Maryland and Virginia Clash for ACC Title
11/16/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 16, 2002
Sunday, Nov. 17 ~ 1:00 p.m. at SAS Stadium ~ Cary, N.C.
No. 2 Seed Terps (16-4, 4-2 ACC)
Vs. No. 4 Seed Virginia (15-5-0, 3-3 ACC)
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No. 2 seed Maryland and No. 4 seed Virginia are set to battle for the ACC title Sunday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m. at SAS Stadium in Cary, N.C. The game will be televised by Comcast Sportsnet, Fox Sports South and Sunshine Network, so check you local listings for airtimes. The ACC championship game will also be broadcast live on WMUC, the student station of the University of Maryland, on 88.1 in College Park and over the Internet at www.wmucradio.com. Livestats will be available at www.theacc.com.
Maryland All-Time in the ACC Tournament
Maryland holds a 9-15 overall record in the history of the ACC tournament and has won one tournament championship since the tournament's inception in 1987. The Terrapins are 7-7 under head coach Sasho Cirovski with this year's pair of wins and were the 1996 ACC champions, beating Virginia 2-0 on its home field to wear the crown.
Maryland All-Time in the ACC Championship Game
Maryland is 1-1 in ACC championship finals, reaching the conference championship game twice with both times coming under head coach Sasho Cirovski and both times against Virginia. Maryland won the 1996 ACC championship 2-0 over Virginia in Charlottesville and then lost the next year by the same score to the Cavaliers in Orlando, Fla.
Individual Terps in the ACC Tournament
Ten Terrapins have scored points in the careers at the ACC Tournament.
This year Maryland has racked-up eight goals thus far, four vs. NC State and four vs. Clemson. The Terps' point scorers in the 2002 tournament are: Domenic Mediate (1g vs. NCSU, 1g vs. CU, 1a vs. CU), Abe Thompson(1g vs. NCSU, 1g vs. CU, 1a vs. NCSU), Nino Marcantonio (1g vs. NCSU, 1a vs. NCSU, 1a vs. CU), Jason Garey(1g vs. NCSU), Ian Rodway (1g vs. CU), Scott Buete (1a vs. NCSU), Sumed Ibrahim (1a vs. CU), and Michael Dello-Russo (1a vs. CU).
Last year, Seth Stammler (Gahanna, Ohio) netted Maryland's only goal against host Clemson on an assist from Michael Dello-Russo (Columbia, Md.).
Abe Thompson (Fairfax Station, Va.) scored the Terps' lone goal in 1999 with assists from Jason Sardis (1997-2000) and Bryan Vitagliano (Scottsdale, Ariz.).
All-Time Series vs. Virginia
No. 10 Maryland holds a 29-23-6 advantage in the all-time series with Virginia, but has lost the last four meetings.
Maryland's last win over UVa was in 1999 when Scott Buete hit the gamewinner to lift Maryland over Virginia at Ludwig Field. During the Sasho Cirovski Era at UM, the Terps have gone 2-11-2, with wins in 1999 and 1996, when the Terps beat Virginia on their field to win the ACC championship.
Terps vs. Virginia
Two current Terrapins have scored points against Virginia in their careers. Scott Buete netted the game-winning goal in 1999 to give Maryland a 1-0 win at Ludwig Field. A.J. Herrera (Albuquerque, N.M.) had the assist on Buete's gamewinner.
Familiar Faces for Terps' Causey
First-year Maryland assistant coach Jeff Causey will squares off against his alma mater for the second time this season when Maryland meets UVa this Sunday. Causey not only played at Virginia, but also had a short stint as an assistant coach there.
Causey still holds several of Virginia's goalkeeping records including the single-season record for saves (88 saves in 1990) and the career records for saves (249), shutouts (27), minutes played (7,050) and games played (77).
