BALTIMORE, MD — Notre Dame of Maryland men's soccer wrapped up its 2025 campaign with a hard-fought 1–0 defeat to #5 seeded Penn College on Saturday afternoon at Alumnae Field. Despite a strong defensive showing and several chances to equalize, a late penalty kick proved to be the difference in the United East Conference quarterfinals.

The Gators held Penn College scoreless for over 75 minutes, relying on disciplined defensive organization and a composed performance from senior goalkeeper Mateo Gularte, who recorded four saves in the contest. Defenders Martin Rasiwala, Gennaro Morgese, Cooper Thompson, and Carter Hafez anchored a back line that limited the Wildcats to few quality looks from open play.

Penn College broke through in the 78th minute when Scott Goldfeder converted a penalty kick for the match's only goal. The penalty kick was given on a play where Gularte made minimal contact with Goldfeder while Gularte was reaching for the ball in the penalty box. Notre Dame pushed forward in the closing minutes, with Theo Miras nearly equalizing in the 83rd minute on a shot that hit the cross bar.

Miras led Notre Dame with two shots on the day, while Athanasios Ziliaskopoulos and Cristo Sanchez Cabrera provided pace and pressure in the attacking third. The Gators finished with three corner kicks and matched the Wildcats in fouls, showing a balanced effort throughout the match.

With the result, Notre Dame concludes the season at 3–7–4 overall and 3–2–2 in conference play, marking continued progress under head coach Frank Olszewski as the program builds toward 2026. The Gators have qualified for the United East Conference playoffs in all three years of the program's existence thus far, finishing 2025 with the #4 seed. With only two graduating seniors in Gularte and fellow goalkeeper Gabriel Gendarme, the future continues to look bright for the program.