Dec. 7, 2003

Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski
Opening statement:
"This was the greatest comeback in my history here. Our team showed incredible composure and discipline. We opened up and played very well in the first half against the wind and still created a lot of chances. Unfortunately, we gave up two goals the first two times that St. Louis had the opportunity to get in our box. I was so impressed with the way they handled it. No heads went down-there was tremendous composure out there and great leadership. Guys were picking their heads up and you knew things were going to happen for them."

"I wanted to bring Nino in earlier, but the team was playing so well, despite being down 2-0. Nino is our best server of the ball and in this particular game, we thought that would be incredibly important. We thought at the beginning of the game that we would have an advantage in the air.

"When we went in at halftime, we felt like we were in very good position. We've been terrific at starting the second half and today was no different. The guys came out on fire. That response was as good as it gets. After that, I felt that we really controlled the game."

On physical play in game:
"It's not surprising to see a very competitive, combative ending in a game that has a finale like this one. I was surprised and disappointed that it got to that level. I think both of these teams are known for their soccer-playing abilities and I think today there was a bitter edge."

"There's no doubt that, at the beginning of the year, anything less than getting back to the College Cup would be a disappointment for this team. I've made that clear before and don't mind saying that. This team is very focused and we know what we want. We're going to go there and give it our best shot this weekend.

"I want to give St. Louis a lot of credit. I mean this with great sincerity because they're known as a very good soccer team. I think this is going to a team to watch over the next 2-3 years because they have a lot of tremendous freshmen out there. They're going to be a great team and I want to wish them good luck."

Clarence Goodson
On the team's deficit:
"No panic at all. We know we're a good team. We can come back. We just had to play our game and keep our composure. We were playing great soccer when they scored on those two opportunities. They got fairly lucky, but I really felt like we were all over them and it was just a matter of time before we were going to put one in the back of the net."

Senior forward Nino Marcantonio
On three assists
"I just played with my strengths. When I go in there, I just have to look for good balls to play. That's what I'm good at-corners, free kicks, moving the ball up as quickly as I can. When I play with my strengths, good things happen ... I just try to whip in the balls and we got two quick goals, which lifted our spirits in the second half. We came out on fire."

Saint Louis back Nick Gannon
On game as a whole:
"It was a hard-fought game. It didn't go the way we wanted. I thought our team played hard for 90 minutes, but in the end, they had more goals than we did. They were up 4-2 and they're moving on to the final four."

On being up 2-0 in the first half
"A 2-0 lead is never safe, even when you have the ball in their end ... It was just a couple minutes in the first half and a matter of seconds in the second half, time wise. They just capitalized on our minor mistakes. Everything is details at that level."

Saint Louis midfielder Kevin Wickart
On rough play in second half
"This is the elite 8, and at the same time, I see us being just as hard. Sometimes, off the ball, you have to go with everything you've got-especially when you're losing. I don't think they played any dirtier than we did. It was just intense. That's all it was."

Junior goalkeeper Martin Hutton
On field conditions
"A couple of our players slipped. I think they had a couple guys slip too, so that goes both ways. Nobody really had an advantage. I don't think it was a huge part of the game.

"We thought that we played the best we could and like Gannon said, the end result was 4-2 and we go home and they go to the final four."

Saint Louis freshman midfielder Will John
On being down 4-2 in the second half
"We've been down before. I mean, it wasn't that big. We knew we had to step it up soon to get back in the game, but being down 4-2, I don't think anyone quit or dropped their heads thinking that we were out of it. The boys will fight, and that's what we did."

St. Louis head coach Dan Donigan
Opening statement
"This is very disappointing. One of the players just said, 'If you don't win a national championship, then your season usually ends with a loss.' That's really difficult to swallow-so many things go through your mind, factored into us coming out on the losing end. I'm very proud of our. I thought we did everything we could, considering the conditions. I give Maryland an awful lot of credit. They are a very good team. They're going back to the College Cup now and I'm sure they have a bit of a taste in their mouth about last year's final four, so I wish them good luck in their efforts to win next weekend in Columbus."

On thoughts during game
"The 37-minute mark to the 47-minute mark. 10 minute lapse where we gave up four goals. They were very dangerous in those re-start situations with Goodson and Bertz. They have great servers of the ball. Anything can happen. Early on in the game, we had some good bounces and were up 2-0, but later on, it kind of shifted a little bit and they made good on their chances and their opportunities. You just have to credit them with that and not blame anything else."

On being up 2-0
"You're never satisfied until that last whistle blows. We were happy to be up 2-0, but at the same time, Maryland was knocking it and moving it and they were playing good soccer. You just know inevitably sometimes the tide shifts and it shifted, and they made good on their opportunities. At no point were we really content with a 2-0 lead, no matter how much time's left. They are a very dangerous team."

On Nino Marcantonio
"Nino is a great player. Every guy Sasho brings off the bench has some sort kind of factor into the mix. He's very talented-has a great left foot. He's very busy. He just makes things happen. In conditions like this, guys are slipping and sliding all over, and with his active runs off the ball, he creates all sorts of problems for the defense."