Maryland Set To Take On UCLA
12/10/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 10, 2002
NCAA COLLEGE CUP
Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 13 ~ 5 p.m. ET LIVE ESPN2
#2 Seed Terps (19-4, 4-2 ACC) Vs.
#3 Seed UCLA (16-3-3, 8-2 PAC 10) at Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, Texas
Complete Release in PDF Format
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National Championship
Sunday, Dec. 15 ~ 4:30 p.m. ET LIVE ESPN
Winner Terps/UCLA vs.
Winner Creighton/Stanford at Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, Texas
Maryland's Quest for the College Cup
No. 2 seed Maryland (20-4) returns to the College Cup December 13 and 15 for the first time since 1998 and the second time under current head coach Sasho Cirovski. Bringing with them their highest win total in program history and a No. 1 ranking from Soccer America, Maryland will meet No. 3 seed UCLA on Friday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m. ET live on ESPN2. The winner will advance to meet the winner of the Creighton and Stanford game (8:30 p.m. ET) on Friday for the College Cup on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 4:30 p.m. ET. That game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Maryland vs. The Field
UM has only met its semifinal opponent UCLA one other time in program history. Last year in the Virginia Soccer Classic, the Terps got the 2-1 win in double overtime playing one man-up on a golden goal from Philip Salyer (2000-01).
Maryland hosted Creighton as part of its 2001 Maryland/FILA Classic Tournament on Sept. 7. Creighton left Ludwig Field with the win that day, grabbing a 2-1 win over host Maryland. Maryland has met Creighton one other time, in 1998 in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Terps took home the 3-2 win to secure their appearance in the College Cup that year. Both times the two teams have met, it has been at Ludwig Field.
The 1998 NCAA win over Creighton sent the Terps to Richmond, Va., for the College Cup where they squared-off against Stanford. The Cardinal eliminated the Terps 1-0, ending Maryland's championship dreams that year. The meeting was the only one between the two teams.
How They Got Here
The No. 2 seed Terps have the highest seed coming into the College Cup. Maryland defeated American, 1-0, in the second round before downing Saint Louis by the same score in overtime. No. 7 seed Connecticut was the Terps' last hurdle before Dallas. Maryland came out of the quarterfinals vs. the Huskies with a 3-0 win to reach the College Cup for the first time since 1998. All of UM's games were played at Ludwig Field.
No. 3 seed UCLA, Maryland's semifinal opponent, is the only other seeded team to make it through the field to Dallas. UCLA began with a 4-2 win over Loyola Marymount before defeating California in the third round, 3-2. Penn State was the last victim before the College Cup, falling 7-1 in Los Angeles.
After a bye, Creighton advanced to the third round with its 3-2 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, UM head coach Sasho Cirovski's alma mater, and took No. 4 seed St. John's down on their home field 1-0 in overtime to advance to the quarterfinals. The Blue Jays then dismantled No. 5 seed Boston College 6-2, making them the only team in Dallas to have knocked off two seeded teams en route to the College Cup.
Stanford started their journey to Dallas with a 0-0 tie against Portland, advancing on penalty kicks to the third round. The Cardinal survived overtime in the third round, beating Furman 2-1 in double overtime before downing the ACC's own Clemson 2-0 in Stanford.
Maryland's College Cup & NCAA History
Maryland is making its sixth appearance overall in the national semifinal game and are in the NCAA College Cup for the first time since 1998 when Maryland advanced to the national semifinals . In 1969, UM also made it all the way to the semifinals just one year after splitting the crown with Michigan State in 1968. 1960 and 1962 saw the Terps advance to the NCAA final, with the Terps sixth final four appearance coming in 1963. A complete NCAA Tournament history is included on the box on the right of this page.
UM Soccer America's #1 Team
Maryland is Soccer America's current No. 1 team in the country. The last time Maryland was ranked No. 1 was the week of Sept. 20, 1999. The year before, Maryland made it all the way to the NCAA national semifinals. The Terps spent one week in the top spot in 1999 before falling at Duke and sliding in the rankings. It was their only other No. 1 ranking by the publication.
