute.
- Maryland was awarded a penalty kick in the 48th minute, but couldn't sneak a third goal past the Bucknell keeper.
- Bucknell scored in the 85th minute to knot the match at 2-2.
New Faces:
- Njike's goal in the 23rd minute was his first as a Terp after transferring from LIU.
Numbers to Know:
- 3: The Terps now lead the all-time series with Bucknell 3-1-1.
- 5,085: The Terps home opener drew 5,085 fans as the Terps drew with the Bison.
Cirovski's Takeaways:
- "I scheduled Bucknell because they were a tournament team last year and I expect them to be a tournament team this year, so this tie is not the end of the world. There will be some takeaways from this game."
- "We knew Bucknell was going to be a very good team and present a difficult challenge for us, and they did. We certainly played well enough to win this game by a couple goals, but in the end, we missed a few things."
- "Some of the key moments in the game, we didn't execute the way we typically would, but there's a lot of positives to this game. I thought we created a lot of chances."
- "We have to be able to close out the halves."
- "It was a wonderful crowd. It was a magical Friday Night Lights at Maryland. We certainly hope they come back on Monday and again next weekend. We hope to reward them with some more wins."
Up Next:
- Maryland stays in College Park to host Saint Francis on Sept. 1. The match will start at 7 PM and air on B1G+.
