Terps Set To Defend ACC Title
11/13/2003 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 13, 2003
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College Park, Md. --The second-ranked Maryland men's soccer team will look to defend its title this weekend at the ACC Tournament in Cary, N.C.
The Terps (16-2, 5-1) secured the tournament's top seed and earned a bye for the first time since the league began the postseason tournament in 1987. Maryland face NC State on Friday, Nov. 14, at 5:30 p.m.
More ACC Tournament Notes
* Head coach Sasho Cirovski is 9-8 in the ACC Tournament. He has directed the Terps to both of their postseason conference titles in 1996 and 2002.
* The Terps have never been the No. 1 seed at the ACC Tournament.
* Maryland is 6-10 in the quarterfinals, 3-3 in the semifinals, and 2-1 in the finals.
* Both of Maryland's wins in the finals came against Virginia. The Terps' lone loss in the finals also came against the Cavaliers.
* Maryland holds several team and individual records at the ACC Tournament. In 1996, the Terps set tournament records for goals (14), assists (13), points (41) and saves (17, tied with Virginia). Carmine Isaaco holds the tournament mark for saves in a game (17) and Keith Beach is one of three players to record four assists for the entire tournament.
* In seven of the 16 years of the ACC Tournament, the regular season champion has also gone on to win the tournament title.
* NC State has eliminated Maryland more than any other team in the field (five times).
* At the ACC Tournament, Maryland has not defeated any team more than twice.
* Virginia has the most ACC Tournament wins with 25. Maryland's 11 wins are fifth.
* The Terps have a three-match winning streak at the ACC Championships. The school record for consecutive ACC Tournament victories is five, set from 1996-97.
* Maryland's eight goals allowed this season is the lowest total since 1965.
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Storylines
* Maryland has never repeated as ACC tournament champions. * Maryland returns as the defending champion for the first time since 1997. Virginia eliminated Maryland in the semifinals that year. * One team (Virginia) has repeated as ACC Tournament champions. The Cavaliers won five consecutive from 1991-95 before the Terps ended their run in 1996. * The Terps are 11-13-1 all-time at the ACC Tournament. After tying NC State in 1987, the Wolfpack advanced on penalty kicks. * Maryland has made three appearances in the ACC Championship finals and is 2-1 when playing for the title.
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About The Tournament Field
One of the premiere soccer conferences in America, the ACC is home to three of the top 10 teams in the nation. However, the conference is not top heavy. All teams in the conference have at least two ACC wins. Here is a brief look at each team:
#2 Wake Forest -- The Demon Deacons suffered a major blow with the loss of All-America keeper William Hesmer, but Wake has been hot lately winners of 10 straight heading into the tournament. Scott Sealy and Jeremiah White are two of the conference's best players, and give the Demon Deacons plenty of scoring opportunities up front. The goalkeeping duties will now fall to Brad McEachern, who has given up one goal in 244 minutes of action this season.
#3 Virginia -- The Cavaliers have had an up-and-down season, but still had an opportunity to have the top seed heading into the final week of action. UVa has managed wins against UNC and Wake, but suffered tough losses on the road to Duke and NC State. Mike Littlefield and Adam Cristman help pace the Wahoos on offense, but Virginia has just 22 goals on the year. Ryan Best and Ryan Burke split time in the net for the UVa.
#4 North Carolina -- Youthful but extremely talented, the Tar Heels have stumbled a bit at the end of the season but are still one of the most dangerous teams in the league. Marcus Storey and Jamie Watson lead UNC in scoring, while the Tar Heel backline has the talent and experience to keep potent offensive attacks out of the net. North Carolina has extreme talent in goal, with freshman Justin Hughes and sophomore Ford Williams seeing significant time this season.
#5 NC State -- The Wolfpack proved to be one of the surprises in the ACC, winning two conference matches (ending its 22-match losing streak in the ACC) and earning a hard-fought tie against UNC. The Pack also registered their first winning season since 1997 with a 9-7-1 mark. Aaron King is among the ACC's best in scoring, having found the back of the net 11 times this season. Jorge Gonzalez has been solid in net for the Wolfpack, making 84 saves this season.
