Clemson tops Maryland in PKs to reach Men’s College Cup

CLEMSON, S.C. (Via University of Maryland) – The No. 10 seeded Maryland men’s soccer team saw its season end in heartbreaking fashion Friday night when it was edged in penalty kicks at No. 2 Clemson in the quarterfinals of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship.

The Terps (12-5-6) played to a 1-1 tie through regulation as Alex Crognale netted Maryland’s goal in the 73rd minute. Cody Niedermeier made five saves to lead the Terps defensively.

After a scoreless first half which saw Maryland hold a decisive 8-1 advantage in the shot category, Clemson struck first with a goal from Thomas Moreno in the 58th minute. It was the lone breakdown for a depleted Maryland defense that was playing without starting center back Ivan Magalhaes, who picked up two yellow cards at Notre Dame last Sunday.

Crognale provided the equalizer off a perfect corner kick service from freshman Jorge Calix. The junior scored his fourth goal of the year to shift the momentum back in Maryland’s favor.

Maryland’s defense took center stage as time expired in regulation. With less than 30 seconds remaining, Niedermeier made the initial save and the team followed up with back-to-back goal line stands to send the game into overtime.

Clemson outshot the Terps 6-2 in extra time and had the benefit of playing a man-up after a second yellow card was issued to freshman Amar Sejdic with nearly nine minutes remaining in the second overtime period.

The Terrapin defense made one last highlight reel stop when Chris Odoi-Atsem used his body to block a shot at the goal line at the end of the second overtime period.

Corboz tallied Maryland’s lone goal in the shootout round as two stops by Niedermeier were not enough to hold off one of the nation’s top-scoring offenses.

“It’s a cruel way to not advance but I couldn’t be more proud of the incredible effort our players put forth,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We battled all the way through the final whistle. We blocked shots, we made plays and I thought we played great soccer. I have a bunch of winners in that locker room and I love them all. It was another championship season for Maryland soccer.

“I know tonight is especially heartbreaking for our seniors. Dakota Edwards, Tsubasa Endoh and David Kabelik were fantastic four-year players and left a great legacy with both their on the field and off the field achievements. And Mael Corboz, who became such a great leader for our program over the past two seasons. They’ve left their mark on Maryland.”

Maryland captured its fourth consecutive league tournament championship in 2015 and advanced to the Elite Eight for third time in the past four seasons.