No. 4 Maryland Battles Back for 2-2 Draw With UCLA at Ludwig Field
By Brian Hradsky
The No. 4 Maryland Terrapins remained unbeaten at Ludwig Field but had to fight until late in the second half to earn a 2-2 draw against the UCLA Bruins on Friday night in College Park. Dominic Ayella scored the tying goal in the 78th minute after Maryland had fallen behind despite playing with a one-man advantage for the final hour of the match. The draw moved Maryland to 6-1-1 overall and 1-1-1 in Big Ten play while extending its regular-season home unbeaten streak to 15 matches.
A crowd of 5,389 packed Ludwig Field for another major conference matchup, with Maryland also honoring its 1996 ACC championship team during the evening. Rodrigo Neri gave the Terrapins an early advantage, but UCLA answered before halftime and remarkably took the lead while playing with 10 men early in the second half. Maryland ultimately generated 24 shots and 11 corner kicks but had to settle for one point against a resilient Bruins side.
Neri Strikes Early
UCLA actually created the first opportunities of the match. Oliver Roche fired wide in the opening minute, and Maryland goalkeeper Laurin Mack had to stop a Finot Pie attempt in the third minute. The Bruins appeared dangerous immediately, but Maryland needed only one quality opportunity to take control of the scoreboard.
In the fifth minute, Ljubomir Popovic helped spring Neri behind the UCLA defense. Neri finished the breakaway into the lower-right corner for his fourth goal of the season, giving Maryland a 1-0 advantage just 4:30 into the match. Popovic collected his fourth assist while Farouk Cisse received his second assist of the season on the goal.
UCLA did not allow the early goal to change its approach. The Bruins continued attacking, forcing Mack into two important saves in the 12th minute before eventually finding their equalizer. Jaime Amaro received a pass from Ander Marticorena in the 19th minute and drove toward the top of the box before beating Mack to the bottom-right corner, tying the match at 1-1.
Red Card Changes the Match
The complexion of the game changed dramatically in the 30th minute. UCLA’s Diego Martinez received a red card after impeding a Maryland breakaway, leaving the Bruins with only 10 players for approximately the final hour. The Terrapins immediately increased the pressure and earned consecutive corner kicks in the 31st minute.
Leon Koehl put another Maryland attempt on target in the 35th minute, but UCLA goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson made the save. Despite Maryland’s numerical advantage, the Bruins survived the remainder of the opening half without conceding again. The teams entered halftime tied at 1-1, setting up what appeared to be a major opportunity for Maryland to take control after the break.
Maryland had eight shots in the opening half compared with UCLA’s eight, while each team earned four corner kicks. The difference was supposed to become more pronounced after the red card, especially with Maryland having an entire second half to attack a 10-man opponent. Instead, UCLA produced the next major moment of the match.
Ten-Man UCLA Takes the Lead
The Bruins came out aggressively despite their disadvantage. UCLA generated four corner kicks during the opening 10 minutes of the second half, forcing Maryland to defend instead of allowing the Terrapins to immediately establish sustained possession around the Bruins’ penalty area. That pressure eventually resulted in UCLA stunning the Ludwig Field crowd.
Victor Ciaurriz headed home UCLA’s second goal in the 54th minute to give the Bruins a 2-1 advantage. Cameron Arnold and Adrian Aguilar received assists on Ciaurriz’s first goal of the season. The goal came with UCLA already playing a man down and forced Maryland to chase the match despite holding what should have been a significant personnel advantage.
Mack prevented UCLA from extending its advantage with another save in the 63rd minute. The Maryland goalkeeper ultimately finished with six saves on eight shots on goal, an important contribution on a night when UCLA remained dangerous on the counterattack and from set pieces.
Maryland gradually began controlling more of the possession and pushing numbers forward. The Terrapins attempted 16 shots during the second half alone, compared with six for UCLA, while earning seven second-half corners. However, the Bruins packed numbers behind the ball and forced Maryland to repeatedly work through a crowded defensive area.
