Friday, September 18
College Park, MD
8 PM
Maryland
vs
Wisconsin
Top 10 Matchup: No. 2 Maryland Men's Soccer Welcomes No. 8 Wisconsin To Ludwig Field
9/15/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
No. 2 Maryland (5-1-0) vs. No. 8 Wisconsin (5-0-1)
September 18, 2026
Ludwig Field
8:00 pm
B1G+
Friday night will feature a double-header at Ludwig Field as the Maryland women's soccer team takes on Penn State at 5:00 pm before the men's match.
Where We've Been
- Maryland opened the 2026 season with a perfect 5-0 record before suffering its first loss of the season, a 4-0 setback at Northwestern in the Big Ten opener.
- The Terrapins will look to bounce back and return to the win column when they host No. 8 Wisconsin at Ludwig Field.
- Prior to the loss at Northwestern, Maryland earned ranked victories over No. 5 Georgetown and No. 9 High Point at Ludwig Field.
- Maryland's passionate fanbase, The Crew, has once again showed out at Ludwig Field in 2026 with 6,110 fans packing the stands vs. No. 5 Georgetown on Labor Day. The crowd marked the third-highest attendance in the NCAA in 2026 and the largest Maryland crowd since 9/8/17 vs. Indiana when close to 7,000 fans packed Ludwig.
Said El Eyssami celebrating a goal vs. No. 5 Georgetown (Sept. 7, 2026)
a historic 2025 season
- The Maryland Terrapins enter the 2026 season looking to build on a historic 2025 campaign that saw the Terps rise to No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches poll to close out the regular season.
- Maryland finished its first unbeaten regular season since 2016, posting a 12-0-3 record while establishing itself as one of the nation's premier teams.
- The Terps were nearly untouchable throughout the regular season, trailing for just 78 seconds across 15 matches in 2025.
Maryland wins the Big Ten Championship (Nov. 7, 2026)
BIG TEN Players of the week
- After three weeks of Big Ten weekly awards, the Terps have earned multiple conference honors to open the 2026 season.
- Albi Ndrenika was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8 for the second time in his career.
- Ndrenika helped lead Maryland to a 2-0 week, recording two goals and an assist. His biggest moment came against No. 5 Georgetown, when he scored a spectacular equalizing goal that was featured as the No. 9 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays and earned a shoutout from Maryland alum Scott Van Pelt.
- Said El Eyssami earned the first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award of the 2026 season.
- El Eyssami scored twice in his collegiate debut, leading Maryland to a 2-1 victory at Pitt to open the 2026 season. With his two-goal performance, El Eyssami became the first Terp to score twice in a season opener since Jake Rozhansky in 2017 and the first Maryland freshman to accomplish the feat since Graham Zusi in 2005.
- Rodrigo Neri has now taken home back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (Sept 1 and 8).
- Neri scored two goals and recorded one assist this past week to take home the honor for a second time.
- The previous week, Neri delivered the game-winning moment in the 81st minute, scoring the first goal of his collegiate career to lift Maryland past No. 9 High Point, 1-0. The freshman's late strike proved to be the difference in the Top-10 showdown, helping the Terps remain unbeaten to open the 2026 season.
- Laurin Mack earned Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors following his performance against No. 9 High Point on Sept. 1.
- Mack delivered a standout performance in Maryland's 1-0 victory vs. No. 9 High Point, recording a regular-season career-high six saves. With the Terps clinging to a one-goal lead, Mack came up with a crucial save in the 88th minute to preserve the shutout and secure the Top-10 victory.
Congrats to Albi Ndrenika on winning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week 👏
— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) September 8, 2026
It is the second time Albi has won the award in his career!
📰 https://t.co/VcTjU1RQAr pic.twitter.com/oTxcpWNWoq
Back-to-back 💪
— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) September 8, 2026
Congrats to Rodrigo Neri on taking home his second consecutive Big Ten Freshman of the Week! 👏
📰 https://t.co/VcTjU1RQAr pic.twitter.com/X4zg6OfSPY
welcome the newcomers
- The Terrapins welcome an elite group of newcomers to College Park, featuring a mix of experienced transfers and highly touted freshmen who will bolster the roster heading into the 2026 season.
- Maryland added a pair of senior transfers from Campbell in Lilian Fichelle and Marco Wright. Fichelle will bolster the Terps' defensive line, while Wright brings versatility across the midfield and forward positions. Wright was named to the United Soccer Coaches Midfielders to Watch List ahead of the 2026 season.
- Dominic Ayella joins the Terps following two productive seasons at Lindsey Wilson College. Ayella totaled 27 goals and six assists for 60 points during his first two collegiate seasons, including five game-winning goals as a sophomore.
- Zack Harris arrives in College Park for his senior season after spending three years at CSUN. A 2025 All-Big West Second Team selection, Harris started 16 of 17 matches last season, logging more than 1,200 minutes while recording three points on one goal and one assist.
- Ljubomir Popovic rounds out Maryland's transfer class after two seasons at Tyler Junior College. Popovic started all 35 matches during his time at Tyler, recording two goals and three assists. A two-time NJCAA All-American and two-time United Soccer Coaches NJCAA All-American, Popovic helped Tyler capture conference championships in both 2024 and 2025, with the program reaching the No. 1 ranking in the nation during the 2025 season.
- The roster also welcomes an impressive group of freshmen into the fold: Franklin Affanyi, Jason Atakora, Zach Cielewich, Said El Eyssami, Noah Gassan, Dennis Kalanzi, Rodrigo Neri and Maxwell Sekyi.
Rodrigo Neri and Zack Harris at the first practice of 2026 season (Aug. 4, 2026)
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's SoccerTuesday, September 01
Tuesday, September 01
Friday, October 31
Wednesday, October 15
