WMUC Sports Men's Soccer Blog

ACC play concludes with Terps seeding still in question

2009-11-03T07:45:00.000-08:00

Some quick hits from the Virginia game on Saturday night as the Terps wrap up ACC play:

1) Was that a physical game or what? From the opening whistle, I thought there were bodies flying everywhere. The officials were really content to swallow their whistles, which is usually what fans want. I thought it created a pretty dangerous environment though, as the players knew they could get away with virtually anything. It probably was not the best game for Casey Townsend to come back during, considering the style of play.

2) Speaking of Casey Townsend...boy, was it nice to see him back out on the field. I loved how the Terps tried to get him involved early; I firmly believe that when a player is coming back from injury, it is absolutely crucial to get them some touches early to restore their confidence. It looked like Townsend lost some of the hop in his step, but that was to be expected. He'll be back to full speed soon enough. It was good to see him get knocked down a few times and get up without a problem. He definitely looks ready to go down the home-stretch.

3) Interesting to see that Maryland was involved in two fights in the past two games. There was the minor scuffle during the Wake game and then a pretty big fight during the Virginia game. The Terps and the Cavaliers have a history of "extra-curricular" activity when they play, and Saturday night definitely continued that tradition. The cleats up slide into MacMath was a dirty play, and deserved a red card on its own. For those that were listening to WMUCsports.com's broadcast of the game, you probably remember Dan Baker and I yammering about the positives and negatives of defending your teammates in a situation like that. Personally, I am always a fan of walking away, no matter how heated you are. Sure, Billy Cortes stuck up for his teammate. But, I would have rather seen him walk away from the situation and not get ejected. Then, the Terps would've been playing man-up for the entire second half, which would have been really helpful for goal-scoring purposes. I understand that sometimes players get caught up in the heat of the moment, but in the future, I'd like to see Cortes walk away and settle for the advantage on the field.

That's all for now, folks. We'll see you tonight for Navy!

Terps go 1-1 in big week before well deserved time off

2009-10-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Certainly was an interesting weekend for Maryland sports, wasn't it? With the entire athletic department running out of North Carolina for the weekend, we learned a lot about some of the fall sports teams. The field hockey team is without a doubt the best team in the country, as they tallied a big win against the #2 team in the country, UNC; also, the football team is most likely not going to a bowl game this year, because in order to do so, they would need wins at home against V-Tech and on the road against FSU. Out of all the fall sports teams, I think we learned the most about the men's soccer team, who lost a 1-0 battle against the 3rd ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Coming into the game against the Deacons, the Terps were on an unstoppable tear, winning 5 games in a row. Yet, game after game, we saw more and more starters head to the sidelines. With Casey Townsend, Doug Rodkey, and Alex Lee all out, it didn't make sense that the Terps kept winning. Cirovski had the team overachieving with younger players in the lineup. Despite the loss of so many key players, the Terps had been doing surprisingly well.

All that good feeling came to a screeching halt on Saturday night when Maryland gave up the first place spot in the ACC to Wake Forest, whose 1-0 victory over the Terps had major post season implications. So why did I say that we learned a lot about the men's soccer team this weekend? Simply because it finally became clear that this team is tired after eight straight weeks of soccer with minimal time off; they are demoralized, considering they had three starters injured coming into the game, and defender Ethan White joined them during the game, as he limped off the field midway through the first half; and finally, this team was really looking forward to having some time off between the Wake game and the Virginia game.

After talking to Cirovski after the loss, it was clear that this team has had a rather long past few weeks, and although they've had a lot of success on the field, they've been hurting everywhere else.

"[The Wake loss] is really a tough one to take," said Cirovski. "I feel for our guys. A lot of guys are battling through a lot of stuff right now, and that was a gutsy performance. We basically played that game without four starters."

While the Coach was certainly disappointed following the loss, he definitely did not seem angry or frustrated. Based on my impressions, Cirovski seemed to be very realistic about the state of his team right now. With four starters out, and numerous young players being thrown into the proverbial fire, on the road, in a big-game atmosphere, one could only expect an outcome like Saturday night's.

"It's tough; there's no other way around [putting the younger players into the game]," said Cirovski. "They're going to be a little inconsistent in coming out, but it will all serve a purpose eventually."

The week off truly could not have come at a better time for the Terps. Cirovski alluded to the fact that they are looking to get at least two of their injured players back into the lineup, and this time off will be highly valuable in assessing what their capabilities are going to be going forward. More importantly, for the guys that are healthy in body, but maybe not in spirit, the week before the Virginia game is a time to rejuvenate themselves and get ready for the home stretch.

"We're looking forward to a few days off," said Cirovski. "We're going to try and get their legs back and their freshness back."

Before I get out of here, I'll offer my own personal outlook on the state of the team after the Wake game. With so many key starters out, it's hard to expect the team to be successful on the road against an elite team like the Demon Deacons. I know, its frustrating to lose a game 1-0, especially when Wake's goal came on a penalty kick, and Maryland had a ton of opportunities to tie it up (most notably London Woodberry's misfire at the end of the first half, and the numerous corner kicks at the end of the second half). But in reality, to play such a close game with a team like Wake, at their stadium, without 4 starters is no small feat. The team should be proud of their effort, not dwell on the loss and get ready for the Cavaliers.

