Seeing Red
9/4/2003 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 4, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Buzz is a strange thing. It starts as a tiny message passed among a few people before growing into the topic discussed by everyone. Around College Park this week, the buzz has been about the primetime battle between No.1 UCLA and No.2 Maryland on Friday night at 8 p.m. Even more, the buzz has it that there will be so many fans wearing red t-shirts on Friday that it will look like Ludwig Field has erupted.
"Other than a positive result on the field, I would be honored if I looked up at the beginning of the game and saw a sea of red in the stands," Cirovski says. "The atmosphere of this crowd will be electric and unparalleled in college soccer this season. College soccer's finest will be on display and the fans will be the winners."
And the fans should be out in full force. The previous record for a men's game came in 1997 when 3,723 fans filled Ludwig to watch the Terps tie Virginia, but that high seems destined to fall with this contest between the nation's top-ranked teams. Over 2,700 fans came out to watch Terrapins' preseason game against D.C. United - an unprecedented amount for an exhibition game at Maryland.
"We know we are walking into a lion's den," UCLA head coach Tom Fitzgerald says of the anticipated crowd. "I understand that they are anticipating one of the largest crowds ever there, and I think it will be a great atmosphere. This will be great for college soccer.
"A lot of coaches would probably shy away from this game, but we know that the only way to get better is to play great competition, and Maryland and Virginia (UCLA's opponent on Sunday) are among the best in the country," he continued.
The fourth annual Maryland/adidas Soccer Classic gets underway at 5 p.m. with Virginia taking on American. The Terps and Bruins will then square off at 8 p.m. The soccer does not end Friday night, though, as UCLA will take on Virginia on Sunday at noon and Maryland will play American at 2:30 p.m.
For ticket information, contact the Maryland ticket office at 1-800-462-TERP.
