Alex Crognale lifts No. 4 Maryland men over Navy on Monday
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (Via University of Maryland) – Junior Alex Crognale headed home the game-winner in the 84th minute to lift the No. 4-ranked Maryland men’s soccer team past Navy, 1-0, Monday night at Ludwig Field.
The Terps (3-1-2) held a decisive shot advantage over Navy (2-3-1), trumping the Midshipmen, 20-2, in the category. Navy managed zero shots on goal as Maryland goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier registered his third shutout in four starts in net. It is the fourth shutout for the squad this season.
“I’m extremely proud of our team’s effort today,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We put together a complete performance. To keep a team to only a couple of looks and no shots on goal is a testament to our effort defensively as a group.”
After notching a scoreless draw with Michigan Friday night, the Terps came out on the attack Monday but were unable to finish until Crognale stopped Maryland’s lengthy scoring drought with six minutes to play.
Senior Mael Corboz served a beautiful corner kick to Crognale and the 6-foot-6 Gahanna, Ohio, product did the rest, finishing from five yards and giving Maryland the lead and ultimately the win.
Corboz – a First Team All-Big Ten selection a year ago – leads the Terps with four assists this season. It was the first goal of the year for Crognale.
“I was delighted to see Alex get a goal on a great corner from Mae. It’s something those two have been working on all summer,” Cirovski said. “I challenged Alex to be a threat on set pieces and tonight he delivered beautifully. It’s great to see their hard work pay off. There were great contributions from the reserve players. The guys that came in really sparked us. It was a complete effort coming off of a tough overtime game on Friday where we expended a lot of energy, and I am very proud of the effort they put forth.”
Maryland finished its longest home stretch of the year with a 2-1-1 record and will travel to Michigan State Friday to resume Big Ten play and begin a challenging three-game road swing which will include stops at Georgetown and Wisconsin.
