COLLEGE PARK, Maryland October 26, 2015 - After last Tuesday's depressing home loss to Delaware, the No. 20 Maryland's Men's Soccer Team desperately needed an uplifting win. The opportunity to get such a win presented itself to the Terps on Friday night, when No. 17 Washington came to College Park. To the credit of Maryland Coach Sascho Cirovski and his charges, they did not fumble the opportunity. Over some 90 minutes of hard-fought, physical soccer, Maryland outshot the Huskies, 24-7. The Terps also played a swarming and aggressive defense that prevented the Huskies from getting even one shot on goal. Washington, however, hung tough, and the first half ended with the two teams scoreless. Finally, at 51:19, Maryland scored when their relentless offensive pressure forced an own-goal by the Huskies. Junior Defender Chris Odoi-Atsem pushed all the way to the Washington end line with the ball at his feet. There, he sent a picture perfect through ball across the goal mouth. Maryland Freshman Striker Sebastian Elney was racing to the ball and easily could have scored. But a retreating Huskie defender inadvertently hit the ball first, and it went directly past Huskie Keeper Ryan Herman into the back of the net. It was the only score of the game and it gave the Terps (7-4-4) the win. Washington slipped to 6-4-5.
The official scorer described the weather for the game as "a beautiful fall evening." I would have inserted the word "chilly" between beautiful and fall. And still, it was a beautiful sight to see the Terps playing at the top of their game. The player who stood out for Maryland at both ends was Senior Tsubassa Endoh. I have rarely seen a soccer player who was better at getting himself turned around with the ball so that he is facing the other team's goal. By doing so, he gets a complete command of the field and where his teammates are and where they are going. It was Endoh who fed the ball to Odoi-Atsem as he drove down the field and then made his game-winning pass.
The Big Ten Soccer Standings are more jumbled than ever. Rutgers now leads with 12 points and one game left. Ohio State is second with 10 points, and two games left. Maryland and Northwestern are tied for third with 9 points and two games left. Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State follow with 8 points. The Spartans and Wolverines have two games left while the Nittany Lions have only one. Friday night, Maryland invades Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. Then, on November 4 the Terps entertain the Scarlet Knights.
Another way of looking at the Standings is figuring each team's maximum point total. With only one game left, Rutgers has a maximum total of 15. Ohio State's maximum is 16 points. Maryland and Northwestern have maximums of 15. Michigan and Michigan State have maximums of 14 points, while Penn State has a max of 11. Taken as a whole, Ohio State controls its own destiny, still, but to do so it must win both of its remaining games. Rutgers has fought its way to the top, but with only one game left, it must hope for help from other teams. Maryland can guarantee itself a tie for first by winning its two remaining games. This is because it plays both of the teams that are ahead of it. But if the Terps win those games, they still need help from one of the two teams Northwestern has to play: Penn State and Wisconsin. Both of those games are road games for the Wildcats.
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