Maryland All-Time In The NCAA Tournament
Maryland enters the 2002 NCAA College Cup with a 23-18 overall record and has one co-championship from when it split the crown with Michigan State in 1969, tying the Spartans 2-2 in the championship game. The Terrapins are 11-7 under head coach Sasho Cirovski in the NCAA Tournament with seven appearances since his arrival in 1993. The Terps also made it to the College Cup in 1998 under Cirovski.
Current Terps in the NCAA Tournament
Overall, the current Terps are 4-2 in NCAA tournament play. In 1999, Maryland was upset by St. John's 1-0. In 2000, the injury-ravaged Terps failed to make the NCAA postseason.
Last season, Maryland split 1-1, beating Notre Dame (1-0) and losing to Loyola (0-1, OT).
The Terps got off to a good start in this year's tournament after knocking off American 1-0 in the second round on a goal by Domenic Mediate (Southlake, Texas). Abe Thompson (Fairfax Station, Va.) and Nino Marcantonio (Bethesda, Md.) were credited with assists on the score. Mediate struck again in the third round game in overtime against Saint Louis to score the Terps' lone goal.
Mediate did it again against No. 7 seed Connecticut, scoring both Terrapin goals and bringing his NCAA goal total to four on the year. Seth Stammler (Gahanna, Ohio) was credited with an assist on Mediate's gamewinner vs. the Huskies.
Individual Terps in the NCAA Tournament
Six current Terrapins have scored points during their careers in the NCAA Tournament. Tri-captain Scott Buete (Bowie, Md.) scored Maryland's lone goal with 1:41 remaining to play in last year's opening round against Notre Dame. Ellis Welker (Sugar Land, Texas) provided the assist that sent the Terps into the second round where they eventually lost to Loyola 1-0 in overtime. Domenic Mediate lifted the Terps to the 1-0 second round victory when he found the net in the 53rd minute of action. Abe Thompson and Nino Marcantonio each picked up assists on the play for the Terps. Mediate scored again in overtime vs. Saint Louis in the third round and twice against UCONN to send the Terps to the College Cup. Seth Stammler earned an assist on Mediate's first goal of the day, the gamewinner, versus Connecticut.
Winning Ways
Maryland's 20 wins thus far are a program record for victories in a season. Previously the Maryland high was 16 in both 1998, the last year the Terps went to the national semifinals, and 1997, when the Terps made it to the ACC finals and the NCAA second round.
Don't Mess With Texans
Sophomore striker Domenic Mediate wanted to show the Terps his home state, and helped the team make the dream a reality. Mediate, a native of Southlake, Texas, has scored all four of the Terps' goals in the NCAA Tournament thus far and has six game-winning goals this season. Mediate has either scored a goal or had an assist in the past seven Terrapin games. The streak began on Nov. 8 with his golden goal against Mount St. Mary's, continued into the ACC tournament, and is current through Mediate's last two goals against Connecticut to advance the Terps to their College Cup meeting with UCLA Friday. Additionally, the Terps have gone into overtime three times this year with Mediate scoring two of the golden goals for Maryland to grab the win.
ACC Champions!
The Maryland Terrapins won the 2002 ACC Championship with a 3-0 victory over Virginia on Nov. 17 in Cary, N.C. The ACC title was the first for Maryland since the 1996 season when they defeated Virginia 2-0 in Charlottesville for the crown.
Abe Thompson was named ACC Tournament MVP after netting a hat trick in Maryland's 3-0 win over Virginia in the championship game. Nino Marcantonio, Domenic Mediate, Noah Palmer (Williamsburg, Va.), and Seth Stammler (Gahanna, Ohio) all earned all-tournament honors with Thompson for their performances.
Thompson scored five goals and one assist in the 2002 tournament en route to Maryland's first ACC title since 1996, including all three in the championship game. The striker broke the tournament record for goals in a tournament (5-previously 4 by Clemson's Wolde Harris, Maryland's Shane Dougherty, and Ben Olson from Virginia), tied the tournament record for goals in a game (3 vs. Virginia in the championship game- previously held by NC State's Ihor Dotsenko), and tied the record for points in a tournament (11- previously held by Virginia's Ben Olsen).
