Maryland men’s soccer plays Georgetown to scoreless draw

After falling at Ludwig Field to No. 13 Michigan State, Maryland men’s soccer needed a positive result in its next match to bounce back. In Washington, D.C., the Terps drew with Georgetown, 0-0, after double overtime couldn’t declare a victor on Monday.

Thirty-five shots were taken throughout the course of the match, but due to the exceptional play of the goalkeepers, neither team could find the back of the net. Dayne St. Clair, who hadn’t faced many shots in the past few games, broke his season-high with seven saves on the day, and his counterpart Giannis Nikopoldis came in just behind with five of his own.

The Terrapins (4-4-3) expected to face a physical opponent, and Georgetown stayed true to form throughout the first half. The Hoyas totaled seven fouls in the opening period, five of which came within the first 13 minutes of play. However, the hardest foul was the only one Maryland committed before the break. In the 16th minute as William James Herve tackled a Georgetown midfielder as the Hoyas were in the midst of a scoring opportunity. They played advantage and had possession in the box, but an athletic clear from Donovan Pines shut the door.

Georgetown totaled nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, but only two were on target. Both of Dayne St. Clair’s saves came early against Sean Zawadski, and the junior goalkeeper was largely untested following his 15th-minute stop.

The Terps, meanwhile, were ale to get off seven shots against the Hoyas back line, and they forced Giannis Nikopoldis to make a trio of opening-frame saves. Amar Sejdic was the main catalyst of the attack, totaling three shots, two of which were on goal. He nearly broke the scoreless tie in the 16th minute, using his left foot to try to hook the ball around the freshman keeper. However, he was ultimately unsuccessful, and neither team gave in as the game remained scoreless heading into the break.

The pace of play slowed drastically out of halftime as each side made their defensive adjustments. However, Georgetown still found a way to get inside in the 49th minute, as Derek Dodson ripped a strike on goal, although St. Clair made his third save of the day on as many tries.

Despite having been issued a yellow card in the opening half, Herve was given plenty of run in the second half. He subbed in during a stoppage in the 71st minute and immediately registered a shot on goal, but he couldn’t beat Nikopoldis.

The match seemed destined for overtime before the Hoyas threatened to clinch a late victory on their home field. In the 88th minute, Matt Ledder’s shot nearly snuck through under the crossbar, but St. Clair heroically knocked the ball out of play, and the ensuing corner was easily dismissed. The junior made another stop with just 36 seconds remaining, and the Terps were heading to their fifth overtime game.

Five minutes into the first overtime period, Georgetown was gifted an opportunity to walk the match off. After a battle for possession in the box, St. Clair fell down and senior Ethan Lochner was left wide open on the left side of the net. From 10 yards out, his shot sailed high and out of play to keep the match going.

The Hoyas thoroughly dominated the Terps throughout the entirety of overtime, outshooting them by a 5-1 margin. But St. Clair and the back line made sure that none would find the back of the net, and Maryland got its third draw of the season.

Three things to know

1. Shots were aplenty throughout. It was a shooting fest in Washington on Monday as both teams combined for 35 shots. Despite the quantity of looks each side saw, neither could beat the opponent’s back line and goalkeeper. The Hoyas won the shot battle 21-14, as well as 7-5 in shots on goal.

2. Dayne St. Clair was terrific. The redshirt freshman took a loss on Friday night, giving up two goals to Michigan State while making five saves. But on the road (albeit not too far) against Georgetown, he came up clutch time after time, keeping the Terps from losing. On the day, he totaled seven saves, breaking his previous season-high of six.

3. Only five matches remain. The Big Ten tournament and, if they find a way to make it, the NCAA Tournament aren’t going anywhere, but the Terrapins’ regular season has just five scheduled matches left on the slate. The penultimate road match of the year is next up, as Maryland will travel to Bloomington for a Big Ten battle with the No. 2-ranked Indiana Hoosiers.