Head coach Sasho Cirovski, six Maryland men’s soccer players receive Big Ten honors

Six Maryland men’s soccer players — along with head coach Sasho Cirovski — were honored with Big Ten awards, the conference announced Friday.

Senior midfielder Malcolm Johnston, redshirt sophomore forward Joshua Bolma, redshirt senior defender Nick Richardson and senior defender Chris Rindov headlined the group as they all made the All-Big Ten first team.

Cirovski earned his second Big Ten Coach of the Year accolade after leading Maryland to a 9-2-5 record — 4-0-4 in the Big Ten — and a No. 7 national ranking. The Terps’ draw against Indiana on Sunday secured the program’s fourth Big Ten championship and first since 2016.

Johnston was Maryland’s leading scorer with five goals. The senior converted on all four of his penalty kicks and always came through when the Terps needed him most. Johnston also added four assists, which ranks third on the team.

This was Bolma’s second All-Big Ten selection after he made the first team last year. Bolma transitioned into more of a facilitator this season, leading the team with seven assists while scoring two goals. Bolma’s selflessness has made way for players like junior forward Stefan Copetti to thrive. Copetti had five goals this season, four of which came in the final six games.

Richardson was in rare form on the offensive end this season, as he was second on the team in points (12) with three goals and six assists. The redshirt senior failed to record a single goal and notched just five assists before this season but has been a major key in Terps’ success.

After three years as a consistent starter for Maryland, Rindov finally got the recognition he deserves. Rindov has been a primary reason why the Terps’ defense was elite in the second half of the season. Throughout the year, Rindov picked up two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards and scored two goals.

Freshman defender Luca Costabile was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Costabile has been a welcomed addition to Maryland’s backline that had lost star defender Brett St. Martin. The freshman started in 14 of his 16 appearances and played the fourth-most minutes (1,217) on the team this season.

Junior defender Alex Nitzl walked away with a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. His leadership and calmness has helped keep the Terps focused for the entirety of the season.