Aug. 9, 1999

When the 1998 Maryland men's soccer season came to a close, the scoreboard told the tale that it would be Stanford which would move on to contest for the national championship. The Terrapins' run was over after a hard-fought 1-0 loss. While the team tied the record for most wins in a season with 16, head coach Sasho Cirovski is also quick to point out that the eight losses were the most in the last five years. So the push is on this year to make the men's soccer program at Maryland better than ever.

"We've set goals and challenged ourselves individually and collectively to make this year the greatest year in Maryland men's soccer history, which means only one thing - to win a national championship," says Cirovski of the goals of the season to come.

"The exhilaration of being a Final Four team quickly wore off when we lost the heartbreaker to Stanford. Since the Monday after the Final Four, we've been preparing ourselves with great vigor and determination for this season."

On the surface, this year's team may look similar to last year's. First, there is the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation for the second year in a row. Second, they have veteran leadership (last year in Maryland's all-time career assists leader, Keith Beach, and this year in senior Jason Cropley, who is closing in on the top 10 list for career scoring).

"We're going to be younger than we've ever been before," states Cirovski about the team's composition this year. "We have only two seniors, and four returning freshman starters. These upperclassmen will be challenged to provide great leadership on and off the field. The junior class of Rob Birch, Christian Lewis, Jason Sardis and Mike Shebuski will also need to step up. Heavy responsibility will be set upon the freshman and sophomore classes, also."

Motivation, if this team needs any, comes from two sources: teams that have been in situations as the Terps were last December and have come back to be champions. Two years ago, Manchester United of the English Premier League came in second in the European Cup, a year later they were crowned champions. Closer to home, the U.S. women's World Cup team lost in the semifinals in 1995. Perseverance would pay off again, as the drama of the summer of 1999 would unfold into a World Cup championship for the U.S.

These and other examples will be what sits in the back of the 1999 team's mind. They have been put there since the loss to Stanford. They will be there during preseason practice, and they will be there all season long until the team captures what they in the inner circle are calling "the triple."

"The triple is simply the ACC regular season championship, the ACC Tournament championship and the 1999 College Cup," explains Cirovski. "We're going to use those championships as models for ourselves this year as we try to emulate them and win the pinnacle of college soccer - the College Cup."

There are many holes to fill and strategies to tweak before the season begins with the FILA/Pre-Season College Kick-Off at Maryland at the end of August. "We lost five impact players from last year, four to graduation and Kirk Miller who transferred to Boston University to major in television editing. Replacing them will be no easy task," adds Cirovski.

"I expect us to go through some growing pains, but I have complete confidence that we will more than make up for these losses." Starting in goal, the lineup has already gotten stronger with the improvement of last year's starter Christian Lewis, who played every minute the Terps were on the field in 1998 and recorded seven shutouts along the way. His backup, Kevin Schmidt, has made great strides as well, and with the addition of top recruit Jacob Banas, competition at goal will be even keener. "Banas will compete for playing time right away," indicates Cirovski. "Whoever rises to become the starter will make the team stronger than last year at that position. I feel very good about our goalkeeping this year."

Undoubtedly the biggest team strength this year will be the Terrapins' back line. Three of Maryland's four members of the 1998 Soccer America All-Freshman team, Dan Califf, Nick Downing and Beckett Hollenbach, are all returning starters for this year's defense. "The back line is essentially intact except for Randy Merkel, but there are outstanding candidates to replace him. Mike Shebuski could take over at right back and may be challenged by Erik Ozimek and Tyler Pharr," says Cirovski. "I truly believe as the season progresses that they will be the best back four in the nation."

The number of veterans returning on the defense mirrors the number leaving the midfield, lending to an entirely new look for the Terps this season in the middle. A huge loss for the Terrapins at midfield was Keith Beach who became the school's all-time career assists leader last year with 32. Both Beach and Merkel were MLS draft picks after last season. Junior Rob Birch remains as the only constant at midfield. A starter in all 24 games, Birch's first career goal came last year against UMBC. "This is where we will be the youngest and where we'll have the most growth this year," states Cirovski of the state of affairs in the midfield. "We return only one regular from last season. That's where the most competition will be in the preseason for starting positions and playing time."

Newcomers Scott Buete, A.J. Herrera, Sumed Ibrahim, Siba Mohammed, and Nick Purdom will all challenge returning lettermen senior Jamie Eichmann and sophomore Erik Ozimek for important roles right away, according to Cirovski. There is also a strong possibility that Jason Sardis will play a significant role and also be used as a striker. Sardis' season-high came when he had the game-winning goal against Howard on Sept. 23 last year, as well as an additional goal and assist that afternoon.

A strong core returns at starting forward for the Terps, as senior leader Jason Cropley joins forces with national Freshman of the Year Taylor Twellman to fill the slots on the attack. A member of Soccer America's All-Freshman team last year, Twellman was a key part of >Maryland's fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament's second round. Last year, he recorded six game-winning goals including the game-winners against Richmond and Jacksonville in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Cropley was third on the team in point total last season with 20 (7g, 6a), adding to the offensive punch.

"We expect them to put a lot of pressure on defenses all year," states Cirovski about the potential of his starting front line. Also providing depth will be 6-3 forward Reed Rickert. Eyeing their school-record sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, several Terps have seen international action since last season ended. Califf, Downing, and Twellman have competed on the U.S. Under-20 team this past spring. This July, Califf, Cropley and Twellman represented the United States at the Pan-Am Games, while Downing and Hollenbach put in time with the United States Amateur Soccer Association's East Regional team which competed at the U.S. Soccer Festival in early August.

Overall, the Terps have a lot to be excited about. "We've had the best recruiting class for the last two years, and we're all eager to start the process of fulfilling the "challenge" we have set for ourselves," states Cirovski. "That loss last year really stung. It took two weeks for me to watch it on tape, and then I watched it all by myself on Christmas day at home. While I was proud of the way we played, it invigorated me to work harder than I ever have to get back to the Final Four and win the College Cup."

The entire Maryland soccer family will rally around the cause closer than ever this season, as Cirovski's wife, Shannon, takes the helm of the women's team this fall. "I'm real excited about Shannon coaching the women's team. Excited for her and for the whole team," says Cirovski. "The two programs will be closer than they've ever been. There will be cheering sections at every game that each of us and our teams can attend."

As the Terps embark on a 1999 season full of expectations and goals, the team is ultimately looking for only one thing when the clock ticks down to end this year - a national championship.