#6 Clemson -- The Tigers have been getting hot of late, winners of four of their last five heading into the ACC Tournament, including a shutout win over North Carolina. Clemson has played in 12 one-goal matches this season, winning eight of those contests. Charlie Roberts, Andre Borges and Paul Souders are the three Tigers in double-digit points, while Hunter Gilstrap and Phil Marfuggi have split time between the pipes for Clemson.
#7 Duke -- The Blue Devils are a testament to the depth in the ACC in 2003. Despite being the seventh seed, Duke owns impressive wins over UConn and Virginia, and suffered narrow defeats to national powers UC Santa Barbara and North Carolina. Nigi Adogwa, a two-time ACC player of the week, is tied for the league-lead with 11 goals and has 26 points. Blake Camp has also been a key to the Blue Devil offense, dishing out a team-best 10 assists. Justin Trowbridge shoulders the load in goal for Duke, sporting a 1.49 GAA heading into the tournament.
Last Time At the ACC Tournament
Buoyed by ACC Tournament MVP Abe Thompson, second-seeded Maryland defeated NC State, Clemson and Virginia on its way to its second ACC Tournament title and the program's first since 1996.
In the first game, the Terps handily defeated NC State 4-0. Domenic Mediate scored a goal less than two minutes into the match that proved to be all that Maryland would need. Thompson, Nino Marcantonio and Jason Garey all found the net for the Terps while Noah Palmer made one save for the shutout. The Terrapin back line allowed just six Wolfpack shots on the day.
In the semifinals, Maryland's Ian Rodway came up with the game-winner just two minutes into the first overtime to send the Terps to the finals with a 4-3 win over Clemson. Both offenses took control and powered to a back-and-forth game that resulted in what appeared to be the possible go-ahead goal for the Terps in the 74th minute off a Domenic Mediate shot from 25 yards out from Michael Dello-Russo's set-up pass.
The Tigers answered with 4:30 remaining in regulation when Steven Rhyne buried a strike to even the score at 3-3 and send the game into overtime. Maryland would not be denied the chance at the championship, however, and scored 2:18 into the overtime frame when Mediate assisted the game-winning goal for Rodway.
In the finals, Thompson exploded for a hat trick to lead Maryland to a 3-0 win over Virginia. The Terps' first goal came on a well-executed break that weaved passes through from the midfield to Mediate. Mediate touched the ball to Scott Buete, who found a cutting Thompson in the box. Thompson unleashed the shot that made it 1-0 Maryland 4:45 into the action.
In an unusual turn of events in the second half, Virginia keeper David Comfort hit Mediate on a restart. The ricochet found Garey, who fired it and triggered a handball situation in the box. Thompson buried the penalty kick for his fourth goal of the tournament and second of the day to put the Terps up 2-0 with just over 30 minutes remaining to play in the championship game.
Virginia's Matt Oliver fouled A.J. Herrera in the box in the 58th minute, resulting in a second penalty kick for the Terps. Thompson buried it again for the hat trick and the 3-0 Maryland win. Palmer preserved the win for the Terps with seven saves, including several finger-tip denials of the Cavs. The shutout was his eighth of the year.
Terps At the ACC Tournament
Here is how current Maryland players have fared at the ACC Tournament:
Abe Thompson: 6g, 1a, 13 pts. (2002 ACC Tournament MVP)
Domenic Mediate: 2g, 2a, 6 pts. (2002 All-Tournament Team)
Nino Marcantonio: 1g, 2a, 4 pts. (2002 All-Tournament Team)
Scott Buete: 0g, 2a, 2pts.
Michael Dello-Russo: 0g, 2a, 2 pts.
Jason Garey: 1g, 0a, 2 pts.
Clarence Goodson: 1g, 0a, 2 pts.
Ian Rodway: 1g, 0a, 2 pts.
Seth Stammler: 1g, 0a, 2 pts. (2002 All-Tournament Team)
Sumed Ibrahim: 0g, 1a, 1 pt.
