Men's Soccer Set To Host Villanova

Oct. 6, 2004

The Maryland men's soccer team looks to get back in the win column at home against Villanova on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m.

The Terps are winless in four games for just the second time under Sasho Cirovski. The last time Maryland went four games without a win was 1993 -- Cirovski's first season in College Park -- when the Terps finished the season seven losses and one tie.

Villanova had won five in a row before going 0-2-1 in its last three outings. Most recently, the Wildcats squandered a two-goal lead against Connecticut before settling for a 2-2 tie.

Maryland has not lost two consecutive games at Ludwig Field since early in the 2000 season.

The Terps fell out of the NSCAA Coaches' Poll for the first time since Sept. 3, 2002, after falling to Wake Forest on Saturday. However, the Terps are ranked 24th by Soccer America and 22nd by CollegeSoccerNews.com and SoccerTimes.com. Villanova was ranked 21st in the NSCAA poll on Sept. 20, but has since fallen from the rankings.

The Terps and Wildcats have met on the pitch just once. Maryland defeated Villanova, 4-0, back in 1997.

Live audio for the game against Villanova will be available on www.wmucsports.com. LiveStats will be available on the internet by visiting www.umterps.com.

Up Next: Maryland will continue through a tough stretch of games by facing North Carolina at home on Sunday, at 2 p.m.

The Week That Was

Maryland lost its third straight game, falling on the road to Wake Forest, 4-2, Saturday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Despite two goals from Domenic Mediate, the Terps surrendered four goals for the first time since the 2000 season. The goals were Mediate's first and second of the season.

Jason Garey added his team-leading seventh assist on Mediate's first score. Garey now has 27 points (10g, 7a).

The win snapped Maryland's 37-game winning streak when scoring at least two goals in a game. The last time the Terps were defeated when scoring at least two goals was Oct. 28, 2000, when they lost 3-2 to Clemson.

Two of Wake Forest's goals came on set pieces and another was scored on a penalty kick.

Noah Palmer played well in goal making five saves, but the four goals allowed was the most in his career at Maryland.

The Terps, who are used to dictating the pace of play, were unable to do so against the Deacons in the second half. Wake was constantly pressuring Maryland, outshooting the Terps 12-2 in the second half.

Wake held Maryland to a season-low nine total shots and outshot the Terps by a 22-9 margin. Maryland was not outshot in any game in 2003.

Scouting the wildcats

Villanova enters Wednesday's contest with a 5-2-1 record (3-2-1 BIG EAST). The Wildcats opened the season with five straight wins before falling to Notre Dame and Seton Hall and trying UConn in their last three outings.

In Villanova's most recent outing, the Wildcats had a 2-0 lead over UConn with just over five minutes to play but gave up two late goals and had to settle for a 2-2 tie with the Huskies.

The Wildcats have just 13 goals in their nine games. However, Villanova has only been shut out twice.

Freshman Danny DeMasters leads the team with three goals and one assist. Patrick Gallagher has a team-best two assists.

Craig Bald has taken most of the minutes between the pipes for the Wildcats. He has 23 saves in seven games and has a GAA of 0.97.

Villanova is coached by Larry Sullivan who is in his 14th season with the Wildcats. Sullivan is 89-133-18 in his 13 seasons. In 2003, Villanova finished with a 10-8-1 record and an appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Wildcats finished the season strong, being ranked 25th late in the season. It was Villanova's first time in the rankings in a decade.

Stop The Skid!

Maryland is in its first four-game winless streak since 1993.

The Terps have not gone without a win in four consecutive games since 1993 -- head coach Sasho Cirovksi's first season in College Park -- when Maryland finished the last eight games of the season without a victory.

Through nine games, Maryland has allowed seven second half goals. The Terps gave up just seven second half goals all season in 2003.

Maryland has already matched its loss total from 2003.

Below is a look at Maryland's stats in their five wins compared to their stats in the three losses and one tie.

                  5 Wins      Last 4 Games
Goals...............33.............4
Goals Per Game.....5.80...........0.92
Assists.............40.............3
Shots Per Game.....21.4...........18.0
SOG %...............542...........347
Goals Allowed........4.............8
GAA................0.80...........1.83
Corner Kicks........24.............23
Penalty Kicks.......1-2...........1-1

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