Men's Soccer Journal No. 3: Terps 3-1 After Maryland/FILA Classic.
9/19/2001 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 19, 2001
Men's Soccer Journal #3
It's been a while since our last entry, which we apologize for, but it has been a busy and emotional last two weeks. Those who have been following us know that our current record stands at 3-1, with wins against UCLA, Liberty, and American and a loss to Creighton. Over the past two weeks, our team has really started to come together both on and off the field. Our time down at Virginia was a good opportunity for guys on the team to bond with each other during things like a team trip to see Rush Hour 2, and many team meals, which were spent telling funny stories and flirting with cute waitresses.
Our first two games were a great start to any season as we walked away with two impressive victories against quality opponents. The game against UCLA lasted a little longer than anticipated, but with 40 seconds left in the second overtime Phil Salyer stormed down the field to head in the game-winning goal. Our second match was a more dominating performance with only a few minutes of lapse at the end of the second half. We played some really good soccer with a lot of possession and combination play. Goals came from A.J. Herrera and Scottie Buete, who both had very good showings throughout the tournament, which by the way we won.
This past weekend's tournament didn't go as smoothly, but ended on a good note with a 5-1 win against American. We opened up our home season on Friday with a tough loss to Creighton, who played a smart tactical game and took advantage of their opportunities. The game was a good awakening for our team in realizing that we can't come out flat and expect to walk away with a win. Sunday's win was all about resiliency and proving that Friday was a performance that we weren't proud of and weren't about to relive. The game produced some of our best offense including goals worthy of Sportscenter's "Top Plays". Much of the day belonged to Sumed Ibrahim who earned his first collegiate hat trick with three great finishes and some nifty playmaking. Other moments to remember included Seth Stammler's blast from 30 yards out that found the upper left corner. In the end we left the field with a much better feeling than Friday. As always we will leave you with some more words of wisdom from our philosophical and ever pondering minds, "As we say in the sewer, if you're not prepared to go all the way, don't put your boots on in the first place."
Journal co-author Beckett Hollenbach was named the Maryland/FILA Classic Defensive MVP.
