Top 3 reasons you should (not) be concerned about last night's loss

Well, folks, last night's 2-0 loss to George Mason marked the second time that your Terps have lost all season. I am well aware that when you're feeling sad and down on the team after a loss, you come to this blog to have me make some sense of what has happened. Thus, I have compiled a list of the top 3 reasons you should (not) be concerned after this let-down loss. I'll show you both sides of the coin; I invite you to use this information in order to help guide your feelings on the loss. Do with this list what you wish, but don't dwell for too long on last night, because the chance for redemption at Duke is just around the corner.

Therefore, without further ado, I present to you...

THE TOP 3 REASONS YOU SHOULD (NOT) BE CONCERNED ABOUT LAST NIGHT'S LOSS

1) The loss to George Mason last night is a classic example of a let-down loss after a huge victory. It happens rather often in college sports; traditionally, after an emotional win over an arch-rival or a ranked foe (1-0 over then No. 2 UNC should ring a bell), teams will falter in their next game, even if they're playing a lesser opponent. Couple that with another monster ACC game against Duke coming up, and it's easy to see why the team might have had a hard time focusing against the Patriots. Clearly, the team had a bit of a hangover from the UNC game and was caught looking ahead to Duke. They simply suffered a let-down loss in what amounted to a trap game just like tons of other college teams have, right?

Think again. George Mason is no slouch of an opponent. In fact, it was a rematch of the 2nd round of last year's NCAA tournament. The team should have been juiced for this game, as it was obvious that George Mason would be looking for revenge. Plus, with the Duke game coming up on Friday, the Terps should have used last night's match to work out any kinks from the UNC game before playing the Blue Devils (namely establishing an offensive rhythm earlier in the game). In short, there is no excuse for a loss to George Mason last night considering the context of the game.

2) The Terps were without two key starters in midfielder Doug Rodkey and forward Casey Townsend when they took on the Colonials. It should have come as no surprise then that Maryland struggled; how many teams can lose two starters (not one, but two!) and not miss a beat? Considering that George Mason is a solid team to begin with at three games over .500, the absence of Rodkey and Townsend was sure to make a big impact. The coaching staff and players probably knew this, and once those two guys are back, all will be well again.

Maybe not, though. Are the Terps so thin on the bench that with starters missing they are a significantly different team? I would've hoped that a team ranked in the top 5 would have enough manpower off the sidelines to compensate for just two starters being out of the lineup. Were the subs just that ineffective? Hopefully, head coach Sasho Cirovski can play with some different combinations if necessity forces him to reconfigure the lineup in the future.

3) Speaking of Cirovski, there are was a rather interesting quote from the Terps long time coach on UMterps.com. According to the report posted on the official athletic website, Cirovski said, "It was a very un-Maryland like performance tonight and I take full responsibility for not having us ready today. We just weren't very connected today." Normally, the head coaching admitting that he didn't prepare the team correctly is alarming. But considering the amount of time that Cirovski has been here, and the success that he has had, is there really any reason to be alarmed? Of course not! Maybe this is a mind game of sorts, and Cirovski was testing his players to see if they could shake their UNC-win hangover by themselves and get focused for George Mason. Cirovski knows what he's doing; if he didn't, this program would not have been nearly as successful during his tenure in College Park.

What if, however, that quote by Cirovski was an honest admission of guilt? It is certainly more than possible that, like the players, Cirovski got lost in the excitement of beating UNC and looking ahead to Duke on Friday. If this is the case, Cirovski and his staff need to assess how they're going to handle the turnaround after big wins for the rest of the season.

Hopefully, those thoughts help to solve some of your anxieties about last night's loss to George Mason. As I mentioned before, don't dwell on the past for too long, because on Friday night, the Terps are going to be right back in the thick of ACC soccer action against the Duke Blue Devils. Until next time...Go Terps!