Game Notes -- Maryland And St. John's Vie For A Spot In The Finals
12/11/2003 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 11, 2003
Game Notes
| Live Stats | NCAA Audio | Traveling With The Terps
Columbus, Ohio - Second-seeded Maryland looks to take care of some unfinished business this weekend at the College Cup in Columbus, Ohio. The Terps (20-2-1) will face St. John's (16-5-3) in the national semifinals on Friday, Dec. 12, at 5 p.m. The game will be televised live by ESPN2.
The Terps return to the College Cup for the second consecutive season. Maryland was eliminated by eventual national champion UCLA a season ago.
The Terps advanced to the College Cup rallying past Saint Louis, 4-2. Maryland fell behind 2-0, but scored four goals in just over 11 minutes to roar past the Billikens. Three of the four goals were scored on corner kicks, and Nino Marcantonio chipped in three assists to help Maryland advance to the Final Four. Maryland's four goals were its most in an NCAA Tournament game since 1994.
The Red Storm also had to come back from down two goals to get to Columbus, and did so while playing a man down for the majority of the match. Chris Wingert had an assist and converted on a penalty kick to help St. John's defeat Creighton, 3-2.
The winner of Maryland-St.John's match will play the winner of Santa Clara-Indiana on Sunday, Dec. 14, for the national championship. That game will also be televised live by ESPN2, with kickoff at 2 p.m.
College Cup Notes
* Maryland is making its eighth appearance in the College Cup. Head coach Sasho Cirovski has led the Terps to three trips in the last five seasons.
* The Terp roster has a combined total of 128 games of NCAA Tournament experience. A.J. Herrera, Sumed Ibrahim and Scott Buete have each played in 10 NCAA Tournament games at Maryland.
* Maryland is in its 23rd appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps are 26-21-2 all-time and earned a co-national title with Michigan State in 1968.
* Cirovski is in his ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament in 11 seasons as head coach of the Terps. Cirovski is 14-7-1 in the NCAA Tournament at Maryland.
* The Terps' 20 victories ties the school record they set last season.
* On the way to the College Cup, second-seeded Maryland defeated Old Dominion (2-1), Akron (1-0) and Saint Louis (4-2).
* Ohio natives Seth Stammler (Gahanna), Kenney Bertz (Liberty Township) and Craig Salvati (West Chester) are returning to the Buckeye State to play in the College Cup.
* Maryland is 10-1-1 against teams in the NCAA Tournament this year. The Terps own two wins over NC State, a tie against Virginia (although they lost in penalty kicks) and lost to North Carolina.
* Maryland's shootout against Virginia was just the second in school history. The other came in the NCAA Tournament against James Madison in 1995 (which the Terps lost, 4-3).
Storylines
* The Terps are in search of their first national title since 1968.
* Maryland lost just one player on its roster from last year's College Cup team. The Terrapins have over 120 games of NCAA Tournament experience on their roster.
* Maryland was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by the Red Storm in 1999. Fifth-year seniors Sumed Ibrahim, Scott Buete and A.J. Herrera played in that match.
* The Red Storm and Terrapins have met just twice in history, with St. John's taking both games.
* Nino Marcantonio has five NCAA Tournament assists, including three in the quarterfinals against Saint Louis.
* Maryland has not been outshot in any match this season.
* The Terps are 3-4 all-time in national semifinal matches. Maryland's last semifinal win was 1968, the year it tied Michigan State for the NCAA title.
Tale Of The Tape
Terps Opponents
Goals 49 13
Goals/game 2.11 0.56
Shots 453 187
Shots/game 19.7 8.1
Assists 54 10
Assists/game 2.35 0.44
Penalty kicks 6-8 1-2
St. John Notes
* St. John's is led by senior Chris Wingert. The two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year has four goals to go with four assists in 2003, including the game-tying penalty kick agianst Creighton in the quarterfinals.
* Wingert and Maryland defensive standout Seth Stammler are both First Team Academic All-Americans.
* The Red Storm will be without Chris Leidner against the Terps. Leidner was handed a red card against Creighton, which also carries a one-game suspension.
