COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Following 110 minutes of Big Ten playoff soccer tied at 1-1 on Saturday afternoon, 5-seed Rutgers and 4-seed Maryland went to a penalty shootout, where the Terrapins edged the Scarlet Knights by a single shot, 5-4, to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Rutgers freshman
Ola Maeland put Rutgers up 1-0 in the 75
th minute, but a Maryland equalizer in the 83
rd sent the contest into overtime. Maryland outshot RU 3-1 in extra time, but 110 minutes were not enough to decide a winner.
Ritchie Barry,
Randy Arronis,
Colin Beasley, and
Thomas DeVizio made their penalties, forcing a sudden death sixth round tied at 4-4. After a Rutgers miss, Maryland converted its final penalty to advance in the tournament.
It was the first postseason shootout for every Scarlet Knight on the roster, with the program last going to PK's in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament against LIU Brooklyn. It marked the first shootout in a conference tournament since a loss to West Virginia in the 2006 Big East Tournament.
Maeland scored his first collegiate goal in a big spot nearing the end of regulation. Another freshman, forward
Moussa Sabaly, served a looping cross from the baseline back toward a waiting Maeland, who leaped and fired a scissor volley out of the air low and into the right side of the net.
The Scarlet Knight offense was led by three shots on goal from Barry, who had a chance to put Rutgers up 2-nil in the 81
st, but his shot was turned away at close range by a diving Jamie Lowell. That allowed the Maryland goal by Justin Gielen two minutes later to tie the match at 1-1 after a bender into the right side netting on a shot taken from 22 yards out.
Rutgers sophomore goalkeeper
Oren Asher made a point-blank save in the first overtime period to keep it knotted. Asher made five saves in the contest.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers is now 2-6-1 in its Big Ten Tournament history.
- It was the first penalty shootout in a conference tournament for Rutgers since 2006 – a Rutgers loss to West Virginia in the Big East Tournament. It was the first postseason penalty shootout since Rutgers' win over LIU Brooklyn in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
- Freshman Ola Maeland scored the first goal of his career.
- Freshman Moussa Sabaly, who started all nine matches for Rutgers this season, picked up his second career assist.
- Maryland is 10-2-1 all-time against Rutgers since 1960.
- Freshman Cole Sotack got his eighth start in the back, while Ola Maeland made his third consecutive appearance in the startling lineup.
Follow Rutgers men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (
http://www.facebook.com/RUMensSoccer). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), and Facebook (
www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the
Gameday App.
- RU -