No. 2 Maryland men's soccer falters on the road at Michigan, losing 2-0

No. 2 Maryland men's soccer showed up in Ann Arbor, Mich., as the conference's top seed, undefeated in two months. Ninety minutes later, none of these things were true.

Maryland beat Michigan 21-8, missed a penalty and lost 2-0 on the road. It was the team's first Big Ten loss of the year.

The Terps entered the game shorthanded and without perhaps their most important player, center fielder Leon Koehl. It didn't take long for his absence to become noticeable.

About five minutes into the game, Sadam Masereka showed off his high speed, flying past his defender and converting a penalty after a poorly timed slide tackle. Koehl had taken Maryland's last six penalties and made all six, but without him, head coach Sasho Cirovski turned to Colin Griffith.

Griffith took a relaxed approach and tapped in a weak, low shot that was parried by Michigan keeper Isaiah Goldson.

Five minutes later, Wolverine midfielder Bryce Blevins crossed a ball from the left side that landed perfectly on the head of Patrick O'Toole, whose header deflected off Luca Costabile into the Maryland left corner.

Maryland found itself in a 1-0 hole against a program after 10 minutes of play with just one conference win this season.

There were no immediate signs of improvement either. The remaining 35 minutes of the first half were characterized by constant interruptions of play, scuffles and ball losses by both teams.

Freshman Jameson Michel came on late in the half and provided one of Maryland's only sparks of inspiration: a shot that forced Goldson into a save. The Terps went into the locker room trailing 1-0 and desperately needed to regroup.

But her hole got deeper. The referee checked via video four minutes after half-time whether there could be a handball against Bjarne Thiesen and concluded that it was worth a penalty.

In stark contrast to the Terps' penalty kill, Blevins stepped up and confidently sent Laurin Mack the wrong way, doubling Michigan's lead early in the half.

From there, Maryland seemed to find itself. Michigan responded to its second goal with a flurry of chances.

However, it took more than just opportunities. The Terps needed two goals, and no matter what they did, it seemed like one wouldn't come.

Goldson made several impressive saves. Griffith, whose night began with the missed penalty, hit the post and then the crossbar.

Ultimately, the Terps left Ann Arbor with something they hadn't experienced in a long time: a loss.

Three things you should know

1. The Wolverines' goalie shined. Maryland created chances in the second half, but every time it looked like it was in a good position, Goldson had an answer. His nine saves were the most of any goaltender in a Maryland game this season.

2. Impact on Big Ten standings. While Maryland lost, Ohio State beat No. 1 Northwestern 2-0 at home. The Buckeyes now have a lead over the Terps in the fight for the Big Ten regular-season title, but Maryland still has its destiny under control if it can win its final two games. The Buckeyes only need a tie in College Park if they can maintain their two-point lead.

3. Terps were overwhelmed. The game was a classic Big Ten Conference battle that featured plenty of push matches, timeouts and fouls. The Wolverines seemed to handle the physicality much better than the Terps. The game produced a total of 37 fouls.