* Simone Salinno paces the team offensively, with 14 goals and three assists (31 points).
* The Red Storm own a 2-0 lead in the all-time series. St. John's defeated Maryland in 1999, 1-0, at Ludwig Field. Sumed Ibrahim, A.J. Herrera and Scott Buete all played in that match.
* Its other win in the series came in 1994, in Jamaica, N.Y., by a 2-0 score.
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 13 goals and three assists for 29 points, far surpassing his totals as a freshman (3g, 1a, 7 pts.).
* Garey, who scored 73 goals in one high school season, has scored in each of Maryland's NCAA Tournament games. His goal against Akron was the game-winner.
Abe Back Up Front
* Junior striker Abe Thompson missed most of the second half of the season due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, but has returned up front in the NCAA Tournament.
* The Hermann Trophy semifinalist had a dominant performance in the first half against Old Dominion registering an assist, and scored the first NCAA Tournament goal of his career against Saint Louis. His presence gives the Terps a tremendous 1-2 finishing punch with Jason Garey.
* Thompson did not play from Oct. 8 (Georgetown) to Nov. 14 (NC State, ACC Tournament). He has five goals and five assists injust 14 matches this season.
Super Sumed
* 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 16 matches, the Hermann Trophy semifinalist has scored seven goals and tallied five assists for 20 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, Ohio State and Akron. He is now in sole possession of seventh all-time in points at Maryland with 78.
Oh, Nino!
* Senior reserve Nino Marcantonio has come up big in the NCAA Tournament for the Terps. Marcantonio has seen more action due to the injury to Domenic Mediate.
* The Bethesda, Md., native has five assists in the Terps' run to the College Cup, including three against Saint Louis in the quarterfinal.
* Marcantonio's 10 assists lead the team.
Noah Notes
* Junior goalkeeper Noah Palmer needs just two 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 25 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 0.54.
* Palmer recorded three shutouts in four NCAA Tournament matches last year. His career GAA in the NCAA Tournament is 0.64 (six goals allowed in 750 minutes). He now has five career NCAA Tournament shutouts (one in 2001, three in 2002 and one in 2003).
Last Year In The College Cup
* The University of Maryland's season came to a close in Dallas, Texas, when the Terps suffered a 2-1 loss to UCLA in the national semifinal game.
* No. 3 seed UCLA, started the scoring in the 74th minute, when forward Matt Taylor got free down the left side of the field, and finished a cross from Adolfo Gregorio. Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski was ejected with a red card moments after the goal, but the Terps came back to tie the game less than five minutes later.
* No. 2 seed Maryland knotted it at one goal each in the 80th minute on a beautiful shot that first team NSCAA All-American Sumed Ibrahim split two defenders with and fitted into the top-left corner. The goal was the first for Sumed since the North Carolina game on Oct. 5.
* The gamewinner for UCLA was a Gregorio penalty kick awarded after forward Cliff McKinley got tied up in the box by Maryland goalkeeper Noah Palmer with 8:01 remaining to play.
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 32 in a row when scoring two goals (and tied once to Wake Forest on September 30, 2001), including NCAA Tournament wins over Old Dominion (2-1) and Saint Louis (4-2).
* The last time the Terrapins fell after scoring two goals was October 28, 2000, against Clemson.
* In the NCAA Tournament, Maryland has not lost when scoring two goals since 1994. (Maryland did tie, 2-2, against James Madison in 1995 and then failed to advance in the shootout. That much is officially recorded as a tie.) The Terps are 7-0-1 when scoring two goals in the NCAA Tournament since 1995.
* The Terps have only surrendered two goals twice this season.
Gimmie One!
* Maryland is 20-0-1 when scoring at least one goal this season. The only blemish to that record came in the ACC finals when the Cavaliers rallied to bring the match to a 1-1 draw.
* Both of Maryland's losses this season have come on 1-0 scores to North Carolina and Bucknell.
Maryland Rallies Past Saint Louis
* After falling behind early 2-0, the Maryland Terrapins scored four goals in 11 minutes for a 4-2 win over Saint Louis in the NCAA Quarterfinals Sunday afternoon at Ludwig Field.
