Northwestern Hosts No. 2 Maryland Friday In Big Ten Opener

EVANSTON, Ill. (September 10, 2026) – Northwestern opens its 10-game Big Ten Conference slate on Friday evening, as it welcomes No. 2 Maryland to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff.

Friday’s showdown against the Terrapins marks the Wildcats’ first of back-to-back games against teams currently residing in the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, with a road tilt at No. 10 Michigan State on tap for Tuesday night.

Wildcats’ head coach Russell Payne is no stranger to the Maryland program. Now in his sixth season leading Northwestern, Payne was part of an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship team as a student-athlete with the Terrapins before helping Maryland to a pair of NCAA National Championships (2005, 2008) as an assistant coach.

LAST TIME OUT
Italo Addimandi scored his second goal of the season as Northwestern fell to host Marquette by a final count of 3-1 last Saturday at Valley Fields in Milwaukee, Wis.  After having his initial attempt saved just past the hour mark, Addimandi deposited the resulting rebound into the back of the net to put the ‘Cats on the board.  

SCOUTING MARYLAND
Off to a perfect 5-0 start in 2026, Maryland sits at No. 2 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Terrapins are one of nine teams remaining in Division I with an unblemished record. Fresh off a trip to the Elite Eight of last season’s NCAA Tournament, Maryland was picked second in the Big Ten Conference Preseason Poll, trailing only reigning national champion Washington.

Decorated head coach Sasho Cirovski is now in his 34th season leading the Terrapins. Cirovski, who sits just 18 wins shy of 500 for his collegiate career, took home his third Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year award last season after guiding Maryland to a 13-2-4 overall finish (8-0-2 B1G) that included an unbeaten 12-0-3 mark during regular-season play.

The freshman pairing of Rodrigo Neri and Said El Eyssami paces Cirovski’s attack in the final third.  Having scored in three straight games, Neri resides atop the Terrapins’ overall points leaderboard with three goals and an assist to his name across five appearances, all of which have come in a starting role. El Eyssami, who also has three goals to his name, dazzled in his collegiate debut, scoring a brace to push Maryland past Pittsburgh, 2-1, back on August 20.

2025 Big Ten Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Mack Laurin has started in all five games this season for Cirovski’s team, posting a 1.60 goals against average and a 0.692 save percentage.

SERIES STUFF
Friday’s Big Ten Conference opener will serve as the 16th meeting between Northwestern and Maryland in men’s soccer. The Terrapins, who hold a 9-4-2 (.667) edge in the previous 15 meetings, have gone 6-1-2 (.778) against the ‘Cats across the last nine matchups.

When the two teams clashed last season at Ludwig Field in College Park, Md., Peter Riesz found the back of the net in the 37th minute, but Maryland proved too much on the night, dealing the Wildcats a 4-1 defeat.

UP NEXT
Northwestern hits the road early next week to take on No. 10 Michigan State on Tuesday, September 15. The 6 p.m. CT kickoff from DeMartin Soccer Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. will be televised on Big Ten Network.