Bryan Vitagliano: 0g, 1a, 1 pt.
A.J. Herrera: 0g, 0a, 0 pts.
Noah Palmer: 4GP/4GS, 18 saves, six goals allowed, 2 shutouts, 360 minutes, 1.50 GAA (2002 All-Tournament Team)
Maryland All-Time At ACC Tournament
Year Result, Score Opponent
1987 W, 2-1 (ot) Wake Forest
T, 0-0 NC State **
1988 L, 0-2 NC State
1989 W, 2-1 North Carolina
L, 0-1 Wake Forest
1990 L, 1-3 NC State
1991 L, 0-2 NC State
1992 L, 2-5 NC State
1993 L, 2-3 Duke
1994 L, 0-3 Clemson
1995 L, 3-4 North Carolina
1996 W, 7-0 NC State
W, 5-1 Wake Forest
W, 2-0 Virginia
1997 W, 4-2 Clemson
W, 4-2 Duke
L, 0-2 Virginia
1998 W, 2-0 North Carolina
L, 0-2 Clemson
1999 L, 0-2 Virginia
2000 L, 1-2 (ot) Duke
2001 L, 1-2 Clemson
2002 W, 4-0 NC State
W, 4-3 (ot) Clemson
W, 3-0 Virginia
** Maryland eliminated on PK's
Terps Earn Conference Recognition
Maryland men's soccer coach Sasho Cirovski was named the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coach of the Year for guiding the Terps to a 16-2 record and the regular season ACC title. The award is the first for Cirovski, who is in his 11th season at Maryland.
In addition to that honor, seven Terrapin players earned All-ACC recognition, including three on the first team: Scott Buete, Seth Stammler and Sumed Ibrahim.
Buete, a senior midfielder from Bowie, Md., was a second team All-ACC pick a season ago. This season, Buete has scored three goals and tallied three assists and proved to be one of the top two-way players in the nation.
Stammler, a senior defender from Gahanna, Ohio, also moved from the ACC Second Team last season onto the first team this year. Stammler, who has one goal and one assist from his center back position, has helped the Terps record 11 shutouts this season.
Sumed, a senior midfielder from Tamale, Ghana, became just the eighth player in Maryland history to be a three-time member of the first team. He is second on the team in scoring with seven goals and five assists for 17 points this season.
Goalkeeper Noah Palmer, defender Clarence Goodson and forwards Domenic Mediate and Abe Thompson earned All-ACC Second Team recognition. The seven All-ACC selections are the most in school history for Maryland. Six players earned all-conference honors in 1968.
Palmer After Terp Records
Junior goalkeeper Noah Palmer needs just three more shutouts to break the Maryland record for shutouts in a career, set by Dom Macina from 1985-1988. Macina had 27 shutouts for the Terps, while Palmer has amassed 24 so far in his career. Palmer is also on pace to break Macina's school record for goals-against average (GAA) in a season. Macina had a GAA of just 0.68 in 1985, yet Palmer's average is currently 0.41.
 Sumed Ibrahim has been one of Maryland's hottest players as of late. |
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Senior midfielder Sumed Ibrahim had a terrific start to the 2002 season, but struggled toward the end of the season. This season, it appears to be the exact opposite. Sumed battled injuries during the early portion of the season, but is showcasing his talents now that he is healthy again. In the last 11 matches, the Hermann Trophy candidate has scored seven goals and tallied four assists for 18 points. Sumed is living up to the role of the difference-maker, as two of his goals were game-winners (vs. Wake Forest and Penn State), and he assisted on the deciding goals against Georgetown, Penn and Ohio State. He is now tied for seventh all-time in points at Maryland with 76.
Familiar Faces
The Terps' starting lineup from the 2002 ACC Tournament and College Cup returns intact, although injuries may force the lineups to be adjusted slightly. In addition to having all 11 starters from last year's championship team, the Terps also return 12 reserves. The Terrapins lost just one player from last season and added freshman goaltender Keegan Riseling to round out the roster.
The Last Time...
