Midfielder Amar Sejdic plays defense during Maryland’s 3-1 win over Rutgers at Ludwig Field on Nov. 4, 2015.

With just less than nine minutes to play in the second overtime period Friday night, the Terrapins men’s soccer team was forced to play with 10 men for the second straight game.

Midfielder Amar Sejdic picked up his second yellow card late in a 1-1 game against No. 2-seed Clemson in the NCAA quarterfinals, leaving the Terps’ already weakened lineup shorthanded while trying to stop one of the nation’s premier offenses.

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But down the stretch, the defensive unit — minus defender Ivan Magalhaes — shut out the Tigers for the rest of the frame to send the match to a shootout. The defensive stand proved for naught, though, as Clemson outscored the Terps, 3-1, in penalty kicks to advance to advance to the College Cup.

“It’s a cruel way to not advance, but I couldn’t be more proud of the incredible effort our players put forward,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We battled through the second half all the way to the final whistle.”

Magalhaes, who started at center back in every game prior to the Terps’ match with Clemson, sat out Friday’s game after his second yellow card netted him a red card in the 78th minute of last weekend’s game with No. 7-seed Notre Dame. Nevertheless, the Terps held off the Fighting Irish to claim the 2-1 win.

In Magalhaes’ absence, Cirovski moved defender Suli Dainkeh to center back and inserted defender Diego Silva at left back. The new-look lineup fared well in the first half, as the Tigers — who entered the match second in the nation with 2.43 goals per game — produced one shot in the period. The Terps, meanwhile, created eight shots over that span.

“The first half was as good a first half as we’ve played all year,” Cirovski said.

Clemson created nine shots in the second half, and midfielder Thales Moreno beat goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier, who finished the match with five saves.

The Tigers controlled the first overtime period, and Sejdic’s absence only gave them more space to work with in the attacking third.

Still, the Terps refused to allow their opponent to find the back netting.

Seconds after Sejdic was sent off, the Tigers had a shot that appeared out of Niedermeier’s reach. Defender Chris Odoi-Atsem was standing on the goal line, though, and deflected the ball away.

With minutes left in regulation, midfielder Cody Albrecht blocked another Clemson attempt from the same position. And when the ball caromed out to another Tigers player for a second shot, it was defender Alex Crognale who manned the front of net to clear the ball away.

“We blocked shots; we made plays,” Cirovski said. “I thought we played some great soccer.”

Penalty kicks allowed the Terps to return to full strength. Each team had five shots with a College Cup berth on the line.

Yet midfielder Mael Corboz was the lone Terp to score. The Terps’ defensive effort kept them in the match, but it couldn’t propel them to Kansas City, Kansas, next weekend for the College Cup.

“In penalty-kick shootouts, it’s a crapshoot,” Cirovski said. “Cody made some great saves — unfortunately we weren’t able to hit the twine — and it doesn’t diminish in any way the effort that they put out [Friday] or the kind of season we’ve put together this year.”