COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND October 20, 2015 - In a conference season that is but eight games long, the finish of the Big Ten Soccer Campaign is shaping up to be a doozy. It would be hard to top last season - Maryland's first in the Big Ten - when Maryland stormed from the bottom of the standings to the very top in the seasons last two weeks. The one and only day that Maryland was in first place in the Big Ten was the last day. Now, Ohio State has come from nowhere to take over first only three games from the finish line. What's more, the schedule is smiling on the Buckeyes - kind of.
The standings look like this as of Tuesday afternoon, October 20, 2015:
1. Ohio State: Big Ten: 3-1-1, 10 points; Overall: 8-4-2
2. Maryland: Big Ten: 2-1-3, 9 points; Overall: 6-3-4
3. Rutgers: 3-3-0, 9 points; Overall: 8-4-1
4. Michigan: 2-1-2, 8 points; Overall: 7-3-3
5. Michigan State: 2-1-2, 8 points; Overall: 7-4-2
6. Penn State: 2-3-1, 7 points; Overall: 5-6-2
7. Northwestern: 2-3-0, 6 points; Overall: 5-6-1
8. Wisconsin: 1-2-2, 5 points; Overall: 3-9-2
9. Indiana: 1-3-1, 4 points; Overall: 7-4-2
As you can see, Ohio State has three games left to play. That is good. Two of the three are at home. That is good. The away game is at Rutgers. The two home games are against Maryland and Michigan. That is bad. After finishing their non-conference schedule tomorrow night in Columbus against Cleveland State, the Buckeyes travel to Rutgers on October 25, then host Maryland on October 31 and Michigan on November 4. They control their own destiny. If Ohio State runs the table, they are Big Ten champs and get to host the conference tournament. The winner of the Big Ten Tournament is awarded the Big Ten's one automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
Maryland has just two games left, but both are against the teams they are fighting with for the conference title. And the No. 20 Terps - the only Big Ten Team in the NSCAA Top 25 - still has a tough non-conference slate left. Tonight, they are home against Delaware. Friday, they host No. 17 Washington (6-2-5). It will be the second Pac-12 School to cross the country to play in College Park. Then, Maryland travels to Ohio State on Oct. 31 and then play host to Rutgers on November 4. Maryland only sort of controls their own destiny. If they beat both Rutgers and Ohio State they will finish ahead of both so long as Ohio State doesn't also beat their other two remaining conference opponents. Got that? It is really even more complicated. Michigan and Michigan State can still win the Big Ten Championship if they win their three remaining conference games, providing that Ohio State doesn't win their remaining conference games.
Anyway, a lot rides on the outcomes of the games between now and November 4.
Tuesday night, Maryland lost to Delaware, 2-1. The game was scoreless at the half, but the Blue Hens took the lead on a beautifully executed corner kick in the 67th minute. Then, Delaware circled the proverbial wagons and tried to hold on. For the next 31 minutes, the Hens only sent one man forward. Even their wings dropped into the defense as Maryland tried every trick in the books to knot the score. With about ten minutes left it looked like Maryland would get a penalty kick. Freshman Amar Sejdic charged into the Delaware penalty box and between two Blue Hen defenders. As he was about to shoot almost point blank, he was pushed to the ground. It was that simple and there were no obstructions or other events blocking the baffled refereee's vision. Nonetheless, he made no call to the stunned disbelief of Maryland Coach Sascho Sirovski and the entire Maryland team. Sadly, the official came to believe he needed to make up for his mistake, or at least that is what I believe he was doing in the game's waning minutes. With less than two minutes to play Maryland was correctly awarded a corner kick. As the kick was taken, Terp sophmore Emmanuel Korvah put a shoulder into a Delaware defender and proceeded to bull rush him right out of play. As the kick arrived, however, Korvah, now left alone, rose up and headed the ball past Delaware Keeper Todd Morton. Now the score was tied and there were only 90 some seconds left to play. Delaware, which to a man yelled at the game official for his clueless no-call, recovered their composure quickly and made those remaining seconds count. Abandoning their defensive posture, the Hens rushed forward and began firing away at the flat-footed Maryland defense. In no time, Delaware's Guillermo Delgado fired a shot past Maryland Keeper Cody Niedermeier. For the game, Maryland outshot the Blue hens, 13-6, and had 7 corner kicks to just 3 for Delaware. Of Delaware's six shots, only three were on goal, and Niedermeier - always a Maryland star - made only one save. But it was not Niedermeier who cost Maryland this match. Instead, it was a team-wide reluctance to shoot the ball. On at least three occassions a Maryland player came free in the box with the ball at his feet, and yet did not shoot. Most of the time the Maryland players seem hell bent on making one more pass, even when no pass is apparent. On a night when Delaware had the box jammed like a sardine can with swarming defenders, open shots were very precious. Even on the play when Sejdic - who needs to be given considerably more on-field time in this observer's humble opinion - was fouled and deserved a penalty kick, he was open before he was fouled, but hesitated. Shoot the Ball, Maryland! Shoot the Ball. Besides turning down the in-the-box opportunities, Maryland will never let fly from the top of the box or just a few feet beyond it. Tim Howard is not the keeper for any Maryland opponent. Niedermeier plays for Maryland, not your opponents. The Terps fell to 6-4-4 on the season, while Delaware climbed above .500 to 7-6-2.
Last Friday, Maryland did everything right except score in earning a single point for playing Indiana to a scoreless draw. The Hoosier Team that battled Maryland that night is not the same team that has Indiana mired in last place. Their defense was tenacious, and while Maryland nearly scored twice, the fact is that Indiana took away Maryland's set piece game that always seems to get them a goal or two each game. In front of a huge crowd at Ludwig Field, Maryland seemed sure to take a lead when Freshman sensation Sebastian Elney broke in on goal with a half-step on his defender. But he didn't get a good shot off and it missed high. In the first overtime another Maryland shot from twelve feet away - for the life of me I didn't see who took it - bristled in on Hoosier Keeper Colin Webb as he lunged to cover the post to his left. Webb got there in time, but the shot was so hard that it blasted under his prone body and made it so far as to lay on the goal line. Only then did he cover it up and pull it to himself. The teams played hard for 100 minutes with no score. Maryland took 18 shots to 16 for Indiana. It was in corner kicks that the Terps had a huge advantage (15-4) and Indiana snuffed each one out with their tall and strong defense and midfield.
Burnley Stops Bolton Trotters, 2-0; Claret Tied for 2nd With 3 Other Sides; Claret battle Nottingham Forest to 1-1 tie Tuesday Night, Matthew Taylor's Goal in 90th Minute Gains Burnley Road Point
Newcomer Andre Gray scored two second half goals and Tom Heaton put up another scoreless sheet as Burnley moved into a second place tie in the English Championship with a 2-0 victory at Turf Moor over the Bolton Trotters. The loss sends Bolton to the bottom of the Championship Table.
Burnley now has 21 points, the same as Reading, Middlesbrough and Birmingham City. All four sides have played eleven matches. Reading is listed in second place by virtue of a better Goal Differential. Reading's GD is +10. Middlesbrough's is also +10. Birmingham has a GD of 7, while Burnley's is 5.
Tonight, the Claret battled Nottingham Forest to a 1-1 tie at Nottingham's home pitch. Matthew Taylor scored in the 90th Minute to gain Burnley the road point.
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