Traveling With The Terps
12/10/2003 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 10, 2003
Columbus, Ohio - The Maryland men's soccer team took flight to the Buckeye State on Wednesday afternoon to participate in the 2003 College Cup. It's the second consecutive year the Terps have advanced to soccer's final four, and it's evident. All the players are calm, cool, relaxed and excited about Friday's semifinal against St. John's at 5 p.m. (The game will be televised live by ESPN2.)
The bus departed the Varsity Team House at 7:15 a.m. to catch the flight out of BWI. The guys decided to travel in their suit and ties for the banquet Thursday night so that they would not have to pack them and get wrinkled. These guys are ordinarily outfitted in shorts or sweats, and some feel a bit awkward dressed up. Standout sophomore Jason Garey keeps his shirt untucked to maintain some sort of comfort level. But the team looks sharp -- the Terps travel in style.
The plane lands in Columbus 10:40 a.m., and the Maryland bus is there to pick the team up. The drive to the hotel only takes less than 20 minutes. The Terps are treated to a warm welcome at the hotel, as the staff played the fight song and has a banner for them as they enter.
The team goes immediately to lunch in the hotel at around noon. The adidas rep drops by at lunch and adds to their NCAA gift of a College Cup bag, shirt and knit cap.
The Terps load the bus at 2:15 p.m. to head to training. The rain has been consistent all evening, so the Terps opt for an indoor facility. Senior Seth Stammler, a native of Gahanna, Ohio (just outside Columbus), gives directions to the "Sports Barn." He recalls some pick-up games and other times he trained there during his high school career.
As the team gets ready to unload, they realize that the soccer balls are back at the hotel. Before the balls arrive at the facility, the Terps make due with some old balls that Sports Barn provides them and some running and stretching. After training, the real competition begins as the players try to kick a ball into a trash can about 25 yards away. Siba Mohammed sets the bar by making it, and that only fuels the intensity. Craig Salvati eventually drains an attempt, but Stammler and head coach Sasho Cirovski keep trying, but to frustrating results. There are about 20 "last one" shots before the last few guys are persuaded to get on the bus so they can still make dinner at a decent hour. They would have stayed all night if they had the chance.
The bus returns to the hotel at 4:45 p.m. and the team quickly showers and heads to dinner at 5:15 p.m. Following dinner, the Terps return to the hotel at around 8 p.m., after Siba provides the bus with a little entertainment over the microphone on the bus. The rest of the night is spent in study hall, and since the team had to get up early to travel, it's an early night.