* The Billikens got on the board on a tremendous score by Alex Matteson. Matteson was running toward the goal when the ball bounced behind him, but Matteson was able to flick his heel back and kicked the ball forward for the score at 6:46.
* The Terps had a good chance to knot the score at 1-1, Martin Hutton saved A.J. Herrera's penalty kick in the 20th minute after a hand ball was called on Cooper McKee in the box. Saint Louis pushed its lead to 2-0 in the 32nd minute mark after Kevin Wickart put in a rebound off a corner kick by Will John.
* Needing a score to get back into the game before the half ended, the Terps went to Nino Marcantonio off the bench. Marcantonio countered the second Billiken goal just four and a half minutes later after his corner kick found the head of Clarence Goodson, who tallied his third goal of the season.
* The Terps were able to register another score before the half ended and tied the score at 2-2, again off a Marcantonio corner kick. This time, Goodson's header attempt was blocked by the Billikens, but the rebound found Abe Thompson who finished the ball into the lower right corner.
* Maryland started the second half with as much offensive pressure as it ended the first with. It took the Terps just 58 seconds into the second frame to take the lead for good, and it again came off a set play, but this time it started with a corner kick from A.J. Herrera. Herrera's corner sailed high into the air, and Kenney Bertz was able to finish with a header for what would prove to be the game-winner. The goal was Bertz's third of the year, and all of them have come off set plays from Herrera.
* The Terps tacked on an insurance goal less than two minute later when Jason Garey finished a through ball sent by Seth Stammler. Garey, from 17 yards out, fired the ball past Hutton into the lower right corner for the game's final score. Marcantonio was also credited for his third assist of the game on that goal.
* The four Maryland goals were scored just 11:09 apart.
Familiar Faces
* The Terps' starting lineup from the 2002 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.
* Domenic Mediate, a starter throughout the playoffs last season, is out of the lineup with a broken collar bone.
Some Halftime Speech!
* Known for his fiery attitude, head coach Sasho Cirovski knows how to motivate his team, especially during the halftime intermission.
* The Terrapins have scored 10 goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half this season, a sign of their offensive persistence out of the locker room. Maryland has come back from halftime deficits in two games this season, and have broken a tie at the half to go on to victory in six of eight matches this season.
The Last Time...
... won an NCAA semifinal: 1968
... won the NCAA title: 1968
... won the ACC regular season title: 1971
... lost a home game: Nov. 4, 2003 (vs. Bucknell, 1-0)
... gave up two goals: Dec. 7, 2003 (vs. Saint Louis, a 4-2 win)
... 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)
... went to overtime: Nov. 16, 2003 vs. Virginia
... won in overtime: Dec. 1, 2002, vs. Saint Louis (1-0)
... lost in overtime: Nov. 25, 2001, vs. Loyola
... tied: Nov. 16, 2003 vs. Virginia (1-1)
If Maryland Wins...
* The Terps will play for the national championship on Sunday at 2 p.m.
* It will have 21 wins on the season, a school record.
* It will mark the first win over St. John's in school history.
* The Terps will be in the NCAA finals for the first time since 1968.
If Maryland Loses...
* The Terps will end their season at 20-3-1.
* It will mark their fourth straight semifinal loss.
* It will remain winless against St. John's.
* It will mark the last game for seniors Seth Stammler, Sumed Ibrahim, Scott Buete, Bryan Vitagliano, A.J. Herrera and Nino Marcatonio.
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, Erwin Diaz and Nino Marcantonio are more than capable of finding the back of the net.
* Thirteen different players have netted goals for the Terps this season, and 15 players (including all 11 regulars) have notched at least one assist.
* With the Terps' Domenic Mediate on the shelf and the questionable health of Abe Thompson, Maryland will have to rely on their depth to continue their run to title.
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 210 of the 2,090 total minutes, or just over nine percent of the entire season. The Terps trailed for 39 minutes against Saint Louis, their only deficit in the NCAA Tournament.
