Terps answer Friars, return to Round of 16

Friars tie it up, but Mullins scores 52 seconds later on PK

COLLEGE PARK — The Maryland men’s soccer team was ready to answer Providence’s call Sunday night.

Fifty-one seconds after Friars junior midfielder Phil Towler tied the score at 1 midway through the second half, the Terps drew a foul in the Providence box and senior forward Patrick Mullins converted the ensuing penalty kick to retake the lead.

The momentumchanging play helped lift the fifth-seededTerpstoa3-1winbeforean announced 1,105 in an NCAA tournament second-round game at Ludwig Field.

The victory propelled Maryland (14-3-5) to a third-round date with No. 12 seed UCIrvine (15-4-3) at home Sunday at 5 p.m. The Anteaters scored with two seconds left in

Third round regulation to edge North Carolina, 1-0.

The Terps’ 12th consecutive appearance in the third round of the tournament — the longest active streak in the nation — was highlighted by their resiliency in the second half against Providence (12-6-4).

Trailing 1-0, the Friars got the equalizer with 21:50 left in regulation. Junior forward Fabio Machado crossed the ball from the left sideline, and Towler redirected the ball into the right side of the net.

But Maryland responded quickly. Nudging the ball down the left side of the box, Mullins passed it back to sophomore midfielder Tsubasa Endoh, who was promptly taken down by a Providence defender in the box.

Armed with a penalty kick, Mullins waited for junior goalkeeper Keasel Broome to dive toward the right side of the net and fired the ball into the left side to give the Terps a 2-1 lead.

“Once that goal kind of came in, I think we remained composed and, to our credit, we did up it a couple notches and we got the two goals that we needed to advance,” said Mullins, the reigning Hermann Trophy winner whose goal was the 42nd of his career. “Goals happen in these kinds of tournament games. Momentum shifts very quickly, and I think I’ve learned that in my couple years here.”

Friars coach Craig Stewart, who did not agree with the penalty but declined to elaborate on his reasoning, said the sport is full of emotional shifts.

“There’s always those moments in a game,” he said. “A lot of goals are scored in those minutes before and after a score. The guys are conditioned for that, but to be honest, we didn’t get any help from the referee.”

Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski said the team didn’t panic when Towler tied the score.

“I think you saw a very composed group,” he said. “The coaches were fine, the players were fine. I could see immediately that after the first kick of the ball, we knew what to do. We just raised the concentration, the urgency, the quality, and we’ve done that all year.”

Senior forward Jake Pace added an insurance goal for Maryland with 3:25 left in regulation. The Columbia native and River Hill graduate stole the ball from a Friars defender, turned and blasted an 18-yard shot past Broome.

The Terps, who had a first-round bye, appeared energized at the outset of the contest and got the game’s first goal on a 10-yard shot from freshman defender Michael Sauers ( Archbishop Curley).