Enjoy the week off. We'll see you on Saturday for UVA!

Terps on a roll as the post-season looms

2009-10-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

In what was a dismal weekend for Maryland football and a great weekend for Marylands soccer, anyone with doubts about whether they should spend their time following football or fútbol should have their answer. As the Terps chances of acquiring a bowl bid were effectively squashed with an embarrassing loss to UVA on Saturday afternoon, it is now officially time to give all our attention to a soccer team that is absolutely rolling right now. After two losses in a row following the UNC win, the Terps are now on a four game winning streak. And with four of their last five regular season games at home, head coach Sasho Cirovski's club could be looking at a 9-0 or 9-1 end to the regular season. Not too shabby, eh?

Before I get to any more talk about soccer, I want to express my wishes for a speedy recovery for starting defender Alex Lee, who was struck by a car in Washington a little more than a week ago. Fortunately, it was reported that Lee underwent successful surgery on his head at George Washington University hospital and we can only pray that his road to recovery is an easy one.

With that injury in mind, it is even more impressive that the Terps have won their past four games. It's hard enough to win four games in a row in the ACC, simply due to the level of competition; I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been for the players to focus with one of their teammates in the hospital. Bravo to Cirovski for keeping this team on track. It's been an emotional couple of weeks for Maryland soccer when you couple what happened to Lee along with the death of Mr. Maryland, longtime athletic booster Jack Heise. I am sure it has been a struggle for Cirovski to focus his players on winning games, but it certainly seems as if he has been successful.

In looking down the rest of the schedule, I truly believe that Maryland could finish the season on a nine game winning streak. Without a doubt, Maryland is playing some of their best soccer of the season right now. So, why can't the Terps "protect their house" in their final four home games, and steal one on the road in what amounts to a toss up at Wake Forest? If this scenario plays out, Maryland will have all the momentum in the world as they roar into the post season.

The Terps return home from their win over Clemson on the road to take on Seton Hall this Tuesday night at Ludwig Field. We'll see you there!

Stertzer's goal brings Terps to 3-1-1 in ACC play

2009-10-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'd like to apologize to all the Terp faithful for the lack of blog entries over the past week. It was a busy week for those of us at Maryland with mid-term examinations throughout the entire week. Enough with my lame excuses though; we've got a lot of soccer to discuss!

Last time I spoke with all of you, the Terps were in the midst of a 1 game losing streak because of a loss at George Mason. Although I tried to hide it in my last entry (Top 3 reasons you should (not) be concerned about last night's loss), I felt that the Terps would bounce back from their loss against the Colonials, beat Duke, then come home and coast for a few games until their ACC showdown with Wake Forest. Alas, I was wrong, and the Terps got beat up by a good Duke team down in Durham. Ultimately, I think that the mini-two game losing streak was just a case of a young team that had played way better than expected all season finally coming back down to Earth. Head coach Sasho Cirovski talked in the pre-season about the potential for growing pains throughout the season, and that two game stretch proved Cirovski right.

Nonetheless, the Terps definitely got back on track during the past two games. After an out of conference win, the Hokies of Virginia Tech came to Ludwig field for Maryland's 5th ACC contest of the season. Over the course of the first 87 minutes of the game, Maryland simply could not convert on offense. The opportunities were there, but it was one of those nights where something seemed a little bit off on offense. I think some of that might have had to do with getting Casey Townsend back into the lineup. Townsend was definitely shaking off some rust, and going down 1-0 early in the game only put additional pressure on him to score.

One of the things I talked about in my last blog entry was the fact that without Townsend in the lineup, the Terps really struggled to score, evidenced by the fact that they were shutout two games in a row. I was especially concerned that Cirovski couldn't find anyone off the bench to give the team a little extra firepower on offense. The Virginia Tech game served to soothe some of those concerns, thanks to freshman John Stertzer scoring the game winning goal with 52 seconds left on the clock. Although it was not Stertzer's first goal, it was his first meaningful goal (the first time he scored was during the Duquesne blowout). Scoring in a crucial spot like he did is monumental for Stertzer's confidence, and I hope that if a starter goes down in the future, Terps fans can expect Stertzer to put some balls in the back of the net on a more consistent basis.

Despite Stertzer's game winning goal, the Player of the Game for me was undoubtedly Drew Yates. I wish I had recorded my comments to the other fans in the stands during the game, just so I could count how many times I said that Yates' play was keeping Maryland in the game. Countless times in the second half Yates possessed the ball, dribbled down the field, and either ripped a shot or got stuffed by opposing defenders just outside the 18. But on a night where no one else could get anything going on offense, Yates' play put pressure on the Hokie's defense. And as all soccer fans know, the more pressure you put on an opposing defense, the more likely you'll ultimately find a gap in the defense and get a goal. Yates' continued pressure kept Maryland offensively alert and limited Virginia Tech's time on offense. Major kudos to Mr. Yates for what I thought was an outstanding performance.

Next up for the Terps are the Georgetown Hoyas on the 13th. Enjoy the trip to DC!

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

2009-09-30T11:29:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-27T13:32:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

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.