... won the ACC regular season title: 1971
... earned the top seed in the ACC Tournament: Never
... repeated as ACC Tournament champion: Never
... lost a home game: Nov. 4, 2003 (vs. Bucknell, 1-0)
... gave up two goals: Oct. 8, 2003 (vs. Georgetown, 3-2)
... gave up three goals: Nov. 15, 2002 (vs. Clemson, a 4-3 win)
... scored four goals: Oct. 12, 2003 (vs. UConn, a 4-0 win)
... scored five goals or more: Aug. 30, 2002 (vs. Rhode Island, a 8-0 win)
... went to overtime: Dec. 1, 2002, vs. Saint Louis
... won in overtime: Dec. 1, 2002, vs. Saint Louis (1-0)
... lost in overtime: Nov. 25, 2001, vs. Loyola
... tied: Sept. 30, 2001 (against Wake Forest, 2-2)
Two Tremendous Seasons
The Terps' 36 wins over the past two seasons are the most in consecutive seasons at Maryland. The Terrapins won 32 matches in the 1997 and 1998 seasons, which had been the school record. Also, Maryland's 99 goals in 2002 and 2003 are fifth all-time in back-to-back seasons (the Terps scored 113 goals in 1963 and 1964 to set the school record).
Garey In Gear
Sophomore Jason Garey has done a more than adequate job of filling in for All-America candidate Abe Thompson. Garey is a tremendous scoring threat up front, constantly working to get in position in front of the net to make a play. He leads the team in scoring with nine goals and three assists for 21 points, far surpassing his totals as a freshman (3g, 1a, 7 pts.).
Maryland Notches 500 Wins
With its win over Wake Forest on September 24, the Maryland men's soccer team celebrated its 500th win in program history. Currently the Terps have a 507-263-66 record over 58 years of action, including one national championship (1968), 22 NCAA Tournament appearances and two ACC postseason championships. Head coach Sasho Cirovski has been on the sidelines for 146 wins, both ACC titles and eight NCAA Tournament berths, including two Final Fours. The accomplishment was recognized prior to the start of the match with Virginia.
Balanced Attack
While Maryland does feature some star players, one of the team's biggest strengths is its depth. If a team tries to take away Abe Thompson or Sumed Ibrahim, Jason Garey, Nino Marcantonio and Domenic Mediate are more than capable of finding the back of the net. Ten different players have netted goals for the Terps this season, and 15 players (including all 11 regulars) have notched at least one assist.
Gimmie Two!
When Maryland scores two goals in a game, you might as well chalk it up as a win for the Terps. Over the past two seasons, Maryland has not lost a match when it has scored at least two goals. During that span, the Terps have won 29 in a row when scoring two goals (and tied once to Wake Forest on September 30, 2001). The last time the Terrapins fell after scoring two goals was October 28, 2000, against Clemson.
Front Runners
When George Mason scored the first goal in the game on Wednesday, Sept. 24, it marked the first time all season (637 minutes) that the Terps had trailed in a game. Maryland trailed in the contest until the first minute of the second half and went on to win 5-1. Against North Carolina, the Terrapins fell behind (and remained behind) after North Carolina scored in the 68th minute. Penn became the third team to grab a lead against Maryland, but could only hold on to it for 23 minutes before the Terps tied the match. Bucknell scored in the second minute of its victory at Ludwig Field and made the early marker stand up. Maryland has trailed in just 171 of the 1,620 total minutes, or just over 10 percent of the entire season.
Terp Forwards Feared
The Terp front line was recently named as one of the most feared in the nation according to CollegeSoccerNews.com. The website commented that, "The Terps are loaded with talent. Juniors Abe Thompson and Domenic Mediate are prolific scorers. Nino Marcantonio, Jason Garey and Erwin Diaz add strength and skill to a group up-top that can make a case for being the best in the nation. Maryland plays a style of soccer that is pleasing to those who like to attack."