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 12 of 22 opponents and are threatening the team record for shutouts in a season (13) that the unit set last season. Prior to the match against Akron, Maryland had not shutout its opponent in its last three matches, its longest shutout drought in the season.
* Only 11 goals have been scored on the Terrapins in 2,000 minutes of action.
PK's Are OK
* Maryland is a 6-8 on penalty kick attempts this season, with the only blemishes coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps failed to convert PK opportunities against Old Dominion and Saint Louis.
* A.J. Herrera is 3-4, while Nino Marcantonio has converted two and 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.
* However, Maryland was defeated 7-6 in the ACC finals in a shootout. After the Virginia and Maryland each converted on 3-of-5 attempts, the Cavaliers prevailed in sudden-death PK's.
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 23 matches, Maryland outshot its opponents by a whopping 453-187 margin and have not been out-shot in a game all season.
* In two NCAA Tournament matches, Maryland holds a 66-27 advantage in total shots.
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; All-ACC Tournament
* 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; All-ACC Tournament; Verizon Academic All-American First Team
* 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; All-ACC Tournament
* 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; All-ACC Tournament
* 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 79-26-4 at Ludwig since the facility opened in 1995.
* 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
* Maryland is 5-1 against ranked opponents in 2003, notching victories over No. 15 Furman, No.1 UCLA, No. 16 Wake Forest, No. 15 Akron and No. 4 Saint Louis, 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 semifinalist is tied for fifth all-time in career goals (32) and fourth in points (82). 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 18 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 four players that make life a little easier for the forwards in Scott Buete, Sumed Ibrahim, A.J. Herrera and Abe Thompson.
* All four 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 eight assists this season has vaulted him into fifth all-time with 22 career assists. Thompson is currently eight on that list with 18 career helpers.
So We Meet Again...
* With its match against Saint Louis, Maryland faced four of its five opponents from last year's NCAA Tournament. The Terps are 4-0 in the rematches this season.
* This season, Maryland has played NC State and Virginia twice. The Terps are 1-0-1 in rematches this season.
Terp Lineups
* With injuries along the Maryland front line and midfield, Terp head coach Sasho Cirovski has been forced to use 12 different starting lineups in the Terps' 23 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, Mediate
* Clemson, Virginia, Bucknell, NC State (ACC), Virginia (ACC) (3-1-1):
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
* Old Dominion (1-0):
Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Lancos, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Thompson, Garey, Mediate
* Akron (1-0):
Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Garey, Marcantonio
* Saint Louis (1-0):
Palmer, Stammler, Rodway, Bertz, Lancos, Sumed, Herrera, Buete, Goodson, Thompson, Garey
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 nine NCAA Tournament berths to go along with numerous school records.
* Cirovski, a 1985 graduate of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has amassed a 176-89-16 record in 13 seasons of coaching Division I soccer, including a 150-77-10 record at Maryland. He is the second-winningest coach in school history, trailing only legendary coach Doyle Royal.
* 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.
The Crew At The Crew
* Maryland's fan support in 2003 has been tremendous, both at home and on the road.
* Nearly 50 fans came to watch the Terps play in both the semifinals and the finals of the ACC Tournament.
* The Terps will also be sending a fan bus to Columbus, Ohio, filled with members of "The Crew," as the loyal soccer fans refer to themselves as.
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.
Countdown To Kickoff
1968
The first and only year that Maryland won a national title
453
Shots taken by Maryland this season in 23 games
151
Wins at Maryland for head coach Sasho Cirovski
109
Goals scored by Maryland over the past two seasons, secondmost in school history
128
Games of NCAA Tournament experience on the Maryland roster
88
Career NCAA starts on the Maryland roster
40
Wins by Maryland over the past two seasons
29
Points by Jason Garey this season, a team-best
20
The school record for wins, which Maryland tied when it defeated Saint Louis
16
Wins by the Terps this season when tied or leading at the half
12
Different starting lineups used by Maryland this season
3
Maryland players that faced St. John's in 1999.
2
Appearances by Maryland in the College Cup in the last two seasons
0
Times that Maryland in 2003 has lost when scoring at least one goal
