Maryland men's soccer loses 1-0 to Ohio State

Maryland men's soccer was shut out for the fifth time this season as No. 23 Ohio State dispatched the Terps 1-0 Saturday in Columbus.

The Buckeyes, owners of the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten's standings, got in front of the Terps before halftime and never looked back.

With three minutes left in the first half, Ohio State's Liam Doyle sent a free kick from deep in Ohio State (10-5-2) territory up to midfield, where Kyle Culbertson redirected it to Yaw Amankwa. The junior forwardtook a few touches and lofted a curving shot from just outside the box that eluded Maryland (7-5-4) goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier, who twisted and lunged but couldn't reach the ball as it landed in the top left corner of the net.

Tsubasa Endoh was the offense's focal point once again, sending several passes into the box, but no attackers could send his crosses home. The Terps finished with 13 shots, five of which came on goal. Ohio State had nine shots, four of which were on goal.

This defeat was different from many of Maryland's other losses. Often, teams have played rigid defense at the expense of offensive consistency against the Terps, allowing them to take a large quantity of shots that aren't very high-quality. The Buckeyes possessed the ball about the same amount of time as Maryland did, but the Terps did lose another game in which they led in shots and shots on goal.

Freshman forward Sebastian Elney accumulated two yellow cards in the match, so from the 72nd minute on, the team had to play a man down. The Terps couldn't get enough opportunities, and even though the Buckeyes' defense didn't pack it in like so many other teams Maryland has faced, the Terps still had trouble getting quality looks at goal.

Niedermeier had a solid day in goal for the Terps, allowing the one goal while making three saves. Ohio State goalkeeper Chris Froschauer was rarely tested. The senior transfer from Dayton made five saves and had a relatively easy day in goal for the Buckeyes.

Chris Odoi-Atsem had a run that was one of the only chances the Terps had in the second half, but the rest of the defense caught up with and dispossessed him. A furious rally at the end saw a couple shot opportunities, but the Buckeyes were able to withstand the rally and come away with the win.

The Terps will conclude their season against Rutgers at Ludwig Field at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.