Said El Eyssami’s Goal Lifts No. 8 Maryland Past No. 7 Wisconsin, 1-0
No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer responded to its first loss of the season with one of its biggest victories, shutting out No. 7 Wisconsin, 1-0, Friday night at Ludwig Field. Said El Eyssami scored the only goal early in the second half, while goalkeeper Laurin Mack and Maryland’s defense held off the previously unbeaten Badgers in front of 5,107 fans. The victory gave Maryland its first Big Ten win of the season and improved the Terrapins to 6-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
The result also continued Maryland’s impressive success against nationally ranked competition. Wisconsin entered College Park at 5-0-1 and had not lost a match all season, but the Terrapins handed the Badgers their first defeat and earned their third top-10 victory of 2026. Maryland also extended its unbeaten streak at Ludwig Field to 13 matches and improved to 5-0 at home for the first time since 2021.
Terps bounce back from Northwestern loss
Maryland entered the matchup needing a response after suffering a 4-0 loss at Northwestern in its Big Ten opener Sept. 11. That defeat ended Maryland’s perfect 5-0 start and represented a dramatic departure from what the Terrapins had shown through the opening weeks of the season. Wisconsin presented an immediate challenge, arriving as the No. 7 team in the country after opening its season unbeaten.
The Badgers had already demonstrated they could compete with elite opposition. Wisconsin entered the Maryland match after a dramatic 1-1 draw against then-No. 3 Ohio State in which Matthew Zachemski scored the equalizer with only eight seconds remaining. Wisconsin had also opened the season with five consecutive victories before that draw, making Maryland’s assignment considerably more difficult.
Maryland responded with a much more disciplined defensive performance. The Terrapins did not dominate the statistical sheet, but they limited the quality of Wisconsin’s opportunities and received a strong performance from Mack when the Badgers did break through.
Scoreless battle in the first half
Both teams created opportunities during a competitive opening 45 minutes. Wisconsin finished the first half with seven shots compared with Maryland’s six, but neither side could find the breakthrough. Maryland generated an early opportunity from a free kick outside the penalty area, forcing Wisconsin goalkeeper Judewellin Michel into action in the second minute.
Wisconsin continued applying pressure as the half progressed, putting three of its seven first-half attempts on goal. Mack stopped all three to keep Maryland level. The Terrapins managed two shots on target during the opening half, but Michel answered both.
The matchup became the type of tightly contested Big Ten game Maryland needed after allowing four goals at Northwestern. Rather than opening itself defensively while searching for an early goal, Maryland remained organized and entered halftime tied 0-0.
Mack’s work proved particularly important. Wisconsin possessed several dangerous attacking options, including Zachemski, Joaquin Torres, Aidan Martinez and Emile Kisse, but Maryland prevented the Badgers from converting any of their first-half chances.
El Eyssami breaks through
Maryland needed less than four minutes after halftime to finally break the deadlock.
The decisive play came at 48:48. Defender Ljubomir Popovic helped create the opportunity and found El Eyssami, who converted for his fourth goal of the season to put Maryland ahead 1-0. Popovic received the assist on the play.
The goal continued El Eyssami’s impressive start to the season. His fourth goal moved him into the team lead through Maryland’s first seven matches. He had previously scored twice in Maryland’s season-opening 2-1 victory at Pittsburgh and added another goal in the Terrapins’ 3-2 victory over Georgetown.
El Eyssami finished Friday with two shots, putting one on goal. He played 64 minutes before Maryland turned to its bench while protecting the lead.
Popovic’s contribution also continued his productive work from the back. The defender played all 90 minutes, registered a shot on goal and supplied the assist on the game’s only goal. It was another example of Maryland generating offense from different areas of its lineup rather than depending exclusively on its forwards.
Maryland defense protects the advantage
Taking the lead was only half the job.
Wisconsin continued attacking after El Eyssami’s goal and ultimately finished the night with a 13-12 advantage in total shots. The Badgers put six attempts on goal compared with Maryland’s four, forcing Mack to remain active throughout the second half.
Mack stopped all six shots on goal he faced, including three after halftime. The performance gave him another clean sheet against nationally ranked competition and helped Maryland preserve the narrow advantage as Wisconsin searched for an equalizer.
Wisconsin’s Torres was particularly active, taking a team-high three shots and putting two on target. Zachemski, Martinez, Will Smith and Ellis Jones also registered shots on goal, but none could solve Mack.
Maryland’s defensive unit of Popovic, Lilian Fichelle, Franklin Affanyi and Farouk Cisse helped absorb Wisconsin’s pressure. Popovic, Affanyi and Cisse each played the entire 90 minutes, while Fichelle logged 83 minutes. Kenny Quist-Therson and Albi Ndrenika also played all 90 minutes in the midfield.
