Journal No. 11- Maryland Enters Must-Win ACC Weekend
11/6/2000 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 6, 2000
Christian Lewis Journal #11
Well, it seems as though our backs are truly against the wall after losing this weekend to UVA. We went into this game knowing that with a win we would improve our NCAA chances and gain momentum towards the ACC Tournament this week at Wake Forest. Unfortunately, we did not pull off the victory and lost the game 2-0. Although we did lose the game, we did have a very impressive team performance. The fact is that in the ACC and against UVA especially you need to have a great team performance to win. It is hard to get a victory when only a handful of players play well for the entire 90 minutes. In our case, we had flashes of brilliance from most everyone, but overall we did not pull things together throughout the entire game.
The last time our team was in a similar situation was in 1996 when the team needed to win the ACC Tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament. That team was able to win all three of its games with a combination of hard work, communication, and determination. We had the chance to watch the tape of the 1996 final against UVA this past week. The game was truly inspiring as our Terps beat one of the best teams in UVA's history. I hope that this year's team can take something positive away from the 1996 Terps and use it this week at Wake Forest. We start our tournament Thursday against Duke. They did beat us 2-0 this season, but we clearly dominated the first half and gave them the chances to score both goals. Plus, we have done very well as a team in the past against Duke, so I am very optimistic.
As we get set to go to the ACC Tournament I am not only looking forward to the games, but also seeing everyone's families. Almost all of the players' parents make their way down to Wake for the tournament. Since we have players from all over the country, it is very rare that all the parents can get together. I vividly remember last year's tournament and in particular the dinner we had the night before we left. My family along with a few others on the team went out for a big meal after the game. By the time we were done, mothers were crying and giving out hugs, and fathers were telling embarrassing jokes and stories. The best part was that we had a chance to get away from soccer for a few hours with our families and just enjoy each other's company. This week I hope to have the chance to enjoy a similar meal with family and friends, but only after winning three games and making the NCAA Tournament.
