The No. 23 Pack gave the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins a shock Saturday night at Dail Soccer Field, carrying a 1-0 lead into the final minutes of the ACC showdown.
However, a late Maryland tied the game and neither team gained an advantage through two overtime period. The Pack improved to 4-1-1 overall against its second top-five opponent in a week.
Junior Lucas Carpenter, who scored his first collegiate goal in the 63rd minute, said a tie against the No. 4 Terps was better than anyone anticipated.
“We protected our home,” Carpenter said. “It’s crucial to protect your home field. That was the result against Maryland we were looking for.”
“The win was in our grasp, though, which is kind of frustrating, but we’ll take it at the end of the game.”
The game got chippy in the first half and Maryland’s Doug Rodkey received a red card in the 36th minute, forcing Maryland to play the rest of the game down a man. Six additional yellow cards were distributed among the two teams as the game progressed.
The Terrapins outshot the Pack 13-8, but the only goal in the first 88 minutes belonged to State. Carpenter Lucas Carpenter said he continued the run to the goal in the 63rd minute and was rewarded with his first of his career.
“[Kris] Byrd got the ball out wide. He didn’t play it back, so I continued the run,” Carpenter said. “He played it out wide to the [Michael Smith], who crossed it, and that’s how it got to me.”
Carpenter said the goal against ACC power Maryland was better than he could have anticipated.
“It was like a dream. It came right to my foot and I finished it,” Carpenter said. “If I hadn’t finished it, though, it would have been really bad.”
Maryland had no answer until a minute and a half remained in the game. Drew Yates tied up the game when he brought the ball to the left of the penalty box, and made his way into the middle of the field and fired a high shot past goalie Chris Widman. State had a chance to escape with the win in regulation when senior forward Ronnie Bouemboue received a through ball from Chris Zuerner and walked in alone with the final seconds ticking down. Bouemboue slowed down to pick his shot and two Maryland defensemen swept the ball out of harm’s way.
Senior defenseman Korede Aiyegbusi said he was proud of his team’s second half effort.
“We might have started off a bit shaky, but we came out in the second half and played with our hearts,” Aiyegbusi said. “We recognize that at whatever level you’re at, even if you score and they come back at you, you just have to keep fighting.”
Head coach George Tarantini said his team faced down the defending NCAA champions with a strong collective effort.
“We had all the effort there, and had a lot of chances to score,” Tarantini said. “You have to give Maryland credit – they fought until the last minute to tie. “
“We did everything we could. We did a good job.”
The teams traded close chances in overtime, including a missed penalty kick from senior Alan Sanchez with less than two minutes remaining in the second overtime. Sanchez drilled his shot off the bottom of the goalpost.
Aiyegbusi said as his team tied a top-five opponent and holds a 2-0-1 record at home, there are several positives to be taken from this game.
“We tied it. We still haven’t conceded a game at home and we’re going to keep trying to please the fans,” Aiyegbusi said.
Tarantini said his team is focused on attaining its first ACC win next Sunday at Virginia Tech.
