No. 4 Maryland men’s soccer drew 2-2 with UCLA on Friday as Dominic Ayella equalized in the 77th minute, after the Terps had fallen behind 2-1. Maryland played a man up from the 30th minute but could not win despite 24 shots, seven on target.
Rodrigo Neri put Maryland ahead in the fifth minute, but UCLA’s Jaime Amaro equalized in the 19th. Diego Martinez was sent off after review for impeding Neri, yet UCLA took a 2-1 lead through Victor Ciaurriz in the 54th. Ayella’s equalizer followed goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson’s failure to hold Said El Eyssami’s header and a deflection off Leon Koehl’s shot.
Coach Sasho Cirovski said Maryland had not trained to play a man up and had to adjust, and said the Terps should have won. He also said they were conceding too many goals. Maryland next faces No. 2 Indiana in Bloomington next Friday, beginning a three-game stretch against ranked Big Ten opponents.