The defensive performance represented a major turnaround from the Northwestern game. Maryland went from conceding four goals in its conference opener to shutting out an unbeaten top-10 opponent one week later.
Mack delivers another big performance
Mack’s six saves tied Maryland’s season high through the first seven games. He also made six saves during Maryland’s 1-0 victory over High Point on Aug. 29.
More importantly, Mack continued building a strong résumé against ranked opponents. Maryland credited the Wisconsin victory as his eighth career shutout against a ranked opponent and his ninth career win against a ranked team.
Those numbers help explain why Maryland could withstand Wisconsin’s second-half push. The Badgers did not lack opportunities, but Mack consistently handled the shots that reached him.
Wisconsin goalkeeper Michel also played well, making three saves on Maryland’s four shots on target. The difference was El Eyssami’s finish early in the second half.
Neri remains active in Maryland attack
Although he did not score, Rodrigo Neri remained one of Maryland’s most active attacking players. Neri led the Terrapins with three shots and put one on goal during his 76 minutes. He entered the Wisconsin game tied among Maryland’s leading scorers after recording goals against High Point, Delaware and Georgetown.
Rocket Ritarita added two shots, while El Eyssami also attempted two. Ndrenika and Popovic each put their lone shots on target, giving Maryland four shots on goal overall. Marco Wright came off the bench and added another attempt.
Maryland finished with two corner kicks compared with one for Wisconsin. The Badgers committed nine fouls while Maryland was whistled for 10, illustrating how closely contested the matchup became as the Terrapins attempted to protect their second-half advantage.
Physical second half
The intensity increased considerably after Maryland took the lead.
Maryland received five yellow cards during the second half. Fichelle was booked in the 61st minute, followed shortly afterward by El Eyssami and Affanyi. Luka Juricic received a caution in the 73rd minute, while Dominic Ayella was booked late in the 88th. Wisconsin’s Ellis Jones had received the match’s first yellow card just over a minute after kickoff.
Despite the physical nature of the second half, Maryland avoided the major mistake Wisconsin needed to equalize. The Terrapins continued defending their penalty area, Mack handled the attempts that reached goal and the clock eventually expired with Maryland still holding its 1-0 advantage.
For a Maryland team coming off its first defeat, closing out a one-goal match against a top-10 opponent represented an important response.
Another top-10 victory at Ludwig Field
Maryland has already built an impressive collection of results early in the 2026 season.
The Terrapins opened with a 2-1 road victory at Pittsburgh before beating New Haven, High Point, Delaware and Georgetown. The 3-2 victory against Georgetown drew 6,110 fans to Ludwig Field, while 5,107 attended the Wisconsin matchup.
Maryland is now 5-0 at home this season. The Terrapins have also gone unbeaten in their last seven regular-season matches against ranked opponents, according to Maryland Athletics.
Friday’s victory was Maryland’s third top-10 win of the season and pushed the Terps back into the win column following the Northwestern setback. Perhaps most importantly, it prevented Maryland from beginning Big Ten play with consecutive losses.
Wisconsin dropped to 5-1-1 overall and 0-1-1 in conference play. The Badgers entered the night having outscored their first two opponents 10-0 and later produced dramatic victories on their way to a 5-0 start, making Maryland’s shutout even more noteworthy.
By the numbers
Maryland finished with 12 shots, four shots on goal and two corner kicks. Wisconsin recorded 13 shots, six shots on goal and one corner. Mack made six saves for Maryland, while Michel stopped three shots for Wisconsin.
El Eyssami’s 49th-minute goal was the only scoring play. Popovic recorded the assist, and Maryland successfully protected the advantage for the remaining 41-plus minutes.
Through seven games, Maryland improved to 6-1 and has scored 14 goals while allowing 12. The Terps are averaging two goals per game and have generated 108 total shots, an average of 15.4 per contest.
MSB Take
Maryland needed this type of performance after what happened at Northwestern. The Terps did not need a four- or five-goal offensive explosion to prove the previous result was an outlier. They needed to play disciplined soccer against an excellent opponent, find a breakthrough and show they could protect a lead.
That is exactly what happened at Ludwig Field. El Eyssami delivered the decisive moment less than four minutes into the second half, Popovic contributed at both ends of the field and Mack produced six saves behind a Maryland defense that refused to break.
There is also something significant about how Maryland won. Wisconsin actually held advantages in total shots and shots on goal, meaning the Terrapins had to withstand legitimate pressure rather than simply controlling possession for 90 minutes. Maryland answered every challenge and turned a single goal into three Big Ten points.
The Terps are 6-1, undefeated at Ludwig Field and now have three top-10 victories on their résumé. More importantly, they showed an immediate response to their first loss. For a team with major aspirations in the Big Ten and nationally, the 1-0 victory over Wisconsin was exactly the type of result Maryland needed.
