Two top 5 teams were out on display last night. It was a big game to see who could take control of the ACC before the end of the season. It ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Both teams had good moments during the course of the game. It eventually turned when London Woodberry got an red card for handling the ball in the box. Which Enzo Martinez converted moments later. Maryland begun to sit deeper and deeper just trying to preserve the tie.
In fact about two minutes before the end of extra time, Sasho Cirovski took off his two top scorers, Patrick Mullins and Casey Towensend, to get fresh players to boom the ball forward.
This was the first time I watched Maryland and I came out being underwhelmed with their play. They actually possessed well in the back and across the midfield but once it came to attacking, balls were driven across the air for the forwards to run onto. They do have players with hops like Casey Townsend but other than that they weren't productive with their possession like they should be.
North Carolina on the other hand is the same story. They possess across the park but can't get that final touch to score goals. At times I feel they struggle with the "Arsenal Syndrome" where they possess and possess but they can't score or they try to walk it in the net. Also at times I feel as of the three frontmen play as individuals rather than as a collective group. How many times you see Rob Lovejoy take someone 1v1? It wasn't only him but just using him as an example.
NC's Defense continues to be solid. Matt Hedges had a steady performance and Boyd Okwuonu was solid and didn't make any mistakes that a freshmen could make in a big game. It is interesting how Carlos, UNC coach, has his fullbacks bomb forward and leaves his two CBs. It shows his trust in them (CBs) that they can get the job done.
Maryland:
Taylor Kemp
Left-back with dangerous service. He likes to getting forward. Passes well out of the back. Good with his feet can take players off the dribble. He did well defensively against Rob Lovejoy. Ron won a couple of battles but so did Taylor. Isn't the fastest player but is smart with his positioning.
London Woodberry
Athletic CB. Adequate with the ball on his feet. Very lengthy, he is able to stick his long legs to make crucial tackles. He had a solid game until the red card. He saved the ball with his hand on the goal line. At times he's clumsy in his tackling. Very good player will be an intriguing prospect that will get serious looks.
Jason Stertzer
Scored his 12th goal of the season. Otherwise he didn't have the greatest game. He's a pretty good leaper. He smashed a great header that was equally saved by Scott Godwin. Good technical player. Decent vision, he played a couple of one touch passes that were unsuccessful but the idea was right just the execution wasn't there. Towards the end of the game he was playing more defensive as they were holding on to the tight.
Casey Townsend
Huge ups for a 5'11 guy. He actually won a couple of headers from 6'4 Matt Hedges. He didn't have the proper service last night. Often he was left on his own devices to create. Decent speed and has good feet on the ball but wasn't able to show that too often.
Honorable Mentions: Will Swaim had an excellent match in goal. He was dominant in the air. Made crucial saves. All his clearances were clean and went away from goal. Faoru Forbess showed good pieces of skill during the second half, ghosting past a couple of players then sending a perfectly through-ball into Townsend's path. He was more effective when he had the ball in the middle rather than being out in the wing. Jereme Raley did a couple of neat things last night. He flicked the ball around Jordan McCrary and hit a decent shot on goal.
I've seen North Carolina too many times so I didn't pay too much attention to them. Kirk Urso had a good game before he left with an injury. His passing very accurate. I saw him carrying the ball up the field in a couple of occasions. He mistimed a couple of tackles but that could have been due to that injury. At least he's making an attempt at tackling which at times is lacking across the Tarheel team. Enzo Martinez was good, not as good as the standard he's been setting all season with his play. The weakness in his play is that he dribbles too much. He is a good dribbler and does go around players with his quick feet but he tries to take on too many players.
Rob Lovejoy was average tonight. He should have worn studs. He kept on slipping especially during key moments. Taylor Kemp for the most part neutralized him. Rob used his speed to get around Kemp a couple of times but couldn't make the final pass. I don't think he is ready to make the Generation Adidas jump this year. He still has some maturity issues with his play. Knowing when to pass or shoot. He is a decent prospect that can go left or right.
That's it for this game. Tonight I'm going to watch NC State take on Wake Forest. Should be an interesting game. Wake is currently in rebuilding mode and trying to find themselves. State is trying to pick up another big ACC win. See you soon.
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