Rodrigo Neri’s Late Goal Lifts No. 4 Maryland Past No. 9 High Point, 1-0

Saturday, August 29

College Park, MD

7 PM

Maryland

3-0-0, 0-0-0

High Point

2-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
High Point	0	0	0
Maryland	0	1	1

Rodrigo Nero celebrates a goal against High Point

Rodrigo Neri’s Late Goal Lifts No. 4 Maryland Past No. 9 High Point, 1-0

8/29/2026 7:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

The freshman’s first goal of his career gave Maryland its first top-10 win since 2024.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The No. 4 Terps looked to be heading toward a scoreless draw with No. 9 High Point, but Rodrigo Neri's first career goal lifted Maryland (3-0) to its first top-10 victory since 2024, 1-0. Ludwig Field drew 5,123 fans for the ranked clash as the Terps earned their first 3-0 start since 2021.

It took 81 minutes for Maryland to break through, but Neri netted the Terps' 17th shot of the night to break the scoreless tie and lift Maryland to victory. The Terps extended their regular-season unbeaten streak to 18 straight matches.

MAJOR GOAL FROM RODRIGO 😤 https://t.co/sIIHzg7hCi pic.twitter.com/eZgxpbBz73
— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) August 30, 2026

Maryland outshot High Point (2-1) 7-2 in the scoreless first half, while both squads took two corners. Laurin Mack made a brilliant diving save in the 16th minute in the most dangerous moment of the opening frame. Mack finished Saturday's match with six crucial saves in his 13th shutout of his career.

The battle for possession continued in the second half with both teams boasting strong defensive performances. Maryland peppered the High Point net with quality looks, and Neri finally broke through, giving the Terps a 2-1 lead in their all-time series with the Panthers and extending their home regular-season winning streak to 10 straight matches. Maryland is back in action at Ludwig Field against Delaware on Sept. 4.

How it Happened:
1st Half:

Maryland logged the night's first shot in the sixth minute.
High Point was shown a yellow card in the 13th minute.
Mack made a diving save in the 16th minute.
A great look from Neri forced a High Point save in the 28th minute.
The Terps fought off a High Point corner without allowing a shot in the 38th minute.
The two squads took a 0-0 draw into the break. Maryland outshot High Point 7-2 in the frame.

2nd Half:

A free kick opportunity from Ljubomir Popovic narrowly missed high in the 51st minute.
A Henry Bernstein shot on net forced a High Point save in the 56th minute.
Mack came up with a big save in the 58th minute.
A good look from Albi Ndrenika prompted another High Point save in the 61st minute.
Mack made his third save in the 73rd minute.
Bernstein had another shot saved in the 79th minute.
Neri's unassisted goal (1) gave Maryland a 1-0 lead.
Mack fought off a ferocious series from High Point.
The Terps closed out the 1-0 win on Mack's 13th career shutout.

Super Start:

Maryland is 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2021.
The Terps won their first two home matches outright for the first time since 2021.
Maryland earned its first top-10 ranked win since 2024 (3-0 over No. 8 Wisconsin)
The Terps are out-shooting opponents 53-30 through their first three matches.

Taming the Panthers:

Saturday marked the third all-time meeting between Maryland and High Point in a series dating back to 2021.
Maryland improved to 2-1 (1-1-1) all-time against the Panthers.
All three matches in the series' history have come in College Park.

Neri's Nice Night:

"It was just pure happiness for the team. This game was amazing, so it was great to get that goal."
"This is one of the best home crowds someone can ask for. That gives us the same energy from the start to the finish."
"We just knew we had to keep pushing, keep persisting, and the goal was going to come, and it, thankfully, did."
"We all know the amazing player we have in goal. I may get the credit for the goal, but we all know those saves count for two or three goals. It feels amazing to have that type of player in net, and it gives us a lot of security."

Cirovski's Corner:

"It was a magical atmosphere tonight. The community came out, especially the students. They brought so much energy and our players love playing in front of them."
"This was a great game. I think both games are contenders. It was a well-played, hard-fought game."
"It was a game where we knew we would need our goalkeeper to make some saves, and tonight, he showcased himself with some great play and some terrific saves."
"This was a game where you needed a special play to win it, and Rodrigo has been getting better every game. I thought tonight was a class finish by a true No. 9."
"Albi's a guy that can play everywhere. He's just a competitor. He fights, he cares, and he produces in a lot of different places for us."
"I think this was probably a true top-10 matchup. They were a Sweet 16 team last year and brought back a lot of players. I think tonight, you probably saw two teams that belong in that upper echelon of college soccer."
"This was a really good non-conference game that is going to help us see a few more things and sharpen us a little bit as we prepare for the rest of the year."

Numbers to Know:

1: The Terps earned their first top-10 win since defeating No. 8 Wisconsin 3-0 on 9/13/24.
2: Maryland improved to 2-1 all-time against High Point.
2: The Terps are 2-0 at home for the first time since 2021.
3: Maryland is 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2021.
7: Maryland snapped High Point's seven-match regular-season unbeaten streak
10: The Terps have won 10 straight regular season home matches.
13: Mack made six saves in his 13th career shutout.
18: The Terps pushed their unbeaten streak in the regular season to 18 straight matches.
18: Maryland outshot the Panthers 18-11.
5,123: Maryland drew 5,123 fans to Ludwig Field on Saturday night, marking the Terps' third crowd of 5,000+ fans over the past two seasons.