No. 6 Terps Meet Defending NCAA Champion Tar Heels
10/3/2002 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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Oct. 3, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
GAME 11
Saturday, Oct. 5 ~ 7 p.m.
No. 6 Terps (8-2, 2-1 ACC) Vs.
North Carolina (7-3, 1-1 ACC)
at Ludwig Field (4,000)
College Park, Md.
In what should prove to be another great homegame for the Terrapins, No. 6 Maryland (8-2, 2-1 ACC) hosts the defending national champion North Carolina Tar Heels (7-3, 1-1 ACC) on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. at Ludwig Field. A win would ensure the Terps at least a .500 record in the conference, something injuries have prevented the team from doing the past two years.
The first 200 fans at Saturday's game will receive Terrapin soccer T-shirts. Several ticket promotions are also planned for Saturday night, for details please call the Terrapin ticket office at 1-800-462-8377.
All-Time Series vs. North Carolina
Maryland owns a dominating 34-20-2 record against North Carolina, but it's the Tar Heels that have won the last two games in the series. The Terrapins have not beaten the Tar Heels at home since the 1996 season, when Maryland sent the Heels packing with a 3-1 loss. The Terps' last win in the series was in 1998 in the ACC Tournament when Maryland eliminated UNC 2-1 in overtime at Wake Forest.
Individual Terrapins vs. North Carolina
Three current Terps have scored against the Tar Heels in their careers- Scott Buete (Bowie, Md.), Ian Rodway (Columbia, Md.) and Abe Thompson (Fairfax Station, Va.). Rodway netted the lone goal in last year's 2-1 loss on an assist from Buete, while the tri-captain from nearby Bowie also notched an assist in 1998's 1-0 win at Carolina on a Taylor Twellman (1998-99) game-winner. In 1999, Philip Salyer (1999-2000) netted the Terps' lone goal off an assist from Thompson. The Terps lost that game, 5-1, at Ludwig Field.
Awakening the Ghosts of 1968
The No. 6 Terps' 8-2 start is the team's best start since 1968 when Maryland captured a share of the NCAA championship. Maryland finished the 1968 season undefeated at 14-0-1. The Terps' only tie came in the championship game, a 2-2 deadlock with Michigan State to split the crown that year.
Terps Now NSCAA's No. 6
The University of Maryland men's soccer team rose as high as No. 4 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll last week, but fell back to No. 6 again with their 3-0 loss to then-No. 8 Wake Forest. The Terrapins have spent the last four weeks in the poll's Top 10. Five of Maryland's opponents this season are ranked in the current poll, including three ACC teams.
UM started the season 10th in the NSCAA preseason poll, but fell out of the rankings after a one-goal loss to then-No. 20 Kentucky at the Virginia Soccer Classic during week one of the season. They rose to No. 10 again the week of Sept. 9, up to No. 6 the week of Sept. 16, and up to No. 4 last week before landing at No. 6 in this week's poll.
UM vs. Ranked Opponents
Friday's game against No. 8 Wake Forest will mark the fourth time Maryland has faced an opponent ranked in the NSCAA's Top 25 this season. This past Sunday, then-No. 5 Maryland beat Duke 3-0 to raise its record against ranked teams to 2-1. In their first meeting with a ranked team on Sept. 1, then-No. 20 Kentucky upset the Terps 2-1 at the Virginia Soccer Classic when Maryland was ranked No. 10. The Terps then met No. 8 Loyola on Sept. 11, earning a commanding 3-1 win over the Greyhounds also when Maryland was ranked No. 10.
Maryland Offense No. 8
Averaging 3.1 goals per game, the Maryland offense is ranked eighth this week among NCAA Division I programs. UC-Santa Barbara leads the list, averaging 4.14 goals per game. The Terrapins are the highest scoring offense in the ACC, with Clemson next in line at No. 15 nationally. Thus far, the No. 9 Tigers are averaging 2.88 goals per game.
Maryland Remains on Top in this Week's Regional Rankings
Maryland remains at the top of the South Atlantic Region's rankings for the third week in a row. The Terps are followed in the top five by, in rank order, American, Virginia, William & Mary and Old Dominion.
Cirovski Celebrates 10th Anniversary
The 2002 season marks the 10th year that head coach Sasho Cirovski has guided the Terrapin men's soccer program. The Terps' bench boss has piloted the program to a 119-72-9 record during his 10 years in College Park. Cirovski, a 1986 graduate of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is entering his 12th year overall and has a 147-84-15 career record.
Under Cirovski, the Terrapins have over 100 wins, a 1998 appearance in the national semifinals, and eight NCAA appearances. Maryland won the 1996 ACC Championship and has had numerous Terrapins sign professional contracts in the United States and abroad.
Points Aplenty
Ten games into the season, Maryland is not only displaying a talented attack, but a diverse attack, as well. The Terps had the No. 8 offense heading into the week, averaging 3.1 goals per game. Four Terrapins have scored four or more goals this season, with 12 different Terps finding the back of the net. All told, 14 Maryland players have contributed to the offense this season.
Terps Climbing All-Time Assists List
Two current juniors are climbing Maryland's chart for career assists. Sumed Ibrahim (Tamale, Ghana), paced by a 13-assist season last year, is tied for No. 5 all-time with Randy Merkel (1996-98), while tri-captain Scott Buete (Bowie, Md.) is tied for No. 7 with Jason Cropley (1996-99). Both have 18 career assists. Classmate A.J. Herrera (Albuquerque, N.M.) is making a run at adding his name, as well, and currently has 14 career assists.
Maryland Career Assists Chart 1. 35 Keith Beach (1995-98) 2. 32 Eberhard Klein (1962-64) 3. 22 Jason Sardis (1997-2000) 4. 21 Shane Dougherty (1993-94) 5. 19 Sumed Ibrahim (1999-Pres.) 19 Randy Merkel (1996-98) 7. 18 Scott Buete (1999-Pres.) 18 Jason Cropley (1996-99) 8. 17 Taylor Twellman (1998-99) 17 Steve Armas (1995-98)