Cirovski Reaches 125 at UM, 150 Career Wins
Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski secured his 150th career win on Nov. 6 with Maryland's 1-0 win against Bucknell. The 2002 season marks the 10th year that Cirovski has guided the Terrapin men's soccer program, which he has piloted to a 127-74-9 record during his years in College Park. Cirovski, a 1986 graduate of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is entering his 12th year overall and has a 153-86-15 career record entering the ACC tournament. Under Cirovski, the Terrapins have 125 wins, a 1998 appearance in the national semifinals, and eight NCAA appearances. Maryland won the 1996 ACC Championship under Cirovski and he has had numerous Terrapins sign professional contracts in the United States and abroad.
Sumed A Finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy
Maryland forward Sumed Ibrahim (Tamale, Ghana) was announced as one of the finalists for the Hermann Trophy this week, an award which annually recognizes the top collegiate men's and women's soccer players in the country. The announcement makes him the sixth athlete under head coach Sasho Cirovski to be named among the final 15 candidates for the award.
Sumed is the Terps' third-leading scorer this season with seven goals and six assists. Six of his seven goals have been gamewinners for the Terps and he is currently tied for fourth on Maryland's all-time assists list with 21.
UM's MAC/Hermann Trophy Award Finalists Under Cirovski
Keith Beach (1998)
Dan Califf (1999)
Leo Cullen (1996)
Nick Downing (2000)
Sumed Ibrahim (2002)
Taylor Twellman (1999)
Lancos with the U.S. Under-20s
First, fans were delayed in seeing freshman Chris Lancos (Middletown, N.J.) in a Maryland uniform because the high school All-American was representing the Stars and Stripes for the U.S. Under-20 team in Spain. Beginning Nov. 4, the Terps will be without the talented freshman again for two weeks.
From Nov. 4-18, Lancos will be with the Under-20 team again to compete in the World Youth Championships at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. The championships finish on Sunday, Nov.17, and with one game remaining, the US has already qualified for the World Youth Championships, which will be held in United Arab Emirates from March 25-April 16, 2003.
"I'm extremely happy for Chris to be named to the U-20 national team," said Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski. "He continues a long line of Maryland players representing the United States at the U-20 level. We wish him and the U-20s the best of luck in qualifying."
Maryland Terrapins Under Cirvoski at the Under-20 Level
1995 (Qualifying)
Leo Cullen
R.T. Moore (Pool Player)
1997
Jason Bent (Canada)
Andy Kirk
Steve Armas (First Alternate)
1999
Danny Califf
Nick Downing
Taylor Twellman
2001
Abe Thompson
(Pool Player- unable to compete b/c of injury)
Philip Salyer
2002 (Qualifying)
Chris Lancos
Terps Ranked 10th
Maryland rose as high as No. 4 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll in September, but fell back to No. 6 with their 3-0 loss to then-No. 8 Wake Forest on Sept. 27. The Terps have spent eight out of the past nine weeks in the poll's Top 10. Maryland is also in the Top 10 in the other three polls this week: Soccer America (10), Soccertimes (8), and CollegeSoccerNews(10). Six of Maryland's opponents this season are ranked in the current NSCAA poll.
UM vs. Ranked Opponents
The ACC championship game against No. 7 Virginia will be the ninth time Maryland will face an opponent ranked in the NSCAA's Top 25 this season. The Terps are now 4-4 against ranked opponents and are 2-3 against Top 10 foes.
Maryland vs. Ranked Opponents In 2002
S1 vs. Kentucky (10/20) L, 1-2
S11 LOYOLA (10/8) W, 3-1
S22 DUKE * (6/20) W, 3-0
S27 at Wake Forest *(4/8) L, 0-3
O12 at Connecticut (6/7) L, 0-2
O27 CLEMSON * (7/6) W, 1-0
N1 at Virginia * (6/13) L, 0-1
N15 vs. Clemson (10/21) W, 4-3 OT
Rankings are NSCAA rankings (MD/Opp.)
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 fourth place all-time with Shane Dougherty (1993-94) with 21 career assists. Tri-captain Scott Buete and has 20 career assists and is sixth. 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)
21 Sumed Ibrahim (1999-Pres.)
6. 20 Scott Buete (1999-Pres.)
