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The Indiana Daily Student

sports men's soccer

IU men's soccer eyes revenge against Maryland

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Flashbacks of Santa Barbara replay in their minds. IU men’s soccer defeated Maryland twice in 2018 but could not put it away at the NCAA College Cup.

There is one main thing to know for Friday’s road game: IU wants revenge.

“I’ll never forget what happened last year,” sophomore defender Jack Maher said. “That’s something that will stay with me for a very long time.”

The Terrapins failed to defeat the Hoosiers during the regular season and Big Ten tournament in 2018 but knocked the Hoosiers out of last year's College Cup. 

“After we lost, I was eager to start the season again, so this game kinda holds a chip on my shoulder just to go in there and show what Indiana is,” junior midfielder Spencer Glass said. 

IU head coach Todd Yeagley spent this week reviewing video footage, practicing restarts and getting the younger players locked in on the challenge ahead. 

With a win eluding IU at College Park, Maryland, since 2000, all eyes are laser-focused on Friday’s match. Here are two more things to know for this 6:30 p.m. rivalry game:

No. 25 Maryland is struggling 

Pre-season rankings had Maryland standing at No. 1, but now the team is ranked 25th in the country.

Its fall from grace has stemmed from poor performances in Big Ten play (1-1-2), and an inability to outscore opponents. This results largely from the absence of the team’s top two goal scorers from last season.

The Terrapins’ top goal-scorer, freshman midfielder Amar Sejdic, left to play professionally in Germany. Additionally, they are missing their next top scorer, senior forward Paul Bin, who is out with a torn ACL. 

Throughout 2019, Maryland has been consistent in surrendering second half goals. The University of California at Los Angeles, Northwestern and Georgetown University all defeated Maryland with late goals. 

No. 6 IU is 4-0 against conference foes and is outscoring opponents 11-4 in the second half. 

The Hoosiers are playing lockdown defense

In its last five matches, IU posted three shutouts while only giving up two goals. It is also outscoring opponents 8-2.

Senior goalkeeper Sean Caulfield earned his second shutout of 2019 following IU’s 1-0 win against California State University at Sacramento. The following week, freshman Roman Celentano took over.

Celentano, last week’s Big Ten defensive player of the week, has started four games as IU’s goalie and already owns two clean sheets. His Trey Muse-like play style has silenced corner kick opportunities for opponents, and his willingness to leave the goal box to prevent easy shot opportunities has contributed significantly to IU’s defensive success.

Maher, one of Top Drawer Soccer’s defensive players of the week, was also a key piece for the Hoosier defense in clearing out balls and protecting the net. 

“We’ve got confidence in the backline," Glass said. "It’s kinda what we’re known for.”

Friday will be IU’s third conference road match of the season, and its final road game in the month of October. The team is 3-1-1 away from Jerry Yeagley Field but has remained undefeated in regular season conference play for more than four years. 

Yeagley said playing in College Park will be an exciting environment for the younger Hoosiers, and it will improve his team’s chemistry going forward.

“It’s a unique place,” Yeagley said. “They have a great fan base, they’re passionate, and we’ve had some great battles there. We expect to get their best, and it just helps us get better.”

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