Shut 'em Down, Shut 'em Out
While Maryland certainly has some prolific scorers, the team can't lose if it doesn't give up a goal. The back line of team captain Seth Stammler, Clarence Goodson, Chris Lancos and Kenney Bertz--recognized by College Soccer News as one of the top back lines in the NCAA--have been nearly impenetrable all season. The group allows an average of eight shots a game, but more impressively, just over three shots on goal per game. The Terps have shut out 11 of 18 opponents and are threatening the team record for shutouts in a season (13) that the unit set last season. Only eight goals have been scored on the Terrapins in 1,620 minutes of action.
PK's Are OK
Maryland is a perfect 5-for-5 on penalty kick attempts this season. A.J. Herrera and Nino Marcantonio have converted two apiece, while Abe Thompson has accounted for the other.
In addition, three of those penalty kicks have turned out to be the game-winners. Thompson's PK against UCLA proved to be the difference in that matchup, while Herrera's conversion against NC State was the deciding goal in that match. Marcantonio's PK was all Maryland needed in a 4-0 win over UConn.
Ball Control
Maryland has been tremendous at controlling possession of the ball and dictating play through the regular season. In addition to the stout back line, the Terps' forwards and midfielders rarely give up the ball and constantly put pressure on opposing teams. In the 18 regular season matches, Maryland outshot its opponents by a whopping 344-144 margin and have not been out-shot in a game all season.
Honor Roll
Several Maryland players earned tournament, conference and national honors so far this season. Here is a rundown of the accolades earned by Terrapin players this season.
Scott Buete: Diadora Challenge All-Tournament Team (8/31/03); Maryland/adidas Soccer Classic Defensive MVP (9/7/03); College Soccer News National Player of the Week (9/8/03); Soccer America Team of the Week (9/10/03, 11/10/03); First Team All-ACC
Seth Stammler: Diadora Challenge Tournament MVP (8/31/03); Maryland/adidas Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team (9/7/03); College Soccer News Team of the Week (9/1/03); Soccer America Team of the Week (9/10/03); Academic All-District II Men's Soccer Team; First Team All-ACC
Sumed Ibrahim: Soccer America Team of the Week (10/1/03); College Soccer News Team of the Week (9/29); Maryland Student-Athlete of the Week (9/30); First Team All-ACC
Abe Thompson: ACC Player of the Week (9/7/03); Maryland Student-Athlete of the Week (9/22/03); Second Team All-ACC
A.J. Herrera: Diadora Challenge All-Tournament Team (8/31/03); Maryland/adidas Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team (9/7/03)
Ian Rodway: Diadora Challenge All-Tournament Team (8/31/03); Maryland/adidas Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team (9/7/03)
Clarence Goodson: Soccer America Team of the Week (9/17/03); Second Team All-ACC
Kenney Bertz: College Soccer News Team of the Week (10/12/03, 10/26/03); Soccer America Team of the Week (10/27/03)
Noah Palmer:Second Team All-ACC
Domenic Mediate: Academic All-District II Men's Soccer Team; Second Team All-ACC
Living Large At Ludwig
The Terps completed their first-ever perfect home record in 2002, compiling a 10-0-0 record. Maryland went on to win three more games at Ludwig Field in the NCAA Tournament as it advanced to the College Cup. Maryland had won 23 straight at Ludwig, with its last loss prior to the Bucknell defeat coming November 25, 2001, to Loyola.
Overall, head coach Sasho Cirovski's teams are an impressive 76-26-4 at Ludwig since the facility opened in 1995. For this season, Ludwig has a dramatic new look with bleachers behind each goal and signs that extend around the perimeter of the field to give it a true soccer stadium feel.
The Terrapins were fifth in the nation in total attendance (19,984) and seventh in the nation last season in average attendance (1,537), and have drawn an average of 2,018 so far this season. Ludwig Field has had two crowds of over 3,000 people this season: the record-setting 6,143 crowd for UCLA and the 3,647 fans for Wake Forest.
Rocking The Ranked
Three Terrapin opponents are currently ranked in the nation's top 25 according to the NSCAA poll. However, as many as seven were in the Top 25 poll at one point this year. So far, Maryland is 3-1 against ranked opponents in 2003, notching victories over No. 15 Furman, No.1 UCLA and No. 16 Wake Forest, but losing to No. 5 North Carolina.
