COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland Terrapins will look for their fourth consecutive trip to the College Cup this Saturday, Dec. 3, against the Akron Zips. Kickoff from Ludwig Field is slated for 1 p.m.

LiveStats (www.ncaasports.com) will be available for Saturday's game and live audio will be broadcast on wmucsports.com.

The Terrapins (17-4-1) advanced to the quaterfinals with a 1-0 win over Brown in the second round and a 3-1 win over St. John's in the third round. Akron (18-1-3) rolled past West Virginia 5-0 in the second round and outlasted UConn in penalty kicks (4-3) after playing to a 3-3 tie.

Akron is ranked second in NSCAA poll, and first by Soccer America (both final regular season polls). The Zips have only been defeated once this season -- an overtime loss to Indiana.

The Terps are seeking their fourth consecutive trip to the national semifinals and their first NCAA title since 1968.

Over the past four seasons, Maryland is 10-0-1 at home in the NCAA Tournament. The tie came last season against Creighton and the Terps managed to advance on penalty kicks. Akron is 6-1-2 on the road this year and advanced last week away from its home turf in Storrs, Conn.

Saturday's game features the two most potent attacks in college soccer. The Zips are first in the country averaging 3.05 goals per game. The Terps are second in the country with an average of 2.73 goals per game.

The Zips back up the nation's most prolific offense with the top scoring defense in the country allowing just 0.48 goals per game -- best in the nation. They have only given up goals in seven of their 22 games this season.

The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 1-1-0. Akron defeated the Terps 4-1 in 1993 in the first game ever coached at Maryland by Sasho Cirovski. Maryland eliminated the Zips from the NCAA Tournament in 2003 with a 1-0 win at Ludwig Field on a goal by Jason Garey. (For more on the last meeting, see page 7.)

The two schools met in the preseason at the Westfield Cup, with Akron winning the championship game 2-0 over Maryland. However, Terp starters Jason Garey, Chris Lancos and Robbie Rogers did not play in that game.

Akron and Maryland share three common opponents this season in Penn State, St. John's and Indiana. Each team went 1-1-1 in those games.

The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the College Cup in Cary, N.C., to face either North Carolina or SMU.

Maryland/St. John`s Postgame Notes
• Maryland defeated St. John's, 3-1, in the third round of the NCAA Tournament ... Stephen King scored two goals, including the game-winner, and Robbie Rogers added a tally as time expired ... Maryland eliminated St. John's from the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year ... the Terps evened the all-time series against the Red Storm at 3-3-0 with all three wins coming consecutively ... Marc Burch had two assists on the game, his fifth and sixth of the year ... freshman goalie Chris Seitz matched his career high with six saves ... Seitz also earned his first career assist on his goal kick in the waning seconds of the game on Rogers' goal.

Quick Kicks
• Prior to the Brown game, Maryland's last 1-0 victory came on Sept. 25 against William & Mary. That hard-fought victory, which was similar to the one against the Bears, helped spark an 11-game unbeaten streak.
• Maryland is 16-0-1 this season when scoring first. The team's lone come-from-behind win this season came against Virginia Tech (11/4).
• All four of Maryland's losses (and the one tie) this season have come to teams in this year's NCAA Tournament. None of those teams are in Maryland's quarter of the bracket. All four of the teams that defeated Maryland have been eliminated (Penn State, NC State, Duke and UCLA) and Indiana, which tied Maryland, also did not advance.
• The Terps have not faced any of the teams in their quarter of the bracket in the regular season. Maryland did play Akron, the tournament's ninth seed, in the preseason.
• Maryland has gone to penalty kicks twice in NCAA Tournament history. The Terps won the last time, edging Creighton 5-4 in 2004, but lost the other in 1995 to James Madison, 4-3.
• The Terps' scoring average of 2.75 goals per game is second in the country.
• Maryland's 60 goals this season rank third all-time in school history. The Terps set the record for goals in a season last year with 62.
• Maryland has been shutout three times this season (all losses). The last shutout against Maryland was Sept. 25 vs. NC State. The last time Maryland was shut out at home was in last year's NCAA third round game against Creighton.
• Maryland is 4-2 in games decided by one goal this year.
• Terp goalies Craig Salvati and Chris Seitz have combined for 10 shutouts this season.

Home Sweet Home
• The Terps have had remarkable success at Ludwig Field posting a 47-3-2 (.922) record in three plus seasons, including a perfect 13-0 mark in 2002 and 11-0-1 record this season.
• That record also includes an 10-0-1 mark during the NCA A Tournament which has helped Maryland reach three straight College Cups. (The Terps advanced on penalty kicks, 5-4, after tying Creighton in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.)
• Maryland won 23 straight games at home between 2002-03, the fourth-longest streak in NCAA history.
• Maryland is 11-0-1 this season and is unbeaten in its last 18 games at Ludwig Field (dating back to last season).
• A Ludwig Field record of 6,203 fans came to watch the Terps play Indiana on Oct. 29, 2005.
• For the first time since the Terps started playing at Ludwig Field in 1995, Maryland averaged over 2,000 fans per game during the 2004 season. Maryland is again averaging over 2,000 fans per game this season (2,250).
• Maryland's loyal student fan base perched behind the goals is known as "The Crew."

Terps Earn ACColades
• Six Maryland Terrapins earned conference recognition for their performances this season.
• For the second time in his career, head coach Sasho Cirovski was named the ACC's Coach of the Year.
• Jason Garey became just the third player in school history to earn ACC Player of the Year honors (Nick Skirka in 1970 and Leo Cullen in 1997 were the others). Garey led the conference in goals and points.
• Garey and defender Kenney Bertz were named to the All-ACC first team. Midfielder Maurice Edu and goalkeeper Chris Seitz were named to the second team.
• Seitz and Robbie Rogers were named to the ACC All-Freshman team.
• Garey was named to the ACC All-Tournament team for the third straight year after scoring two goals in two games at the ACC Tournament in Cary, N.C.

Fantastic Four Years
• Maryland's 74 victories since 2002 are the most in a four-year span at Maryland. In that time Maryland's record is 74-18-4 -- a winning percentage of .800.
• The success extends beyond victories as the Terrapins have advanced to the national semifinals and played in the ACC Tournament finals in three out of four seasons.

Help Me, Help You
• Maryland has assisted on all but 10 goals this season (four of which were PKs), led by A.J. Godbolt's career-high 12 assists this season. Godbolt ranks tied for fourth at Maryland for assists in a season. He is second in the ACC and eighth in the country in assists per game (0.60).
• Stephen King is second on the team with eight assists.
• Maryland has 63 assists on 60 goals on the year.
• Fourteen different players have an assist this season, including goalkeeper Chris Seitz.

Feast Or Famine
• In three of Maryland's four losses, the Terps have been shut out. In the Terrapin wins, though, Maryland is averaging over three goals a game (3.21).