Men's soccer battles backline breakdowns in win vs. UMBC

BALTIMORE — Nursing a 3-2 lead over an unranked UMBC squad Tuesday night, Will Swaim suddenly lost sight of the ball amid a jumble of white jerseys.

With three Retrievers strikers blocking his view, the Terrapins men's soccer goalkeeper couldn't see what happened next: UMBC defender Sean Rothe darting into space and launching a shot from just inside the penalty box that bounced off the post and past Swaim.

UMBC's record-breaking crowd burst into an uproar as the redshirt senior tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"Some parts of the play I blacked out on," Swaim said after the Terps finally secured a 4-3 win in double overtime. "But I know [Rothe] had a wide range to shoot at."

The chaos that unfolded in front of Swaim in the 83rd minute epitomized the No. 1 Terps' defensive struggles during the second half Tuesday night.

As UMBC desperately tried to secure a program-defining win over its in-state adversary, the Terps' backline appeared outmanned for the first time this season. Players looked confused, assignments were missed and coach Sasho Cirovski wasn't pleased.

For the final 40 minutes of regulation, the 19th-year coach frantically called out assignments as the Retrievers notched three goals — the same number of total goals UMBC had scored over its previous four games.

"We didn't manage the end of the game well at all," a hoarse Cirovski said after the game.

In the span of just four days, the stalwart defense that blanked then-No. 8 Boston College last week had vanished.

Entering Tuesday's game, the Terps' defense was a near-impenetrable force, allowing just two goals in its previous five games and just one shot on goal in their previous three.

"It's definitely difficult when you go from a game like Boston College, when you expect to have a lot of work and then you don't," Swaim said. "Then you have a game like this, when it's just a true dogfight."

After forward Casey Townsend gave the Terps a 3-1 lead in the 80th minute, the backline lost its trademark hustle. Defenders began lagging on assignments, and Rothe began finding open shots.

The senior defender, who hadn't tallied a goal before Tuesday, scored twice in the final 10 minutes of regulation to force the Terps into their first overtime in more than a year.

"We were maybe a little bit overconfident coming in," said Townsend, who leads the ACC with eight goals in six games. "We got a little stagnant when we went up 3-1, and that can't happen."

Fortunately for the Terps, their defensive meltdown in the second half didn't tarnish their perfect record.

With two minutes remaining in the second sudden-death overtime period, midfielder John Stertzer headed a cross past Retrievers goalkeeper Dan Louisignau and secured the Terps' first 6-0 start since 2003.

But as the Terps prepare to host N.C. State on Friday, Cirovski said he won't forget his squad's defensive shortcomings against UMBC.

"We're going to learn how to manage a game," Cirovski said. "That's a problem we need to fix."

letourneau@umdbk.com