Thompson Climbs Career Charts
Just a junior, striker Abe Thompson is making his mark on some of Maryland's significant offensive career records. The Hermann Trophy candidate is seventh all-time in career goals (31) and sixth in points (79). Cliff Crug is Maryland's all-time leading goal scorer with 45 and Eberhard Klein is the Terps' leading point scorer (109).
Thompson also has 17 assists in his career, which means he is now among the top 10 in all offensive categories at Maryland.
A Little Help From My Friends...
Scoring a goal is one of the hardest things to do in all of sports, and the Maryland soccer team is fortunate to have three players that make life a little easier for the forwards in Scott Buete, Sumed Ibrahim and A.J. Herrera. All three players are among the best in Terrapin history in dishing out assists, with Sumed ranking third with 26 career helpers, Buete ranking fourth all-time with 24 and Herrera's team high six assists this season has vaulted him into ninth all-time with 20 career assists.
In addition to those three, Abe Thompson is currently 11th on that list with 17 career helpers.
Loaded Schedule
A look at the Terrapin schedule is a "Who's Who" among the nation's elite. In addition to taking on the defending NCAA champions in UCLA, 13 other opponents on Maryland's schedule participated in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Further, six Terp opponents are ranked among the nation's top 25, according to the NSCAA/adidas Coaches' Poll. Head coach Sasho Cirovski believes that his team's schedule is among the toughest ever compiled in recent history.
"I want to make sure we find some weaknesses in our team during the season, and the only way we can do that is to play really good teams that can expose you," Cirovski says. "Then we use those moments to educate our team and get them to correct those things, so we are playing our best soccer in November and December."
So We Meet Again...
With its match against UConn, Maryland faced three of its four opponents from last year's NCAA Tournament in the regular season (UCLA and American were the others). The Terps are 3-0 in the rematches this season.
Terp Lineups
With injuries along the Maryland front line and midfield, Terp head coach Sasho Cirovski has been forced to use 10 different starting lineups in the Terps' 18 games. Here are the different starting lineups the Terps have utilized and their records in those games:
Furman, UCLA, NC State, Duke, Wake, North Carolina (5-1): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Thompson, Mediat
Clemson, Virginia, Bucknell (2-1): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Garey, Mediate
Butler, George Mason (2-0): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Thompson, Garey, Mediate
American (1-0): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Garey, Marcantonio, Mediate
Loyola (1-0): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Thompson, Garey, Mediate
Georgetown (1-0): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Marcantonio, Mediate
UConn (1-0): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Garey, Vitagliano, Mediate
Penn State (1-0): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Buete, Goodson, Garey, Marcantonio, Mediate
Penn (1-0): Salvati, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Buete, Goodson, Garey, Marcantonio, Mediate
Ohio State (1-0): Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Garey, Vitagliano, Mediate
Head Coach Sasho Cirovski
Maryland mentor Sasho Cirovski, the 2003 ACC Coach of the Year, has taken the Maryland men's soccer program to unparalled heights during his 11 seasons with the Terp program. Within his time at College Park, he has guided the Maryland squad to its only two ACC Tournament titles, the College Cup twice and eight NCAA Tournament berths to go along with numerous school records.
Cirovski, a 1985 graduate of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has amassed a 173-89-15 record in 13 seasons of coaching Division I soccer, including a 147-77-9 record at Maryland. He is the second-winningest coach in school history, trailing only legendary coach Doyle Royal.
If Maryland is able to win the ACC Tournament, Cirovski would have the fourth-most ACC titles in league history with three, trailing Royle (17), I.M. Ibrahim (11, Clemson) and Bruce Arena (9, Virginia).
In addition to all of the success of his Terrapin teams over the past 11 seasons, Cirovski has spent a great deal of time and energy making Ludwig Field into one of the most fan-friendly places in the nation, with seating very close to the field.
E-Mail Updates
For all results, scores and releases on the men's soccer team, sign up to be on the e-mail distribution list by sending an e-mail to Adam Zundell (azundell@umd.edu) with "Men's Soccer Info" in the subject line.
