Final Stats

COLLEGE PARK, Md. ââ'¬" The Villanova Wildcats paid a visit to No. 13 Maryland in a rare Monday night match and dropped a 2-0 decision to the Terrapins. Villanova falls to 6-4-0 overall, 1-1-0 BIG on the season while Maryland is now 5-3-3 overall.

The Wildcats were playing their second game in three days and third in the last six. Villanova also lost Christopher Bared in the eighth minute to injury. Junior Max Kroschwitz was also limited to 39 minutes of action, furthering hampering a roster already coping with its share of injuries.

"We knew they would be coming fast at us," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "They just lost a conference game to Northwestern where they very much controlled play. So we knew they were coming out with urgency."

On a beautiful fall evening it was No. 13 Maryland that applied the early pressure. The Terrapins produced the game's first six shots, including a pair of dangerous bids that forced Wildcats sophomore goalkeeper Will Steiner to be sharp. Steiner got his hand on one bid seemingly targeted for just under the crossbar and the match remained scoreless through the first 15 minutes of action. Maryland broke through in the 20 minute off a play along the right sideline. Amar Sedjic threaded a pass to Tsubasa Endoh as he approached the edge of the 18 yard box. Endoh tucked a low blast inside the left post at 19:53 to stake the Terrapins to a 1-0 advantage. "Even when they got the first goal, we still had some physicality going and battles that we won," Carlin noted.

The Wildcats began to create quality chances of their own midway through the first half. A long throw-in from Kroschwitz found senior Colton Bryant near the goal but the shot re-directed by Bryant's header sailed just outside the right post.

Not long after a quick rush found junior Padriac McCullaugh along the right side with the ball and a half-step on the Maryland defense. But Terrapins goalkeeper Cody Niedermeyer came off his line to make the save in the 31st minute.

The start of the second half looked similar to the first 10 minutes of the first 45 as Maryland applied the heat. Steiner came up with a pair of good saves in the early moments of the period to keep the Villanova deficit at 1-0.

A nifty bit of technical soccer allowed Maryland to boost its lead to 2-0 at 56:34. Jorge Calix lofted a cross from deep along the left side towards the back post, where the ball found David Kabelik in stride at the end of a run. The Kabelik finish gave the Terps the two goal edge.

"That put us in a hole we couldn't get out of," stated Carlin.

Villanova kept pushing forward but was unable to narrow the gap and Maryland emerged with the victory.

"The biggest problem was that we got injured early and we're already injured," explained Carlin. "Losing Bared early pulled us out of our formation and what we like to do right away. Unfortunately, we were playing Maryland and we really didn't have time to breathe. They really suffocate you."

That said, Carlin believes this experience will benefit Villanova in the long term.

"In order for us to accomplish what we want to," he said, "we're going to have to play in environments like this. The only way you learn how to play in them is to experience them. We'll be better in the next one because of this experience.

"It was tough being on a day's rest, especially after the injuries. We just looked a little slow to things."

Steiner's eight saves were a season high.

The Wildcats return to action this Saturday afternoon when they resume BIG EAST Conference play at DePaul. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. in Chicago.