No. 4 Maryland men play Michigan to scoreless draw

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (Via University of Maryland) – Playing in front of yet another raucous Ludwig Field crowd, the No. 4 Maryland men’s soccer team gutted out a scoreless draw against Michigan in its Big Ten Conference opener on Friday night.

The Terps (2-1-2) picked up the result despite playing a man down for 35 minutes following a red card to freshman Jorge Calix in the 75th minute. Maryland – which led the nation in shots heading into Friday’s match – was held to 12 attempts versus a direct Wolverine squad. Cody Niedermeier notched his second shutout in three starts, snagging four saves in another solid effort in net.

After a back-and-forth first half which saw each squad notch six shots, Calix was handed a red card after an apparent inadvertent elbow in a collision at 74:21. The Maryland offense was able to generate three decent scoring chances following the ejection, including a pair of Mael Corboz looks to cap the first overtime. The senior ended with a team-high five shots, including four on goal.

“You’re never happy with a tie at home, but I’m pleased we at least got a point out of this game, considering we played a man down for 35 minutes,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “It’s difficult to play Michigan because there’s very little rhythm or tempo in the game. They’re extremely hardworking and very direct.

“It’s a good game for us to play because there are a few other teams who are similar who we will face later in the year. I was overall pleased with our effort. We probably deserved better. I was most pleased with the fact we would still push for the win with 10 men, and we generated the better chances even a man down.”

After a stellar announced crowd of 6,294 for the league opener Friday, the Terps are averaging nearly 6,300 fans per game in the friendly confines of Ludwig Field this season.

Maryland returns to action when it faces Navy on Monday night at Ludwig at 7 p.m.