Maryland Region Men's Soccer 3rd Round Breakdowns
#2 Maryland vs. Coastal Carolina
Maryland got a great game from Brown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terps gave up an early goal to the Bears, but stole one back right before the half thanks to Patrick Mullins. After a back and forth second half, Dan Metzger emerged as the Terrapins hero with his last minute goal. The Terrapins will host Coastal Carolina, who beat Elon 3-0 in the first round and upset #15 Wake Forest in the second round. The Chanticleers have two of the most potent goal scorers in the nation in Ashton Bennett and Ricky Garbanzo, but they have yet to score any of CCU’s five goals in the tournament. The midfielders, led by Justin Portillo and Pedro Ribeiro, have been the guys finding the back of the net. This should be a high scoring affair with two of the best offenses in the nation going at it. John Stertzer, Mullins and the Terps should be too much for Coastal Carolina, but that could change in a hurry if Bennett and Garbanzo join the goal scoring fray.
#10 Louisville vs. Northwestern
Northwestern has been doing what they do best…winning 1-0. That is the score line they posted against Western Illinois in the first round and Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Joey Calistri netted a late first half goal in the huge upset against the Golden Eagles and the Wildcats were able to weather the storm the rest of the way. Few teams can hang onto a lead as effectively as Northwestern and that could be a problem for Louisville. The Cardinals are not known for their potent offense, but they sure got it rolling against Winthrop in their NCAA Tournament opener. The Cardinals netted five goals, including a hat-trick by Dylan Mares. Cracking the Northwestern defense and beating keeper Tyler Miller will not be easy, but this is a Cardinals team that can end the Wildcats run.
See all Men’s Soccer Breakdowns
