While fourth-seeded Maryland’s men’s soccer team’s roster is mostly veteran–eight of the starting 11 players are seniors–its third-round win over No. 13 seed UConn was largely driven by one shining young star.
Rocket Rita Rita has been one of the most promising names in college football despite struggling for most of the Big Ten’s games. But that freshman feel elevated his game during the NCAA tournament. After scoring the Terps’ only goal of the second round, Ritarita had a goal and an assist in the first half on Saturday.
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His performance overall reflected some of Maryland’s best in a while. While the Terps won their final three games of the regular season, their lead never truly felt safe. Maryland defeated then-No. 14 Indiana, then-No. 14 Washington and Michigan State have a one-goal advantage.
The Terps defeated UConn 3-0, their biggest win since Oct. 18. While Maryland’s defense remained solid early on, it was porous heading into the NCAA Tournament. But the Terps were eliminated for the first time in more than a month, cementing those struggles.
Now, Maryland needs to turn the page and enter Saturday’s quarterfinals against Washington State. The Terps are three wins away from the national championship but need to avoid a meeting with the red-hot Huskies. The game kicks off at 1pm and airs on ESPN+.
what happened last time
The Halloween regular season didn’t have a lot of fireworks, but it still produced interesting back-and-forth events. Finally, Maryland scored the only goal of the game in the 82nd minute to move into first place in the Big Ten regular season standings.
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Saddam Masereka fired a dangerous pass from the edge of the box. Washington goalie Jayden Boughton burst out of the net to deflect a floating cross, but Joseph Umberto Picotto emerged and knocked the ball away. Albi Ndrenika capitalized on an empty-net chance.
The goal is evidence of the Terps’ increasing emphasis on positional awareness in the penalty area. Despite the unorthodox score, Maryland’s poaching mentality in the paint paid off.
While the shot totals were relatively even — Maryland had 17 to Washington State’s 10 — the first half was largely one-sided.
The Huskies spent much of the opening 45 minutes on the defensive, causing problems for the Terps’ front three. But Stephen Ngike came close to breaking the scoreless drought in the 20th minute when his shot hit the post following a brilliant pass from Masereka.
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The second half saw the game clearly open as both teams looked for the winning goal. Maryland and Washington took just five shots combined in the first half, but combined for 22 in the second half.
But most of the Huskies’ best play was held back by Lasse Kelp and Tristan Ross, who provided timely interceptions and tackles to halt the Huskies’ growing momentum. A late penalty review was deemed not to be a foul and the Terps took all three points.
what happened since then
While Maryland ended its undefeated regular season with a victory over Michigan State to seal the title, the Terps showed signs of imperfection in the Big Ten Tournament. UCLA delivered a lackluster performance as it handed Maryland its first loss of the campaign.
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That loss was enough to wake up the Terps.
Despite needing penalties to eliminate North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Maryland is arguably the best team left in the field — outside of seeding. The Terps’ dominant victory over UConn was proof of that.
After losing to Maryland, Washington continued its decline over its next two games. The Huskies were defeated by UCLA in the conference tournament and held scoreless against Michigan, which could affect their NCAA standings.
But Washington appears to have righted the ship. A double-overtime thriller against Oregon State in the first round gave the Huskies some momentum, narrowly beating No. 5 seed SMU and No. 12 seed Stanford.
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With seeds out of the equation — Maryland and Georgetown are the top remaining teams in their respective draws — the national championship is up for grabs. The Terps and Huskies are the Big Ten’s last options to hoist the trophy, but one of them will be eliminated on Saturday.
Three things to note
1.Washington’s Revenge. It’s not often you get a Big Ten opponent in the NCAA tournament, especially in college football where six conference representatives make the final eight teams. But the Big Ten’s top two regular-season teams are reunited. The Huskies are hoping for a different result in their third trip to College Park.
2. Who is the hero? While Washington is unseeded in this tournament, it might be the biggest upset in the Round of 16. Saturday’s game was filled with intense excitement. With the score so close, one player can decide the outcome. For the Terps, that player could be anyone from Stephen Ngik to Laurin Mack.
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3. Health problems. Despite having nearly two weeks of rest between games, Maryland has suffered some injuries in the postseason. Jace Clark played limited minutes against North Carolina State but sat out Saturday’s game. Leon Cole also missed the last game. Umberto Picotto’s injury during the game appears to be serious and could rule him out for the remainder of the season.
