Right time for a first time

When Taylor Kemp received a ball 22 yards from goal late in yesterday's match against Penn State, the Terrapin men's soccer defender let his attacking instincts kick in.

He powered a left-footed volley to the upper right portion of the goal frame, and for the first time all game — a stretch of 87 minutes — the Terps placed their first ball on goal. They had shots ricochet off the crossbar, set pieces drop feet away from net and breakaways called offside, but none until Kemp's had been on target.

When Kemp's strike found the net, though, Ludwig Field erupted. Sprinting to the sideline, Kemp was engulfed by the Terp bench as the team celebrated its soon-to-be Sweet 16 victory in the NCAA Tournament.

The defender's first career goal vaulted the No. 2 seed Terps past No. 15 seed Penn State and into the quarterfinals for the third straight season. They will face No. 10 seed Michigan on Saturday afternoon at Ludwig Field with a berth to the College Cup on the line.

"It's been a long time coming," Kemp said. "It felt amazing. It couldn't have come at a better time."

"Taylor's goal was really worthy of advancement to the Elite Eight," coach Sasho Cirovski added.

Despite controlling possession throughout the second half, the Terps (19-2-1) struggled to place shots on frame against Penn State goalkeeper Brendan Birmingham.

"I don't remember being involved in a game where our team didn't have a shot on goal until 87 minutes into the match," said Cirovski, whose Terps finished with 21 total shots. "We've been scoring a lot of goals this year, and I think you almost sense one of these games was about to come."

Kemp provided the Terps with an excellent chance just moments before his game-winning goal, when he put a curving cross from the left side to forward Casey Townsend. But Townsend's redirected shot bounced off the crossbar, and forward Jason Herrick's follow-up flew out of play.

Townsend, especially, struggled to find a rhythm. The All-ACC forward finished with seven shots, none of which came on goal.

"Sometimes, it happens," Townsend said. "Sometimes, you're a little off, and that's all it takes to miss the net. We weren't as sharp in the final third that we needed to be."

For the first time in the past 15 games, the Terps failed to score in the first half. Penn State (14-8-1) regularly disrupted the nation's leading offense until Kemp saved the game and the season with his goal.

"It's been an ongoing joke with Taylor all year about when he's going to get his first goal," Cirovski said. "For him to get the goal today, I think that's why the team erupted so much because we've all been waiting for that moment. We're all delighted it came on the big stage."

"It was one of those nights that we needed something like that to advance," Townsend said.

While the Terps' offense struggled, their backline continued its strong postseason play, tying a program record with the team's 15th shutout of the season against a vaunted attack.

Entering yesterday's match, Penn State had scored in every game but one and boasted the nation's leading scorer in Corey Hertzog, who finished with just one shot.

But after last night, the Nittany Lions were just another notch in the Terps' belt.

"We communicated very well, knowing where [Hertzog] was," defender Ethan White said. "He likes to cheat on the backside. All the outside backs were talking to us and telling us what was going on behind us. We kept our eye on him."

For the second straight year, the Terps eliminated Penn State from the tournament with a goal in the final 10 minutes. This time, it was a quiet defender with a knack for pushing forward who delivered.

After enduring two years, 43 matches and a countless number of shots and crosses into the penalty box without a score, Kemp could finally celebrate his individual achievement on the offensive end.

"I love this team so much," Kemp said, "and I'm glad I could do my part to get us through."

ceckard@umdbk.com