Said El Eyssami’s Goal Lifts No. 8 Maryland To 1-0 Win Over No. 7 Wisconsin

Friday, September 18

College Park, MD

8 PM

Maryland

6-1-0, 1-1-0

Wisconsin

5-1-1, 0-1-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Wisconsin	0	0	0
Maryland	0	1	1

Maryland celebrates a gaol against Wisconsin

Said El Eyssami’s Goal Lifts No. 8 Maryland To 1-0 Win Over No. 7 Wisconsin

9/18/2026 7:24:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Terps earned their third top-10 win of 2026 on Friday night at Ludwig Field.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The No. 8 Terps grabbed a 1-0 from No. 7 Wisconsin on Friday night in front of 5,107 fans at Ludwig Field for their third top-10 ranked win of the season. Maryland secured its first conference win of 2026 to improve to 6-1 (1-1 Big Ten) on the season.

Laurin Mack made three of his five saves in the scoreless first half as the two heavyweights battled for possession and traded blows. Said El Eyssami broke the tie in the 49th minute with his team-leading fourth goal of 2026.

Deadlock broken 🔓 pic.twitter.com/ZP8Oq248jC
— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) September 19, 2026

El Eyssami's timely strike would be enough to earn Maryland its third top-10 win of the season and hand the Badgers (5-1-1, 0-1-1 Big Ten) their first loss of 2026. Mack posted his eighth career shutout of a ranked opponent and ninth overall win against a ranked foe. The Terps' win extended their unbeaten streak at Ludwig Field to 13 matches in front of 5,107 fans.

A beautiful cross and finish 🔥👏 pic.twitter.com/CnRFeeQcku
— Maryland Men's Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) September 19, 2026

How it Happened:
1st Half:

Ljubomir Popovic put the match's first shot on net in the first minute, prompting a Wisconsin save.
The Badgers were shown a yellow card in the second minute.
Mack made a save in the sixth minute.
Rocket Ritarita recorded a shot in the 21st minute.
Mack made two more saves midway through the half.
Albi Ndrenika put a shot on net in the 43rd minute as Wisconsin made another save.
The two teams battled to a 0-0 score at the break.

2nd Half:

El Eyssami's goal (4) opened the scoring in the 49th minute with an assist from Popovic (3).
Rodrigo Neri put a shot on goal in the 51st minute.
Mack came up with another save in the 62nd minute.
Mack kept Maryland ahead with his fifth save in the 71st minute.
The Terps held on for the 1-0 win.

Wins Against Wisconsin:

Friday marked the 17th all-time meeting between Maryland and Wisconsin.
The Terps improved to 11-4-2 against the Badgers.
Maryland is 6-2-1 against Wisconsin in College Park.
The Terps have won each of their last three meetings with the Badgers.

Numbers to Know:

1: The Terps earned their first conference win of the year.
4: El Eyssami's four goals lead the team.
3: Maryland earned its third top-10 win of the 2026 season.
5: Maryland is 5-0 at home for the first time since 2021.
7: The Terps are unbeaten in their last seven regular season matches against ranked opponents.
8: Mack posted his eight career shutout of a ranked opponent.
9: Mack earned his ninth win of his career against a ranked opponent.
11: Maryland improved to 11-4-2 all-time against Wisconsin and 6-2-1 in College Park.
13: Maryland has won 13 straight regular season home matches.
14: Mack posted his 14th career shutout.
17: Friday marked the 17th all-time meeting between Maryland and Wisconsin.
28: Mack earned his 28th career win.
5,107: Maryland drew 5,107 fans to Ludwig Field on Friday night, marking the program's fifth attendance of over 5,000 fans since the start of the 2025 season.