Maryland men’s soccer won 2 exhibition matches at home this weekend

The No. 6-ranked Maryland men’s soccer team played in two of its three scheduled exhibition matches at Ludwig Field this weekend, beating both St. John’s and American University.

Behind two first-half goals Friday afternoon, the Terps held on for a 2-1 victory over the Red Storm. Sophomore defender Miles Stray and junior midfielder DJ Reeves found the back of the net in the win.

Stray played in six matches last year for the Terps as a freshman, and he could earn an increased role in 2017 with three starting spots opening up on the backline after last season. Alex Crognale, Suli Dankeh and Chris Odoi-Atsem all graduated, while junior Andrew Samuels is the lone returning starting defender.

After the victory Friday evening, Maryland played again Saturday in an early-morning match against American, shutting out the Eagles en route to a 3-0 victory. The goals came from both new and veteran faces to the program.

Freshman forward Eric Matzelevich scored twice, while redshirt senior Emmanuel Korvah knocked in the third goal for the Terps. Korvah appeared in 13 matches last season, earning his only start on the road against Michigan, in which he recorded an assist in a 3-2 double-overtime victory to cap off an undefeated regular season.

Maryland’s last exhibition match is this Saturday at 7 p.m. in College Park, where the Terps will be able to gauge how they match up against one of the nation’s top teams in No. 8 Syracuse.

The Terps begin the regular season on the road in California against Santa Clara on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. ET.