Ayella Finally Breaks Through
Maryland’s pressure finally produced the equalizer in the 78th minute. A chaotic sequence developed around the UCLA goal before Ayella found enough space to get his attempt through Nelson and into the net. The goal was Ayella’s second of the season and pulled Maryland even at 2-2 with 12:55 remaining.
Koehl earned his third assist of the season on the play, while Said El Eyssami collected his first assist. El Eyssami had scored Maryland’s game-winning goal against No. 7 Wisconsin one week earlier, and his involvement in another important goal helped the Terrapins avoid their second conference defeat.
Maryland continued attacking after the equalizer rather than settling for the draw. The Terrapins repeatedly pushed UCLA deep into its defensive third and looked for the winner as the clock approached 90 minutes. Nelson made a crucial save in the 85th minute, tipping a Maryland opportunity over the goal following a corner kick.
Neri nearly provided the dramatic winner in the closing minutes. His 89th-minute attempt narrowly sailed over the top-right corner, allowing UCLA to survive another Maryland attack. The Bruins held through the final moments, and the match ended 2-2.
Maryland Dominates Shots but Cannot Find Winner
The final statistics illustrate Maryland’s second-half pressure. The Terrapins outshot UCLA 24-14 overall and held a 16-6 advantage in attempts after halftime. Maryland also finished with an 11-8 advantage in corner kicks, although UCLA actually put eight shots on goal compared with seven for the Terrapins.
Nelson’s five saves were critical for UCLA, particularly as Maryland increased its pressure late. Mack made six saves for the Terrapins, helping Maryland avoid falling further behind after Ciaurriz put UCLA ahead. Despite playing short-handed for approximately two-thirds of the match, the Bruins remained dangerous enough to force Maryland’s goalkeeper into significant work.
The result also continued UCLA’s recent success against Maryland. The Bruins improved to 2-0-3 against the Terrapins since joining the Big Ten and extended their overall unbeaten streak against Maryland to seven matches dating to 2018, going 4-0-3 over that stretch.
For Maryland, the draw extended an impressive run at Ludwig Field. The Terrapins remained unbeaten in their last 15 regular-season home matches and moved to 6-1-1 overall. Maryland had entered the UCLA matchup coming off a 1-0 victory over then-No. 7 Wisconsin, its third top-10 victory of the season.
Tough Test Ahead at Indiana
Maryland will not have much opportunity to dwell on the missed chances. The Terrapins travel to Bloomington for a major Big Ten matchup against No. 2 Indiana on Friday, Oct. 2. The road trip will provide another major test for a Maryland team that has already played several nationally ranked opponents during the opening portion of the season.
The Terps have demonstrated that they can compete with elite competition, but the UCLA match showed an area that needs improvement. Maryland generated plenty of possession, shots and corner kicks against a team playing with 10 men, yet converting that territorial advantage into goals proved difficult. Against Indiana, Maryland may not receive nearly as many opportunities.
MSB Take
This feels like both a good point and a missed opportunity for Maryland. Falling behind 2-1 and finding an equalizer late showed resilience, especially against a UCLA program that has consistently given the Terrapins problems. Ayella’s goal prevented what could have been a frustrating home defeat and kept Maryland’s impressive Ludwig Field unbeaten streak intact.
However, playing with an extra man for approximately 60 minutes and taking 24 shots should have produced more than two goals. Maryland controlled much of the second half and generated 11 corners overall, but UCLA’s defense consistently survived the pressure. Only seven of Maryland’s 24 shots reached the target, an efficiency number the Terps will want to improve.
Still, Maryland leaves the match at 6-1-1 with its home unbeaten streak intact and another result against a difficult opponent. The schedule gets even tougher with No. 2 Indiana next, making the lessons from this match important. Maryland has shown it can create chances against quality teams; converting more of them could determine how far this team goes in Big Ten play and beyond.
