Neri’s Late Winner Lifts No. 4 Maryland Men’s Soccer Past No. 9 High Point, 1-0
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — No. 4 Maryland men’s soccer needed more than 80 minutes to finally break through against No. 9 High Point, but freshman Rodrigo Neri delivered when the Terrapins needed him most.
Neri scored his first collegiate goal in the 81st minute Saturday night at Ludwig Field, lifting Maryland to a 1-0 victory in a legitimate early-season top-10 battle.
The victory improved Maryland to 3-0 for the first time since 2021 and gave the Terrapins their first win over a top-10 opponent since defeating No. 8 Wisconsin, 3-0, in September 2024. Maryland also extended its regular-season unbeaten streak to 18 games and its regular-season home winning streak to 10.
A crowd of 5,123 packed Ludwig Field for the matchup, Maryland’s third home crowd of more than 5,000 over the past two seasons.
Neri finally breaks through
Maryland controlled much of the opening half but could not turn possession and opportunities into a goal.
The Terrapins outshot High Point 7-2 during the first 45 minutes. Neri generated Maryland’s best opportunity when his shot in the 28th minute forced High Point goalkeeper Josh Caron into a save.
At the other end, Maryland goalkeeper Laurin Mack came through when High Point threatened. Mack made a diving stop in the 16th minute, helping send the game into halftime scoreless.
The intensity increased considerably after halftime.
Ljubomir Popovic sent a free kick just over the goal in the 51st minute before Henry Bernstein forced another save five minutes later. Albi Ndrenika followed with another dangerous opportunity in the 61st.
High Point nearly changed the game in the 73rd minute. Anthony Ramirez’s long-range attempt was stopped by Mack, and Alfred Baafi got to the loose ball and put it into the net after colliding with the Maryland goalkeeper. The apparent goal was wiped away after review because Baafi was called for a foul.
Maryland survived, and Neri eventually made the Panthers pay.
With the match still scoreless, Neri broke free and buried the deciding goal at 80:03, finally beating Caron and sending Ludwig Field into a celebration. It was Neri’s first collegiate goal and came on Maryland’s 17th shot of the night.
Neri was Maryland’s most aggressive attacker throughout the game, finishing with six shots and two shots on goal.
Mack shuts the door
Getting the lead was only part of the job.
High Point immediately pushed forward looking for an equalizer, forcing Maryland to withstand some of the Panthers’ most dangerous pressure of the night.
Mack answered.
The Maryland goalkeeper finished with six saves, according to Maryland’s official box score, as High Point put six of its 11 shots on target. His performance produced the 13th shutout of his Maryland career.
That was particularly important against a High Point team that entered College Park 2-0 and ranked No. 9 nationally.
Maryland finished with an 18-11 advantage in total shots, although High Point actually held a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. High Point also earned six corners compared with Maryland’s five.
Those numbers illustrate just how important Mack was. Maryland generated more overall offense, but when the Panthers found the target, Mack repeatedly answered.
Maryland passes its first major test
The first two games showed Maryland could score.
The Terrapins opened the season with a 2-1 victory at Pittsburgh before beating New Haven 3-2 in the home opener. Maryland entered Saturday having scored five goals in two games.
High Point presented a much different challenge.
The Panthers reached the Sweet 16 last season and returned considerable experience. Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski described Saturday’s matchup as one featuring two teams that belong among college soccer’s upper tier.
Maryland showed it could win a different type of game.
Instead of a multi-goal offensive performance, the Terrapins remained patient through 80 scoreless minutes, received a huge performance from their goalkeeper and eventually found the one moment they needed.
Maryland has now outshot its first three opponents 53-30 while scoring six goals and allowing three.
The Terrapins are also 2-0 at Ludwig Field for the first time since 2021.
A freshman delivers on a big stage
The circumstances make Neri’s first Maryland goal even more impressive.
This was not a late insurance goal against an overmatched opponent. It was the deciding goal of a 0-0 game between the No. 4 and No. 9 teams in the country with more than 5,000 people watching at Ludwig Field.
Cirovski called it the type of game that required a special play to decide and praised Neri’s development through the opening weeks of the season.
Neri had been threatening throughout the night. He accounted for one-third of Maryland’s 18 shots before finally finding his breakthrough.
For a freshman forward, it is difficult to imagine a better way to score a first collegiate goal.
MSB Take
Maryland’s first two victories were encouraging. This one means considerably more.
High Point is not an opponent Maryland was simply expected to overwhelm at Ludwig Field. The Panthers entered undefeated, ranked ninth nationally and coming off a Sweet 16 season. Maryland had to earn this one for 90 minutes.
What stands out most is how the Terrapins won it.
Maryland did not have its best finishing night. The Terps took 18 shots but put only five on target. There were stretches where High Point looked capable of stealing the game, and the Panthers nearly did before the second-half goal was overturned.
But Maryland never lost its composure.
Mack gave the Terps the veteran goalkeeping performance they needed, the defense survived High Point’s second-half push, and a freshman striker produced the biggest play of the night.
That is what nationally competitive teams do. They find different ways to win.
Maryland is only three games into the season, so there is a long way to go before anyone should start talking about what this team could accomplish in November and December. But beating a top-10 opponent while recording a clean sheet is an early indication that this team may have the balance necessary to make another serious run.
And Ludwig Field again looked like Ludwig Field should.
More than 5,000 people showed up for an August nonconference soccer game. Maryland has one of college soccer’s best environments when the program is rolling, and Saturday night was another reminder of that.
A 3-0 start, an 18-game regular-season unbeaten streak, 10 straight regular-season home wins and a top-10 victory is about as strong an opening statement as Maryland could have made through three games.
Up next
Maryland remains home and will host Delaware on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Ludwig Field. The game will be available on B1G+.
The Terrapins will enter that game 3-0 and with their first major résumé victory of the 2026 season already secured.
