Jan. 24, 2000
College Park, Md.- - All-American forward Taylor Twellman (St. Louis, Mo.) has decided to forgo his final two years at the University of Maryland to play professional soccer for 1860 Munich of the German Bundesliga. A third-team All-American selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Twellman finishes his Maryland career tenth on the all-time goals list with 28, sixth in career assists with 17, and seventh on the career points chart with 76.
"The University of Maryland and (head coach) Sasho Cirovski provided an excellent platform for me to raise my game and be a part of a first-class program, both athletically and academically," commented Twellman. "I will continue to follow the program and to assist in any way I can."
Twellman was the Terps' leading scorer this season for the second straight year with 12 goals and nine assists for 33 points. The Missouri native was named first-team All South-Atlantic, received first team All-ACC recognition for the second time in two years, and was named to Soccer America's Team of the Week twice during the 1999 regular season. The ACC Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 20, he scored six game-winners for the Terps this season, including a golden-goal header past All-American William & Mary keeper Adin Brown. In 1998, Twellman was named Soccer America and College Soccer Online's Freshman Player of the Year and was a member of the NCAA all-tournament team after leading the Terps to their first Final Four since 1969.
"It's always sad to lose a player of Taylor's quality and character, but I am truly delighted that he's able to pursue his dreams of playing soccer at the highest level. To have a player graduate into the Bundesliga is amazing and this is another positive step for Maryland soccer," said Cirovski. "It's been a privilege coaching Taylor, and his contributions to our program will always be greatly appreciated. He's been dealing with the prospect of turning pro so regularly that it was gut-wrenching for him to continually put aside all those tempting offers. This was just too good for him to pass up. My only regret is that I won't be able to see him play on TV weekly."
Maryland finished its 1999 season at 14-6 and took its sixth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The team was ranked in the NSCAA's top 10 for 12 out of 13 weeks this season. The Terrapins also received their first-ever No. 1 ranking by Soccer America and held onto the top-spot for two weeks.
