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!

ACC showdown comes down to final minutes

Could any of the Maryland soccer faithful have asked for a better Friday night? An epic 88 minute minutes of battle, followed by 1:55 of sheer excitement and happiness. Two teams going punch for punch, until the Terps finally sealed it with under two minutes remaining. In the midst of an NFL Sunday during which my Giants put the smackdown on the Bucs, I'm still smiling ear to ear about the game on Friday night.

In front of a record crowd of 6,946 the No. 4 (soon to be higher) ranked Maryland Terrapins notched their 9th straight win/draw against the No. 2 (soon to be lower) ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. According to The Diamondback, the Heels have not been victorious at Ludgwig since 2000. And after Friday night's game, it appears they're going to have to wait a little bit longer.

Maryland's chances of winniing were looking slim early in the second half, when 5th year senior Kevin Tangey took UNC forward Billy Schuler down in the box. Schuler missed wide right on the PK, keeping the score at 0-0, and keeping the Terps hopes of victory alive.

It was sweet irony that the man who gave UNC their best shot to win the game was the one that ultimately won the game for Maryland. With 1:55 remaining, Tangey was able to head in a deflection, which proved to be the game winner for the Terps. Tangey dodged a bullet when Schuler missed the penalty kick, and then fully redeemed himself for his early 2nd half mistake.

Things are not going to get easier any time soon for the Terps, who must get on the road to play at George Mason before another huge ACC matchup at 12th ranked Duke in October 2nd. For now though, the Maryland soccer community can enjoy what was simply an incredible Friday evening.

Before I sign off for now, I'd like to offer a personal congratulations to the Detroit Lions for their first win since 2007. Am I the only one who cannot wait to see what the Post has to say about the Redskins tomorrow? Should be an interesting week here in Redskin-land!

Terps gear up for show down with ACC foe

Before I get to the soccer stuff (aka the stuff you came here to read about), let me start by introducing myself. My name is Josh Fendrick, and I work at WMUCsports.com. I'm going to be updating this blog as often as I can, so hopefully you can get used to me!

Anyways, on to your defending national champions, the 4th ranked Maryland Terrapins. What better time to get this blog going again than on the eve of one of the first high profile ACC showdowns of the season? Tomorrow night at 8:00 pm, the Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina will be coming to Ludwig Field in a battle of two top 5 teams.

For UNC, this game has been circled on the schedule since December 14th, 2008, the day the Terps rounded out a season sweep of the Heels with a 1-0 victory in the national championship game. Maryland had knocked off UNC in the ACC quarters a little over a month earlier and had beaten UNC a week before that in a game at Ludwig. UNC comes into this game looking to get some revenge for the season sweep last year and gain some confidence against a Maryland team that they will most likely have to face again at some point in post season play.

For the Terps, this game has to be looked at as a measuring stick. The coaches, players, and fans need to use this game to see how far the team has come from an opening season loss against UCLA. After that loss, and an emotionally charged win against Cal, Maryland has not faced anyone of major note since the first weekend of the season. Thus, UNC's visit to College Park will tell us a lot about the long term prospects for the defending national champions; after the regular season is over, Maryland will have to face plenty more teams like UNC if they're interested in going back-to-back.

Game time is set for 8:00 PM on Friday night. Get to your seats early as a huge crowd is expected! We'll see you there!

UMD Bounces Back Against Cal

In a pivotal game for the Terrapins, not even a torrential down pour could stop the young squad from redeeming themselves against a worthy opponent. They were able to top Cal 2-1 in OT.

Coming into Sunday night's game, the Terps needed some sort of spark after falling to UCLA in their last outing. That spark came in the form of Jason Herrick. The captain was all over the field as he made plays for his young team up top, making well timed runs with teammate Casey Townsend, and even playing solid defense in the back against pre-season Herman Trophy candidate Andrew Weideman.

Herrick struck in the first half with about 5 minutes gone by off a beautiful through ball by Kaour Forbess as he streaked past the Golden Bears' back line. Although the Terps were not able to score again, they continued the offensive onslaught, firing 11 shots in the first half against an inexperienced keeper in David Bingham.

With 7 of their top 8 scorers back from last season, California, the #8 ranked team in the nation, was not an easy victory. Just like last year, the Golden Bears came out strong in the second half, putting the pressure on the young, but talented defensive line of Maryland. Tangey and White provided excellent support for their defensive wings as they stuffed the middle of California's offensive side of the field. Macmath performed ably in goal, but one mental lapse in the second half almost cost the Terps the game. Dealing with the rain and an amped up California team, the Sophomore sensation nearly let a ball bounce off his hands and cross the goal-line after Cal evened up the score in the second half.

Both teams help up and seemed content to wait for overtime. Then Jason Herrick struck again as both teams were playing hit-and-run soccer. A pass sailed over midfield and Herrick out-ran every California defender and ripped a shot from 18-yards that found the back of the net, and allowed the Terps to bounce back from a season-opening loss.