Maryland Ties Indiana to Win Big Ten Title

by Tom Hindle

October 30, 2022

Stefan Copetti wasn’t quite sure how to celebrate. There was a wave, a knee slide, then a dog pile. There was a gesture to the Indiana fans, a chide, then a hug. The indecisiveness was perhaps appropriate given the magnitude of the goal he’d just scored. With three minutes remaining, the Maryland forward knocked a header into the corner to equalize against Indiana — and clinch the Terps’ first Big Ten regular season title in six years.

But those joyous scenes might have been out of relief more than victory. This had been a poor 90 minutes for Sasho Cirovski’s side. Fluidity was in short supply, passes were loose, and dribbles were erratic. Indiana did have a part to play, though. The Hoosiers disrupted things, defending dutifully while also looking to hit on the break. They took a deserved lead in the first half, with Ryan Wittenbrink curling in a free kick from 20 yards out. Due to results elsewhere and typically complicated mathematical calculations, a Hoosier win would have seen the two sides split the conference trophy. But the Hoosiers had it ripped from their hands with Copetti’s late equalizer — with the game finishing 1-1.

And it was an admittedly strange way for this all to happen. The Hoosiers enjoyed the better of the play for most of the first half, stunting Maryland’s attacks while also picking their spots to break. Samuel Sarver starred in a central role, stretching the Maryland defense with smart runs in behind, opening space for eager runners from midfield. And in the absence of shielding midfielder Alex Nitzl, the Terps surrendered worrying clumps of space in front of their back four — a strange sort of chaos that the Hoosiers soon capitalized on. Their opener came as the result of a foul, with Malcolm Johnston grabbing Sarver’s shirt as he wriggled away.

Wittenbrink’s shot was one of those free kicks that was never likely to be saved. He strode up to the ball, 25 yards out from goal, and whipped a shot over the wall, a curling, spinning thing that flew past Maryland goalkeeper Niklas Neumann. The home team’s celebrations were accordingly raucous — results elsewhere seemed to hand the Hoosiers a share of the Big Ten title.

25' | It's a good effort... 𝗡𝗢 it's an 𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 effort!@ryanwitt23 | #IUMS pic.twitter.com/sYzK6ALBT9
— Indiana Men's Soccer (@IndianaMSOC) October 30, 2022

The next 50 minutes appeared to vindicate Indiana coach Todd Yeagley’s setup. Maryland struggled to stroke passes around in a sodden Bloomington, Indiana. Every time it approached the box, there was a Hoosier defender to clear things up. Wingers Hunter George and Josh Bolma found themselves either outmatched or forced to drop deep — drowning the Terps of attacking options downfield. Still, there was an occasional chance. But Indiana goalkeeper JT Harms was alert to every opportunity. He made a smooth diving save to divert a Copetti shot. He tipped a dangerous cross away from goal. And he caught every speculative Maryland ball, plucking free kicks out of the air despite the flurry of Maryland bodies packed around him.

The equalizer, then, felt a bit harsh on an Indiana side that had defended so well. Bolma received the ball on the corner of the box, cut onto his stronger right foot, and curled a teasing goal to the far post. Copetti darted between two defenders and guided the ball into the far corner — tickling the net as Harms remained rooted to the ground.

STEFAN COPETTI YOU BEAUTY!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/34PnI4K1Pt
— Maryland Men’s Soccer 🐢 (@MarylandMSoccer) October 30, 2022

Maryland saw out the remained of the game, burning seconds with a languid substitution and a strange reluctance to take throw ins. It stormed the field at full time, a mass of bodies rushing toward the victors. Bolma was mobbed, so too Copetti. The Terps still haven’t won in Bloomington since 2013, but here was a result that felt perhaps more valuable than three points ever could. For the past six years, they have found themselves frustrated by ever strengthening rival competition in the Big Ten — an odd feeling for a program so accustomed to winning. Penn State snatched the conference title by two points in 2021. Indiana and Michigan combined for the four before that.

There are logistical implications here, too. The Terps now hold the first overall seed in the Big Ten tournament. Should they take advantage of that, a tournament championship — and solid NCAA Tournament seeding — seems well within reach.

But those numerical specifics probably weren’t on Copetti’s mind as he celebrated. Instead, there was a real sense of relief. The reaction of a resilient side snatching a result when they perhaps shouldn’t have — and the winning of a long-coveted trophy as a result.