7. 19 Randy Merkel (1996-98)
8. 18 Jason Cropley (1996-99)
9. 17 Taylor Twellman (1998-99)
17 Steve Armas (1995-98)
WMUC To Broadcast ACC Championship
WMUC, the student radio station for the University of Maryland, is broadcasting the 2003 ACC Championship game live on 88.1 FM in College Park as well as on its Internet stations www.wmucradio.com. The game can also be found by clicking the link in the on the official website of University of Maryland Athletics, www.umterps.com.
Points Aplenty
Entering the postseason, Maryland is not only displaying a talented attack, but a diverse attack, as well. The Terps have spent most of the year in the Top 10 nationally in scoring average and are averaging 2.51 goals per game going into the Virginia game. Five Terrapins have scored four or more goals this season, with 13 different Terps finding the back of the net. All told, 15 Maryland players have contributed to the offense this season.
Picking His Moment
Timing is key in soccer whether it's timing runs to the goal or timing crosses to meet them. The master of the moment this year for Maryland is no doubt Sumed Ibrahim, who is responsible for six of Maryland's 14 gamewinners, at least three more than any other Terrapin.
No Seniors? No Problem!
With no seniors to be found, the Terrapin lineup may look inexperienced, but looks can be deceiving. Fact is, four Terrapins were on the roster in 1999 when the team earned its first-ever No. 1 ranking from Soccer America.
In addition, eight Terps have been with Maryland for at least three years, six of which have had to take a medical redshirt for a year.
Sophomore goalkeeper? Also not a problem. Fact: starting netminder Noah Palmer was in the hotspot last season as well for 17 games, finishing with an 11-7-1 record.
Super Sumed
Few have found the answer for the Terp Sumed Ibrahim, who started the 2002 season with a bang and is one of the top-scoring Terps this season. To begin the season at the Virginia Soccer Classic, Sumed scored seven points in the first half of the Rhode Island game off two goals and three assists, a single-game record at the Virginia Soccer Classic. His performance helped lift the Terps to a 8-0 victory and grabbed Sumed all-tournament honors.
The dynamite midfielder picked-up more hardware at the Maryland/FILA Classic when he earned Offensive MVP and all tournament team honors. In the Terrapins' 2-1 victory over the Nittany Lions, Sumed scored the game-winning goal in the 36th minute of play. Against Virginia Commonwealth, his assist came on the Terps' first goal of the day to set the offensive pace in the second half. The 2-0 weekend earned the Terps the tourney title for the first time in Maryland/FILA Classic's three-year history.
His Maryland/FILA Classic performance also earned him ACC Player of the Week and Soccer America Team of the Week honors.
Against Loyola, Sumed netted his third game-winning goal of the season and added his fourth game-winning goal vs. Duke. The redshirt-junior received College Soccer News team of the week recognition for his performance.
After netting the game-winner against Manhattan, Sumed headed one in against North Carolina for his sixth game-winning goal of the year in nine Terrapin wins. Sumed was named Maryland Student-Athlete of the Week for the feat.
Sumed now has 20 points in 19 games and six gamewinners. Last season, Sumed was Maryland's top scorer with 31 points on nine goals and 13 assists.
Honest Abe
Maryland's Abe Thompson is continuing what he started his freshman year when he led the Terrapins in scoring with 31 points. Through 20 games, Thompson has 11 goals and seven assists to led the Terps in scoring again this year.
The redshirt-sophomore has netted the gamewinner in four games, two on penalty kicks.
Thompson picked up Maryland/FILA Classic all-tournament honors after netting two goals and adding an assist against Virginia Commonwealth. Thompson was also named Maryland Student-Athlete of the Week for his gamewinner against NC State.
