Despite a valiant comeback, the No. 2 Maryland men’s soccer team fell in penalty kicks after an epic 4-4 tie against No. 3 Georgetown in the semifinals of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship Friday.
The Terps (20-1-3) picked up goals from Schillo Tshuma (2), Patrick Mullins and Christiano Francois and managed a gritty second-half comeback with a pair of scores in the final 17 minutes of the match.
Francois, who was one of six key contributors off the bench for the Terps, would take matters in his own hands in the 77th minute, shaking off a defender, possessing for 10 yards and firing a 15-yard equalizer into the lower right for a 4-4 match.
Maryland held the advantage in overtime but was unable to convert and Georgetown overcame an early deficit in penalty kicks to advance 5-4.
“It’s very difficult to cope with the reality that we are not advancing,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “This was in my view the greatest semifinal in the history of college soccer. I love my team. I told them that. I love them even more after this game. They made not only me and our University but all of Terrapin Nation very proud.
“That was a classic game. We’re going to get better from that game. We’ve got some great young talent. We’re going to begin the process of getting back to next year’s College Cup immediately.”
My Take—It’s really a shame because the Terps were clearly the best team in College Soccer this year but for some reason they really came out flat in the 1st half. The announcers bothered me somewhat openly rooting for Georgetown. How could any team be an overwhelming favorite in a Final Four. Patrick Mullins was outstanding as usual scoring 1 goal and assisting on 2 others. Christiano Francois scored the tieing goal and only a miraculous save by the Hoya goalie stopped a shot in OT.Tough, tough loss to what seemed a team of destiny.
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