UC Irvine
Maryland
Saving Grace
December 01, 2013 | Men's Soccer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. --- No. 12-seed UC Irvine fell on the short end of the score Sunday evening at Ludwig Field to the host No. 5 Maryland Terrapins by a count of 1-0.
The ACC-powerhouse Terrapins slipped a goal past in the 32nd minute as Patrick Mullins slid into the box and redirected a cross into the net to give the host school the early lead.
Both squads pressured before the half as Michael Breslin made the first of his two saves in the 41st minute. The 'Eaters answered back as Cameron Iwasa put one on net that Terrapin keeper Zack Steffen turned it aside keeping the one-goal advantage going into the half.
UCI (15-5-3) ramped up the offense in the second half. The Terps, who held the foul advantage throughout, took down Enrique Cardenas outside the box early in the half. He struck a free kick that was magnificently saved by Steffen.
Maryland (15-3-5) was back on their heels through much of the second half as the Anteaters outshot the No. 5 national seed 7-4, and gained more and more chances as the night progressed. It all came together in the final minutes with the 'Eaters bringing numbers forward.
Maryland-native Lester Hayes III settled in the box in the 86th minute and put a head on a cross that Steffens denied from point blank range to stall the charge.
UCI's final effort came as the final minute approached. Christopher Santana turned in the box and fed a ball towards goal that Iwasa jumped on, but his putaway was all for naught as the offsides marker was lifted disallowing the goal as the Terrapins held on for the 1-0 win.
Breslin's two saves give him 58 on the season along with a 0.80 goals-against-average. The 32nd-minute goal ended his scoreless streak at a season-high 380 minutes.
UCI finishes up at 15-5-3 on the season, the second-highest win total in program history. The 'Eaters' program-record eight-match win streak fell at the hands of Maryland. Both schools came in with similar streaks that were tops in the nation. The trip to the round of 16 was its second in the program's history, first since 2008.
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