Terps in the Rankings
Maryland entered the NCAA tournament ranked No. 1 in the Soccer America poll and is also ranked No. 2 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. The Terps have spent 10 out of the past 11 weeks in the NSCAA's Top 10 and eight out of the past nine weeks in Soccer America's Top 10. Maryland is also No. 3 in the Soccertimes and CollegeSoccerNews polls. Ten of Maryland's opponents this season are ranked in the current NSCAA and Soccer America polls.
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 131-74-9 record during his years in College Park. Cirovski, a 1986 graduate of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is in his 12th year overall and has a 157-86-15 career record entering the NCAA tournament. Under Cirovski, the Terrapins have 131 wins, the 2002 ACC championship, a 1998 appearance in the national semifinals, and eight NCAA appearances. Maryland also 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 has been announced as one of the finalists for the Hermann Trophy, 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' fourth-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.
Maryland's 13 shutouts this season are a single-season record that goalkeepers Noah Palmer and Craig Salvati (West Chester, Ohio) can be proud of. Currently, Palmer is one shutout away from tying the individual record for shutouts in a season, tallying 11 thus far including three in the postseason. If the Terps can shutout UCLA, they will tie the record for consecutive shutouts, five, set in 1982, '86 and '99.
Terps Climbing All-Time Assists List
Two current juniors are climbing Maryland's chart for career assists. Sumed Ibrahim, paced by a 13-assist season last year, is tied for fourth place all-time with tri-captain Scott Buete and Shane Dougherty (1993-94). All three have 21 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. Abe Thompson is not far behind with 13 career assists.
Thompson Rises on Single-Season Charts
Redshirt-sophomore Abe Thompson is climbing the Maryland list for single-season goals mark. Thompson is currently tied for the No. 10 spot. Thompson enters the College Cup's game just one goal shy of the No. 9 spot where Shane Doughtery (1996) currently sits with 15 goals.
On the single season points chart, Thompson is currently tied for seventh with 36 points (14 goals and 8 assists). Thompson is two points away from the No. 6 spot, where Rocco Morelli's 1969 season is.
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 2.42 goals per game going into the College Cup. Four Terrapins have scored six or more goals this season and 20 or more points. 13 different Terps have found the back of the net. All told, 15 Maryland players have contributed to the offense this season.
Here When You Need 'Em
Timing is key in soccer whether it's timing runs to the goal or timing crosses to meet them. For Maryland, Abe Thompson, Sumed Ibrahim, and Domenic Mediate have been there when the Terps have needed them most. Responsible for 17 of Maryland's 20 gamewinners, the trio is undoubtedly who to watch when the game is on the line.
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.
This season, sophomore midfielder Domenic Mediate earned his stripes in Maryland's thrilling 1-0 NCAA second round victory over American. The score was 10th of the season for the Lone Star State native, who went on to add 11, 12 and 13 in the next two rounds of the tournament.
Abe Thompson has also been one of the Terps most consistent performers in 2002 and it was evident was once again against American. The score notched at zero, Thompson and teammate Nino Marcantonio combined to find Mediate for the gamewinner. The assist was the eighth and ninth of the season for dynamic duo.
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 21 points in 23 games and a team-leading six gamewinners. Last season, Sumed was Maryland's top scorer with 31 points on nine goals and 13 assists.
Honest Abe
The 2002 ACC MVP after posting a hat trick in the championship game vs. Virginia, UM's Abe Thompson is continuing what he started his freshman year when he led the Terrapins in scoring with 31 points. Through 24 games, Thompson has 14 goals and eight assists to lead the Terps in scoring again this year.
The redshirt-sophomore has netted the gamewinner in five games, three times 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 twice, the first time for his gamewinner against NC State and the second for his ACC tournament performance.
Stammer Earns Verizon Academic Honors
Maryland tri-captain Seth Stammler has received Verizon Academic All-District honors and third-team national 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 five assists this season while anchoring one of the nation'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 12 points this season off two goals and eight 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 64 of the 67 games he has played for Maryland and has eight goals and 21 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 nine assists in 51 starts and 61 appearances. He started every game both this season and last for Maryland and has five 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.
