COLLEGE PARK, Md. — For nearly 90 minutes, Maryland and Wisconsin battled through a physical, tightly contested match with little separating two of the nation’s top teams.
Then, with just over 40 minutes remaining, Maryland finally found the breakthrough.
Said El Eyssami rose to the occasion — quite literally — delivering a diving header off a perfectly placed free kick from Ljubomir Popovic to give No. 8 Maryland a 1-0 victory over No. 7 Wisconsin at Ludwig Field.
The goal was El Eyssami’s fourth of the season and ultimately proved to be all the Terrapins needed.
Maryland entered the night looking for a response after suffering a difficult loss to Northwestern. The Terps got exactly that, putting together one of their strongest defensive performances of the season against a Wisconsin team that arrived in College Park boasting one of the nation’s best offenses.
The Badgers entered the contest with a plus-17 goal differential, sixth-best in the country, but Maryland’s defense kept Wisconsin from finding the back of the net.
Goalkeeper Laurin Mack recorded his second shutout of the season as the Terrapins limited Wisconsin to five shots on goal.
Head coach Sasho Cirovski praised his team’s response.
“Wisconsin is a resilient, tough team. This was just a wonderful response to the last game and it’s what we wanted.”
Popovic, El Eyssami Deliver the Difference
Maryland created an opportunity almost immediately.
In the opening minute, Albi Ndrenika raced down the right side before being taken down just outside the penalty area. Popovic stepped over the free kick and sent a dangerous attempt toward goal, but Wisconsin goalkeeper Judewellin Michel made the save.
Maryland continued to apply pressure, and Rocket Ritarita provided one of the Terps’ best offensive moments of the opening half.
Ritarita, who entered the match with two points and no goals through Maryland’s first six games, nearly broke through in the 21st minute when he fired from the right side of the box.
Michel again came through for Wisconsin, making the initial save. The rebound, however, fell into a dangerous area, but Maryland couldn’t capitalize.
The match remained scoreless deep into the second half.
Then came the moment that changed everything.
Maryland earned another free kick, and Popovic delivered a ball into the Wisconsin penalty area.
El Eyssami attacked it aggressively.
The Maryland forward launched himself toward the ball, nearly parallel to the turf, and redirected Popovic’s service with his head. The ball found the back of the net, sending Ludwig Field into celebration.
Newcomer Makes Immediate Impact
Friday’s match also marked the Maryland debut of Luka Juricic, a freshman midfielder from Georgetown, Ontario.
Juricic joined the Terps only recently and had participated in just three practices with the team before making his first appearance.
His international experience includes time with the Croatia U19 and Canada U20 national teams, and Cirovski was impressed with how quickly the freshman adapted.
“Luka Juricic was an incredible performance for someone who just joined our team over the last 10 days and had three practices,” Cirovski said. “I’m just proud of the maturity that he showed coming into our team.”
Juricic’s arrival came at a challenging time for Maryland, which has dealt with injuries throughout the early portion of the season.
The Terps have managed to keep their defensive quartet together over the last four matches, but they entered Friday without starting midfielders Leon Koehl and Henry Bernstein.
Despite the changes, Maryland remained organized and disciplined.
Defense Takes Center Stage
After taking the lead, Maryland faced the difficult task of protecting it against a Wisconsin squad capable of producing goals from multiple areas of the field.
The Badgers continued to battle, but the Terps refused to allow Wisconsin’s attack to generate the kind of dangerous opportunities it needed.
One of the biggest defensive victories came against Markie Hrvojevic, Wisconsin’s leading scorer in goals, points and shots on goal.
Hrvojevic was held without a goal, point or shot on goal.
It was a notable accomplishment considering he had recorded at least one shot on target in every game before Friday’s contest.
Maryland also had to maintain its composure as the match became increasingly physical.
The Terps were handed five yellow cards, including three within a three-minute stretch following the El Eyssami goal. El Eyssami, Lilian Fichelle and Franklin Affanyi were all booked during the sequence.
The physical play continued as the match progressed, with tensions rising among players and coaching staffs over several officiating decisions.
But Maryland didn’t lose its focus.
Instead, the Terps remained organized during the final 20 minutes, limiting Wisconsin’s ability to create a clean scoring opportunity while continuing to control possession.
A Statement in the Big Ten
When the final whistle sounded, Maryland had secured something it desperately wanted — its first Big Ten victory of the season.
More importantly, the Terps had answered their previous performance with a defensive effort that showed resilience against another nationally ranked opponent.
Maryland’s ability to shut down a Wisconsin offense that entered the match with a +17 goal differential was perhaps the biggest takeaway from the night.
El Eyssami provided the lone goal.
Popovic provided the delivery.
Mack and the Maryland defense made sure it stood up.
And after a frustrating result against Northwestern, the Terps walked away from Ludwig Field with exactly the response Cirovski was looking for.
Maryland will now turn its attention toward its next challenge, a Sept. 25 home matchup against UCLA, as the Terps look to build on a hard-earned victory that could provide momentum for the weeks ahead.
