Fourth-ranked Maryland men’s soccer played to a 2-2 draw against UCLA in College Park, Maryland. Despite dominating the shot count 24-7 and playing with a man advantage for over an hour, the Terrapins failed to secure three points, extending their winless streak against the Bruins since joining the Big Ten.
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Missed Opportunities and Man Advantage Frustrations
After 88 minutes of play, Maryland was gridlocked at 2-2 despite unleashing 22 shots up to that point. Rodrigo Neri nearly snatched a late winner when he delivered the 23rd attempt, but his booming strike narrowly soared over the top right corner of the goal. The Bruins held firm through the final minute to escape College Park with a point.
The Terrapins held a man advantage for more than 60 minutes after UCLA midfielder Diego Martinez was shown a red card following a 30th-minute review. Yet, Maryland couldn’t solve the defensive puzzle constructed by Bruins goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson, who finished the night with five saves. Down 2-1 in the 77th minute, mounting pressure finally forced an equalizer.
“We haven’t trained a man up this year so we had to make an adjustment to that,” Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We should have won. We had enough chances to win that game.”
Early Breakthroughs and Bruins’ Counter-Punches
Maryland opened the scoring early when Neri chased down a lead pass from defender Ljubomir Popovic from deep in the defensive third, slotting home his fourth goal of the season in the fifth minute. The strike tied Neri with fellow standout freshman Said El Eyssami for the team lead in goals.
Despite the early deficit, UCLA controlled large stretches of possession early on. In the 19th minute, the Terps were caught lobbying for a midfield call, allowing Ander Marticorena to break forward and feed Jaime Amaro. Amaro drove into the box and fired past goalkeeper Laurin Mack to level the score at 1-1.
Even down a man after Martinez’s dismissal, the Bruins maintained offensive bite. In the 54th minute, Arnold Cameron delivered a ball on the corner that found Victor Ciaurriz, whose header beat Mack to give UCLA a 2-1 lead.
Late Equalizer and Historical Context
Maryland finally broke through UCLA’s defensive block in the 77th minute during a chaotic sequence. Lillian Fichelle played a ball into the box for El Eyssami, whose bouncing header forced a save from Nelson. Nelson failed to secure it cleanly, allowing Leon Koehl to fire a follow-up shot that created a deflection chance for Dominic Ayella to tap home his second goal of the season.
| Statistic | Maryland | UCLA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Shots | 24 | N/A |
| Shots on Goal | 7 | N/A |
| Saves by Goalkeeper | N/A | 5 (Wyatt Nelson) |
| Final Score | 2 | 2 |
| Conference Record | 1-1-1 | 0-1-2 |
Since UCLA joined the Big Ten, Maryland has failed to defeat them in regular-season play, drawing three times. The Bruins have also eliminated Maryland from the conference tournament in each of the past two seasons. The Terps’ all-time series record against UCLA is 4-5-5, with their last victory dating back to 2017.
“They’ve nipped us in the butt in the conference playoffs so we hope we get a chance to play them in the playoffs,” Cirovski said.
Upcoming Tests for the Terrapins
The draw serves as a warning as Maryland prepares for a three-game stretch against ranked Big Ten opponents, starting next Friday in Bloomington against No. 2 Indiana. Cirovski offered a blunt assessment of his squad’s defensive frailties following the final whistle.
“We’re giving up too many goals per game,” Cirovski said. “This will be the last one you’ll see like this.”
Meanwhile, UCLA continues its road trip, traveling to face Penn State on Monday, Sept. 28, in a contest televised nationally on the Big Ten Network.
