- December 01, 2025
- By Maryland Athletics Staff
The No. 4 Maryland men’s soccer team advances to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 after downing No. 13 UConn 3-0 at Ludwig Field on Saturday.
The Terps will face Washington at 1 p.m. this Saturday at home. Tickets are available, and the match will air on ESPN+.
Rocket Ritarita had a massive, three-point day with a goal and an assist in the first half to push his Terps (13-1-4) past the Huskies (12-5-4).
Albi Ndrenika got the scoring started in the 27th minute with his fourth goal of the season. Ritarita tallied an assist as Ndrenika picked up the freshman's rebound and buried it to put Maryland on the board first.
Ritarita picked up an unassisted goal of his own in the 38th minute. A rocket off his foot blasted past UConn's Kyle Durham and gave the Terps a 2-0 lead to take into the break.
Luke van Heukelum added a goal in the 88th minute to ice the dominant win. Both Sadam Masereka and Chris Steinleitner added assists on the goal.
Maryland outshot the Huskies 11-1 in the first half and 23-5 overall. The offensive barrage made goalie Laurin Mack's day easy as he posted his ninth shutout of the season and his fifth against a ranked team in 2025.
"This was a fantastic, complete-team victory today,” said head coach Sasha Cirvoski. “I'm so proud of the team."