Townsend Leads #3 Terps Past #2 Creighton 1-0

I make plays. period. espn.com

The unstoppable force that is the #3 Maryland attack struck quickly in the 14^th minute, in a way that left fans upright, grasping for words to describe what they just saw.  This time the force was donning the #11 jersey, streaking up the middle of the field, tracking a beautifully sent ball by Patrick Mullins.

The force, caught between two Creighton University players, the #2 team in the country and only team in Division 1 to not have a goal scored upon them, appeared to be bottled up. Charging towards the force was the immovable object that was Brian Holt who had gone 743 minutes without allowing a goal.

But Casey Townsend, the Terps leading scorer, in a moment of timing brilliance and reaction, headed the Mullins ball gently over Holt and pivoting around him. Holt crashed into his defenders, leaving a wide open Creighton goal, the rarest of sights. Townsend calmly flicked the ball into the net.

The roar of Ludwig Field was so loud you couldn’t hear the shattering of Creighton’s un-scored upon record.

And that’s how it ended. #2 Creighton (8-1) could not recover and #3 Terps toppled the Bluejays 1-0 on a chilly Friday night in College Park improving to 10-0-1 on the season.

But the captain remained neutral on his game winner when it was all said and done.

“The goal doesn’t really mean a lot to me if they would scored and we would lost, “ said Townsend, who took six of the teams 11 shots on the night, “I’m just glad we won today.”

Maryland dominated play most of the night, controlling the game’s tempo for most of the first half and long stretches in the second. The Terrapin D stifled Ethan Finlay, the two-time Hermann Trophy candidate to one shot on the night. In fact the Bluejays didn’t get their first shot off until the 48^th minute.

Terrapin keeper Will Swaim out dueled his more nationally recognized counterpart in Holt with another spectacular game with two saves and solid command of the backline. Outside of Townsend’s spectacular strike, Holt made some incredible saves in goal, showing why he and Creighton were so tough to crack.

“This was a College Cup type game, Creighton is the real deal,” said Sasho Cirvoski “The second half was about grinding out and showing some grit, some championship fight…I’m really impressed with my guys, I was a little concerned about how we would close out this game and they did a great job.”

It was a great win, despite the fatigue of the Terps they made the play when it mattered and are well on their way to claiming the #1 spot once again. Next up Maryland will take on Rutgers Tuesday before heading on the road once again.

Player of the Game:  Who else would it be? Not only did Casey Townsend score the game winner, but he was the first player to score on Creighton all year! He out shot his own team, six shots to Maryland’s five. His score was his 11^th of the season, tying his career high he set his freshman year with plenty of soccer to be played.