The Terps could not battle back from a second half deficit.
This year was dubbed Maryland men’s soccer’s revenge season, an opportunity to improve on a historically poor 2023 campaign. But after a loss to No. 8-seed Wake Forest in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, whether the Terps achieved that goal remains up for debate.
The Demon Deacons took down Maryland, 2-1, Sunday night behind a second-half goal from midfielder Cooper Flax.
“The finality of a loss at the end of the season, it’s a very empty feeling,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said, “while my heart is empty for the players and not getting the result, it’s very full for the effort.”
Wake Forest came out of the gate red-hot, fresh off a conference tournament championship. The Demon Deacons took the game to the Terps early and controlled the pace.
It didn’t take long for the Demon Deacons to see the fruits of their labor. Twelve minutes into the game, freshman Dylan Borso dribbled down the left flank at Alex Nitzl. Maryland’s defenders were seemingly expecting him to look for a pass, but he cut past Nitzl and curled his shot into the bottom right corner instead.
Being in a 1-0 hole seemed to inject some life into Maryland, who started to find its way into the match. Albi Ndrenika had a pair of chances with a header that went just outside Wake Forest’s right post and a shot that was deflected and forced a nice save from Wake Forest goalie Trace Alphin.
Just when it appeared Maryland could not find an equalizer before halftime, Max Rogers answered the bell. Luca Costabile laid the ball off to Rogers at the top of the 18-yard box, where he only needed one touch to curl it beautifully into Wake Forest’s top left corner.
Rogers’ goal gave Maryland’s spirits a lift heading to the locker room with the game on even terms.
Both sides came out of the break looking strong, but it was Wake Forest who eventually regained the lead. This happened when Joel Torbic slipped in a pass to the Demon Deacons’ leading scorer, Flax, who beat Laurin Mack to his far post.
“It was a terrific pass by them and he took it in stride and finished it off,” Cirovski said.
Shortly after, it looked like Maryland was going to have to drop to 10 men when Chris Steinleitner went in for a wild challenge, flew through the air and landed on the foot of a Wake Forest midfielder. Steinleitner was given a red card on the field, but the referee downgraded it to a yellow after video review.
Maryland still had a chance with even numbers and spent the game’s last 15 minutes looking for another opportunity like Rogers’ in the first half, but was unable to find one.
Ultimately, the clock wound down and expired on Cirovski’s 32nd season at the helm.
Three things to know
1. Kulvik Shined. Center back William Kulvik looked like he was on a mission to prove he earned his Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award. Wake Forest could have scored many more times if not for Kulvik’s presence on the back line. He made multiple blocks and key tackles at the last moment.
2. Wake Forest stayed hot. Whenever a team wins its conference tournament, it is always a question of whether it can keep the momentum going into the national tournament. The Demon Deacons certainly did, as they looked like a well-rounded soccer team throughout the match. Both of their goals came from moments of offensive brilliance, and they defended well for most of the game.
3. Last matches. The contest marked the end of some very talented players’ college careers. Rogers, Nitzl, Kulvik and Bjarne Thiesen headline the group that will be leaving College Park.
“We just spent the time and thanked all our seniors, because they’re great representatives of the program,” Cirovski said. “The guys put in an incredible effort. They helped get us back into the NCAA Tournament.”