Stammler Earns Verizon Academic Honors
Maryland tri-captain Seth Stammler (Gahanna, Ohio) has received Verizon Academic All-District honors after starting every game this season while maintaining a 3.83 grade point average in finance. Stammler is a two-year starter for the Terps and has accumulated four assists this season while anchoring one of the ACC's best defenses. Stammler also earned Virginia Classic and Maryland/FILA Classic all-tournament team accolades, as well as Maryland/FILA Classic Defensive MVP honors and College Soccer News Team of the Week recognition.
Buete Earns Honors
Terrapin redshirt-junior Scott Buete picked up two honors for his game-winning goal against No. 6 Clemson On Oct. 26 at Ludwig Field. Buete was named co-ACC player of the week as well as being picked to the College Soccer News Team of the Week honors. Maryland's Buete shared ACC honors with North Carolina's Ryan Kneipper.
Buete redirected the game-winning goal to lift the Terps over No. 6 Clemson 1-0. The native of Bowie, Md., recorded his second goal of the season with 4:17 remaining in the game. He now has 11 points this season off two goals and seven assists.
Beginner's Skill, Not Luck Grabs Diaz Honors
Erwin Diaz (Washington, D.C.) earned ACC Player of the Week honors the week of Sept. 23 after leading the Terrapins to a 2-0 record. Diaz netted three goals en route to victories over William & Mary (4-1) and No. 20 Duke (3-0). The freshman forward scored the Terps' first and third goals against William & Mary and the second goal in the victory over the Blue Devils. Diaz has four goals and two assists on the season.
Diaz also earned Maryland Student-Athlete of the Week for his performances against William & Mary and Duke as well as his performance in the classroom.
For Terp, Life Is Good
Terps' sophomore defender Clarence Goodson (Springfield, Va.) was named to the Soccer America Team of the Week after playing to solid games for the Terps the week of Sept. 16-22, highlighted by an assist on Maryland's third goal against Duke. Maryland shut out the Blue Devils for the defense's third shutout of the then eight-game old season and second ACC win. Goodson has three goals and four assists this season for Maryland.
Stammler Gets Honors
The Defensive MVP of the Maryland/FILA Classic, Seth Stammler was named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week for the week ending Sept. 8 for his efforts. Stammler and the Terps captured a 2-1 win over Penn State on Sept. 6 as well as a 4-1 victory over Virginia Commonwealth on Sept. 8 to clinch the 2002 Maryland/FILA Classic.
In addition to pacing a defense that gave up two goals on the weekend, Stammler added two assists to the offensive efforts for the tournament champion Terps. His assist in game one of the tourney vs. Penn State was on Sumed Ibrahim's game-winning goal in the 36th minute. Stammler's second assist of the weekend led to the Terps' first goal of the day against VCU.
Pensky and Former Cav Causey Join Terps
There are two new faces on the Terrapin sideline this season in Brian Pensky and Jeff Causey. Pensky was most recently at Loyola, where he was an assistant coach for the Greyhounds' women's soccer team. Pensky also served a stint at George Washington as an assistant and brings a wealth of club and ODP coaching from both the men's and women's side.
A Virginia graduate, Causey was on 1996 MLS Champions DC United, and most recently played for the New England Revolution. At UVa, Causey earned third-team All-American accolades in goal in 1993, the same year the Cavaliers won their third NCAA and ACC championship in a row. Causey still holds several of Virginia's goalkeeping records including the single-season record for saves (88 saves in 1990) and the career records for saves (249), shutouts (27), minutes played (7,050) and games played (77).
The duo replaces Sasho Cirovski's longtime assistant coach Jeff Rohrman, who left in the spring to take a head coaching job at Wisconsin.
Terrapin Tri-Captains
Three Terps take over the role of captain this year: Scott Buete, Seth Stammler, and Abe Thompson. Buete, a redshirt-junior, has started 60 of the 63 games he has played for Maryland and has seven goals and 20 assists. The Bowie, Md., native has played everywhere from striker to attacking midfielder to a defensive midfield position in his four years as a Terp and redshirted his sophomore year after breaking a bone in his foot.
