With first-place Indiana playing non-conference matches this week, the trailing Big Ten teams have a golden opportunity to close the gap. Maryland was the first to take advantage, outdueling Rutgers on Tuesday night.  

Cisse’s Late Goal Delivers Terps’ Win 

With the game tied and less than eight minutes to play, Farouk Cisse delivered a right-footed shot from just outside the box that beat Rafael Ponce de Leon for his first goal of the season, giving No. 7 Maryland its second Big Ten win of the year. Rutgers outshot Maryland 15-9, but goalkeeper Laurin Mack made six saves to keep the Terps in the contest until Cisse’s game-winner. The victory moved Maryland up to sixth place in the Big Ten standings, but the Terrapins have their sights set on another leap forward this weekend. More from New Jersey. 

Top-20 Clash between the Terps and Spartans 

Maryland looks to take that next step forward on Friday night against No. 19 Michigan State. With a victory over the Spartans, the Terrapins would leapfrog past them and potentially move up to third place. Meanwhile, if Michigan State is able to come out with a win in College Park, it would put them just one point back of first place. We’ll see two of the Big Ten’s best playmakers square off in this one – Maryland’s Henry Bernstein and Michigan State’s Richie Ludwig pace the conference with seven assists (also top 10 in the country). See this matchup at 7:30 p.m. ET on B1G+. 

Some other notable matches on Friday will have an impact on the table too: 

• Third-place Rutgers will visit No. 20 Wisconsin. A victory for the Scarlet Knights (nine points) could move them into second place. The Badgers are seeking their first Big Ten victory to begin their ascent up the standings (8 p.m. ET, B1G+). 

• Newly ranked UCLA (No. 21) takes on Ohio State. The Bruins enter Friday on a three-game win streak and five-match unbeaten streak, and another win could put them very much in the thick of the Big Ten Championship race. The Buckeyes are coming off their first conference win – a 2-1 decision thriller over Penn State – and are looking to keep the momentum going in L.A. (9 p.m. ET, B1G+). 

• No. 14 Washington hosts Northwestern with the top of the table on its mind. A victory would put the Huskies in a tie for first place with Indiana and you can bet their potent offense is hungry to get on the board after being shut out in last week’s draw with the Badgers. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are looking to push into the top half of the table with a triumph in Seattle (10 p.m. ET, B1G+). 

Take a look at the standings and check out the full schedule.  

Photo courtesy of umterps.com.