Aug. 18, 2006

Final Stats

Fort Wayne, Ind. - Brian Ackley's goal in the 75th minute off a low centering pass by Darren Yeagle broke a scoreless tie and lifted 12th-ranked Indiana to a 1-0 exhibition game victory over top-ranked Maryland in the IPFW Soccer Showcase in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The game matching two of college soccer's premier programs was played before a standing-room-only crowd of 6,118 at the Hefner Fields located adjacent to the IPFW campus.

Maryland owned an 11-10 advantage in shots on goal and a 4-0 edge in corner kicks, but much like its scoreless draw in an exhibition game vs. Georgetown last Saturday, the Terps could not put anything past IU keepers Chris Munroe and Chay Cain, who totaled eight saves in sharing the shutout.

Chris Seitz had five saves in goal for the Terps.

Maryland, the defending NCAA champion, opened the contest with just three starters from last year's title-winning team in its starting lineup: midfielders Maurice Edu and Stephen King, and Seitz. Two players slated to be among the starting 11, A.J. Godbolt and Penn State transfer Rich Costanzo, were held out of the game with minor injuries. All told, Maryland had four freshmen and two sophomores in its starting group.

"It was an even game, but Indiana did a better job of finishing their chance," said Terrapin coach Sasho Cirovski. "I give credit to Indiana, they were a little more precise in their attack."

The Terps did not go down easily. After Indiana scored, Maryland kept the offensive pressure on the Hoosiers until the final horn, nearly getting the equalizer.

"Tonight was a great opportunity to see a lot of players and to see how we progressed from our match last week," added Cirovski. "It also gives a chance to see what we need to work on. We kept this game in perspective, but it is more than an exhibition game. There was a big crowd and it was a great environment. It's a great measuring stick for us."

The game marked the end of Maryland's preseason exhibition play; next Friday, Maryland travels to Old Dominion, a team which reached the NCAA tournament last season, to take on the Monarchs in their regular season opener.