Stammler, no stranger to position changes himself, has transitioned from being a striker to a marking back last year and now has taken the reigns of the central defense with the departure of All-American Beckett Hollenbach (1998-2001). A junior from Gahanna, Ohio, he has seven career goals and eight assists in 48 starts and 58 appearances. He started every game both this season and last for Maryland and has four assists in 2002.
Thompson is the youngest captain, only a sophomore in eligibility, but has still been with the Terps for three years. The striker from nearby Fairfax, Va., was the Terps' leading scorer in 2000 with 31 points off 13 goals and 5 assists in 20 starts. He took off the 2001 season with a broken foot.
Five Terps on ACC 50th Anniversary Team
The UM men's soccer team placed five alums on the ACC's 50th Anniversary team. The 55-member team was voted on by the seven league institutions that sponsor the sport.
Among Maryland's honorees were 1990 World Cup starter Desmond Armstrong (1982-85), MLS's current leading scorer Taylor Twellman (1998-99), and Leo Cullen (1995-97), who was the No. 1 overall pick in the MLS draft coming out of college. 2000 Olympian Danny Califf (1998-99) and Maryland's all-time assists leader Keith Beach (1995-98) rounded out the Terps' honorees.
Clemson led all league schools with 13 members on the Golden Anniversary team while Duke and Virginia were tied for second with 10 honorees each. NC State had nine players selected, followed by North Carolina (6), Maryland (5) and Wake Forest with two.
Desmond Armstrong, Maryland (1982-1985) A two-time All-ACC performer in 1984 and '85 ... Starter on the U.S. 1990 World Cup Team, the first-ever US World Cup qualifiers ... A standout in the U.S. Soccer program for most of the late 80s and early 90s.
Keith Beach, (1995-1998)... Helped lead the 1998 Terrapins to the national semifinals, the team's first since 1969 ... Maryland's all-time assists leader (35), he also owns a share of the single-season (14) and single-game (3) records ... a starter on Maryland's 1996 ACC Championship team, he led the team in assists that year with 11 ... a third-team NSCAA All-American in 1998, he was also a first-team All-American by College Soccer Online ... a three-time All-ACC pick, he was a first-team selection in 1998 and a second-team pick in both 1996 and '97 ... went on to play for the Miami Fusion of MLS ... also played on the U.S. Amateur team and the U-18 National Team.
Danny Califf, (1998-1999)... A starter on the Terps' 1998 national semifinal team ... A first-team All-ACC pick in 1999 ... Member of the US Olympic Team in 2000 that made it all the way to the bronze medal game ... Was drafted sixth overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 1999 MLS Superdraft ... As of Jan. 6, was in camp with the U.S. Under-23 team.
Leo Cullen (1995-1997)... Named second-team All-American in 1996 after leading the Terps to their first ACC championship in 25 years ... First-team All-American in 1997 ... ACC Player of the Year in 1996 ... Three-time first-team All-ACC pick 1995-97 ... A member of the US National Team and part of the third-place team at the World University Games ... He captained the Under-18 National Team ... Has played professionally for the Miami Fusion and the New England Revolution after being the No. 1 pick overall in the 1997 MLS draft ... Parade Magazine Player of the Year coming out of high school.
Taylor Twellman (1988-1989)... Maryland's Top 10 charts for single season goals (No. 8 with16, 1998), assists (No. 7 with 9, 1999), and points (No. 4 with 40, 1998 and No. 8 with 33 in 1999) ... also charted on the UM career lists for goals (No. 10 with 28), assists (No. 7 with 17) and points (No. 7 with 73) ... two-time All-ACC first team selection... selected 1998 Freshman Player of the Year and named to the All-Freshman team by Soccer America ... named to 1998 NCAA all-tournament team ... earned second team 1998 and 99 All-South Atlantic region honors ... second team All-America honors by College Soccer Online in 1998 and 1999 ... NSCAA third-team All-American in 1999 ... 1998 Freshman of the Year by College Soccer Weekly ... one of 20 players selected to play on 1998 U.S. U-20 National Team.
