Maryland men’s soccer vs. Hartford final score, with 3 things to know from the Terps’ win

The Maryland men’s soccer team got back to winning ways Monday night against Sasho Cirovski’s former team, beating Hartford 5-0 after drawing against UCLA this past weekend.

Sophomore transfer Gordon Wild scored a brace in his home debut, with his first goal coming just eight minutes past kickoff, while Sebastian Elney, George Campbell and Jorge Calix all added one apiece to the final score. Eryk Williamson and DJ Reeves each added a pair of assists.

The No. 4 Terps (1-0-1) dominated possession from the opening whistle and did well to claim an early goal through Wild, who tucked Diego Silva’s pass into the bottom right corner past Hartford goalkeeper David Mackinnon. Four minutes later, Chris Odoi-Atsem and Eryk Williamson combined for a pretty play before Elney headed it home to double the lead.

The tempo eased off in the final minutes of the half and the Terps headed into halftime with the scoreline 2-0.

Maryland’s third goal of the night came seven minutes into the second half, when Williamson’s cross met Wild’s foot in a crowded box. With 22 minutes left, junior forward George Campbell converted from the spot to make it 4-0 after being tripped in the box. Jorge Calix put the final touch on the scoreline by finishing off Reeves’ cross in the 84th minute.

The Terps’ ended the game with 17 shots (10 on goal) to Hartford’s two (0 on goal).

The match was an emotional affair for Sasho Cirovski, who began his head-coaching career with the Hawks back in 1991, leading the team to its first back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in school history. He eventually moved to coach Maryland in 1993.

Maryland will play host to local rivals Georgetown on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Ludwig Field.

Three things to know

1. Gordon Wild is the man of the moment. After scoring twice in his home debut, all eyes are on Wild, the sophomore transfer from USC Upstate. Born in Leonfeld, Germany, Wild calls Cologne his hometown, a region that also produced the likes of German World Cup winner Lukas Podolski.

2. The Terps did well to rebound. Although the UCLA game was against a much tougher opponent, this win has Maryland truly feeling like a top-five team again. With morale high, the team can better prepare for Georgetown on Friday.

3. Maryland was defensively sound. This time around, the Terps looked solid at the back from the start, only allowing 2 shots, none on goal. Maryland keeper Cody Niedermeier was not tested all game.