Said El Eyssami Scores Twice In No. 7 Maryland’s 2-1 Season-Opening Win Over Pitt

Thursday, August 20

Pittsburgh, PA

7 PM

Maryland

1-0-0, 0-0-0

Pittsburgh

0-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Maryland	1	1	2
Pittsburgh	0	1	1

Said El Eyssami celebrates a goal against Pitt

Said El Eyssami Scores Twice In No. 7 Maryland’s 2-1 Season-Opening Win Over Pitt

8/20/2026 7:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

The freshman’s first two goals of his career boosted the Terps to an early-season victory.

PITTSBURGH, PA — Freshman Said El Eyssami scored twice in his first collegiate match as No. 7 Maryland opened its 2026 campaign with a statement 2-1 road win over Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

El Eyssami found the back of the net in the 12th minute for his first career goal, giving Maryland an early 1-0 advantage. El Eyssami was one of 10 new faces to make their Terrapin debuts on Thursday night. Henry Bernstein assisted on both of El Eyssami's goals in his first multi-assist game of his career.

The first goal of 2026!! https://t.co/rsi25GH975 pic.twitter.com/Px0UbW0LPC
— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) August 20, 2026

El Eyssami scored again minutes into the second half to double the Maryland advantage and give goalkeeper Laurin Mack a cushion on a night where he made five key saves to preserve the victory. The Terps were outshot, but not outplayed as they extended their unbeaten streak in season openers to three seasons.

The kid strikes again! https://t.co/KYNdMzFape pic.twitter.com/02R8Zj3e8R
— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) August 21, 2026

How It Happened:
1st Half:

Neri logged the Terps' first shot of the season in the 11th minute.
El Eyssami (1) scored in the 12th minute to give the Terps an early 1-0 lead. Bernstein (1) and Dominic Ayella (1) assisted.
Maryland fought off a Pitt corner in the 18th minute.
Mack made his first save of the season in the 35th minute and his second in the 43rd.
Maryland led 1-0 at the break.

2nd Half:

Mack made a key save in the opening seconds of the second half.
El Eyssami (2) scored again in the 48th minute to extend the Terps' lead. Bernstein (2) and Ljubomir Popovic (1) assisted on the goal.
Pitt scored in the 67th minute to get on the board.
Maryland fought off two Pitt corners in the 70th minute.
Mack came up with a huge save in the 86th minute.
The Terps outlasted the Panthers for a 2-1 win.

Instant Impacts:

Maryland had five new faces in its starting lineup on Thursday as Lilian Fichelle, Rodrigo Neri, Ayella, Franklin Affanyi, and El Eyssami made their Terrapin debuts.
Neri, Affanyi, and El Eyssami made their first-career starts.
El Eyssami scored his first two goals of his career.
Marco Wright, Popovic, Dennis Kalanzi, Zack Harris, and Casey Price all saw time off the bench in their first minutes as Terps.

Returning Production:

The starting lineup featured six veterans: Leon Koehl, Albi Ndrenika, Jace Clark, Bernstein, Farouk Cisse, and Mack.
Rocket Ritarita and Kenny Quist-Therson both saw minutes off the bench.

Numbers To Know:

2: Maryland is 1-0 with a road win for a second straight season.
3: The Terps are unbeaten in their last three season openers.
5: Mack made five huge saves in the win.
6: Maryland is 6-0 all-time against Pitt and 3-0 against the Panthers under Cirovski.

Up Next: