Sept. 12, 2006

Weekly Release
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team returns to Ludwig Field on Wednesday night when they host the Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary. The Terps have a 12-1 record against the Mount. It is the first of three-straight home matches for Maryland, which also hosts NC State on Sept. 16 and Penn State on Sept. 20.

Terps Host Mountaineers, Wolfpack
• The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team hosts a pair of opponents this week in Mount St. Mary's and ACC foe NC State.
• The Terps own significant advantages in both series with a 12-1 mark against the Mount and a 40-20-5 record against the Wolfpack.
• Maryland and the Mount have not met since November 8, 2002 when the Terps won 1-0 in overtime. They also played NC State after the Mountaineers that season, beating the Wolfpack 4-0 in the ACC Tournament.
• The Terps' only loss to the Mount came in 1994, a 2-1 decision. Maryland has won five straight meetings between the two teams.
• Maryland will look to avenge its 1-0 loss to the Wolfpack last season. It was the Terps' first loss to NC State in the last 10 meetings and the first time since 1994 that they lost to the Wolfpack in Raleigh.

Terps Fall to No. 4 Clemson
• Maryland experienced its first setback of the season on September 8 when the No. 4 Tigers defeated the Terps, 2-1, at Historic Riggs Field.
• Clemson started the scoring in the 12th minute when Dane Richards and David Bell set up Frederico Moojen for a goal.
• The Terps responded before halftime when freshman Jeremy Hall headed a pass from senior David Glaudemans past the Tigers keeper in the 41st minute.
• It was Hall's second goal of the season and Glaudemans' second assist.
• Clemson put the match away in the 74th minute when Richards sent a cross to Danny Poe who put a header into the goal for the game winner.
• The Terps drew another huge crowd to an opponent stadium, with 6,821 spectators coming out to Historic Riggs Field on Friday night. That is the largest crowd in the field's regular season history.
• The largest number of people to see a game at Historic Riggs Field was over 8,000 in 1987 when Clemson hosted the national title game.

Scouting the Mountaineers
• The Mount is off to its best start since 2001 with a 2-1-1 record.
• Head coach Rob Ryerson was inducted into the Old Timers Soccer Association of Maryland, Inc. Hall of Fame on May 12.
• The Mountaineers, picked 10th in the Northeast Conference preseason poll, lost two of their top three scorers from a year ago.
• Brandon Moncrief leads the squad with a goal and two assists. Vinnie Berry and C.J. Cover both have a goal and an assist. • Mark Murphy has been impressive in goal with a 0.71 GAA and a save percentage of .812.

Scouting the Wolfpack
• NC State enters the match against the Terps with a 3-3-0 record and a 1-1-0 mark in the ACC.
• The Wolfpack defeated No. 7 North Carolina, 3-1, at Chapel Hill and lost to No. 2 Virginia, 2-1.
• Alan Sanchez leads the Wolfpack with three goals and El Hadj Cisse has two. Jorge Mora has also accumulated four points with a goal and two assists.
• Mora earned NSCAA/adidas All-America honors in high school, and was the 2004 and 2005 Newsday Player of the Year in New York after combining for 36 goals those two seasons.
• NC State returns all four defenders from last season's team. Those four players started 72 of a possible 74 games on the backline.
• Christopher Widman has allowed nine goals in nine matches for a 1.58 goals against average. He has stopped 15 shots for a .625 save percentage.

Come One, Come All
• The returning national champion Terps have drawn quite a crowd at Ludwig Field and on the road this season.
• In both of its away matches this year, attendance records have been set at the opponents' respective fields.
• At No. 23 Old Dominion on August 27, 3,331 spectators came out to watch the Monarchs battle the Terps. Maryland came out on top, 2-0. That was the largest crowd to ever see a collegiate soccer match at the ODU Soccer Stadium.
• At No. 4 Clemson on Friday night, 6,821 people flocked to Historic Riggs Field for the ACC showdown that the Tigers won, 2-1. That was the largest crowd to ever see a regular season match at Riggs. • The largest number of people to watch a match at the field was a crowd of over 8,000 when Clemson hosted the 1987 national championship which they won.
• On September 2, 4,020 fans came to Ludwig Field to watch the Terps defeat No. 10 UCLA, 4-1. Despite poor weather and the postponement of the match from the night before, it was the fifth-largest crowd in Ludwig history.

King Of College Park
• Junior Stephen King was named ACC Player of the Week, College Soccer News National Player of the Week, and was placed on the Soccer America Team of the Week for the second time last week for his one goal, two assists performance against No. 10 UCLA on September 2.
• King, who is on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, has made a huge impact this season for the Terps. He leads the team with four goals, four assists, and 12 points in five matches.
• King has been a part of three of the Terps four game winning goals this season. He assisted the game winner against Binghamton and scored the game winner against UCLA and Louisville.
• The Medford, N.J. native is tied for seventh in the nation with 0.80 assists per game and tied for ninth with 2.40 points per game.

Zusi As 1-2-3
• Sophomore Graham Zusi, who scored five goals and added two assists in 2005, is off to a fast start for the Terps. Zusi is second on the team with three goals and six points.
• Zusi opened the stat book quickly in the season opener at Old Dominion when he scored with just 2:05 expired from the beginning whistle.
• He recorded his second goal in the waning minutes of the UCLA match when he blasted a shot from 25 yards out over the keeper's head, and then he scored the Terps; first goal of the match against Louisville while on the ground.

Near Perfect Seitz
• Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Seitz has compiled an impressive 17-2-2 record for the Terps since last season.
• He lost his first match at Clemson in his last 10 games. Seitz had not lost since November 11 of last season against Duke in the ACC Tournament, 4-2. Since that match, Seitz holds an impressive record of 8-1-1.
• Seitz and the Terps defense have been strong so far this season. Maryland had only allowed two goals in four matches prior to meeting Clemson, which netted a pair of goals in its 2-1 win against the Terps.

Newcomers Making An Impact
• With a relatively young squad, Terps newcomers are making a major impact as three of the top five scorers are all new to College Park.
• Freshman Jason Herrick has been stellar for Maryland with two goals and an assist.
• Sophomore Rich Costanzo, a transfer from Penn State, has an assist to go with his game winning goal against Binghamton.
• Freshman Jeremy Hall notched his second goal of the season at Clemson.
• Freshmen Omar Gonzalez and Drew Yates have also recorded an assist this season.
• Newcomers have accounted for 14 of the Terps' 36 points, which comes out to 39 percent.
• Their 14 points is also more than the amount all of the opposition has racked up this season (13).

Force Of Habit
• For the third time in four years, the Terps won the first four matches of its season. Maryland also did it in 2003 and 2004.
• This is the fourth time under Cirovski that the Terps have won four straight to open a season. Maryland opened the 1997 and 2004 campaigns with four wins and 2003 with nine victories, which is the second longest streak to open a campaign in program history.
• The Terps earned 14 straight triumphs back in 1968 before tying Michigan State in the national title game. Maryland went 14-0-1 and was the co-national champs.

Tale Of Two Halves
• Maryland came out on fire in the second half of the Binghamton game on August 27. The Terps scored three goals in the first 21 minutes of the second frame for the win. Maryland's first goal came in just 30 seconds after the beginning whistle.
• The Terps owned large advantages in shots and corners for the match against Binghamton, thanks to the second half. The Terps took nine shots in the first half but blasted 19 in the second. Maryland also had six corners in the second compared to just one in the first.

To Be The Best...
• You have to beat the best. Maryland will play seven teams ranked in the NSCAA/adidas preseason top-25 to give great experience to its young squad.
• Four of those matches feature ACC opponents on the road. The Terps will battle No. 4 Virginia on October 11, No. 5 North Carolina on October 6, No. 5 Clemson on September 8, and No. 16 Wake Forest on September 23. UCLA was the highest preseason ranked team to visit College Park when it brought its No. 10 ranking to Ludwig Field on September 2.
• Current record against the NSCAA/adidas top 25: 2-1 (beat No. 23 Old Dominion and No. 10 UCLA; lost at No. 4 Clemson)

Where It's At..
• Maryland will play 13 home matches this regular season, the most in program history. The Terps played 12 matches at home in 1982.
• Home is where the Terps like to play. Over the past four seasons, Maryland is 51-3-3 at Ludwig Field, including an unbeaten mark of 11-0-2 in 2005. In 2002, the Terps went a perfect 13-0.
• Included in that impressive record is the Terps' 10-0-2 mark in the postseason at Ludwig which has helped UM reach four consecutive College Cups. The Terps are the eighth team in NCAA history to participate in four straight College Cups.
• For the second-straight season, Maryland averaged over 2,000 fans per match in 2005. An average of 2,548 fans rocked Ludwig Field when the Terps took the pitch. 2004 was the first season since 1995 which Maryland averaged over 2,000 fans.

One Up, One Down
• Maryland has been perfect since 2000 in season-openers, going 7-0 in that span.
• The Terps have dominated opponents in the lid lifters by outscoring teams 29-2 in those six matches.
• UM has recorded five straight shutouts to open a season, including an 8-0 victory against Rhode Island, a 1-0 win against Furman, a 5-0 win against Long Island, and a 7-0 triumph versus Cal State Fullerton last season. This year, they beat No. 23 Old Dominion 2-0.

FSC To Air Pair Of Terps Matches
• Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) have reached an agreement to begin coverage of the Fox Soccer Channel's live and exclusive NSCAA College Match of the Week. Six women's matches and 12 men's matches will be featured beginning on September 6. Included in the package is a pair of Maryland men's soccer matches on September 29 and October 6.
• The retuning national champion Terps will make their debut on FSC on September 29 when they host No. 14 Duke in an important ACC matchup at Ludwig Field. A week later, the Terps will travel to No. 5 North Carolina in another conference match aired on FSC.
• Sean Wheelock will provide play-by-play commentary for the matches.

King and Seitz Earn Preseason Honors
• Junior midfielder Stephen King was one of 25 men's soccer student-athletes named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List by the Missouri Athletic Club.
• King has been a mainstay in the Maryland midfield for the last two seasons, starting every match. He tallied 15 goals and eight assists en route to earning All-NSCAA South Atlantic First Team honors in 2005. His 15 goals are tied for ninth in a single season while his 38 points are tied for eighth.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Seitz was named to the Soccer America Preseason All-America Team. Seitz was a 2005 All-ACC second team selection and earned ACC All-Freshmen honors after posting a 13-1-2 record in goal for the Terps. He was the first freshman keeper to lead his team to the NCAA title since 1990 and was named the College Cup defensive MVP for his performance between the pipes.

Terps In The Preseason
• Maryland played a pair of matches to tune up for the regular season. On August 12, the Terps played Georgetown to a 0-0 draw.
• UM dominated play against the Hoyas, owning a 20-4 advantage in shots including a 10-2 cushion in shots on goal.
• Against No. 12 Indiana, the Terps lost 1-0 on a goal in the 75th minute. The match was played in front of 6,118 spectators at the IPFW Soccer Showcase in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Rogers Signs Contract With SC Heerenveen
• Robbie Rogers, a a 2005 Freshman All-American and the Terps' third-leading scorer a year ago, announced on August 14 that he signed a multi-year contract with the professional soccer club, SC Heerenveen, in the Dutch Premier League.
• Said Rogers: "My experience at Maryland is one I will treasure for the rest of my life. It is the best program in the country, and I feel blessed to have been a part of it. Sasho (Cirovski) has elevated my game to the highest level, and I want to thank him, [assistant] Russell Payne, [assistant] Rob Vartughian and the entire Maryland soccer program for an incredible experience. The relationships that I've made here with my teammates and coaches are very important to me and will always remain with me."

Maryland Picked Third In ACC
• The Terps were selected to finish third in the conference this season behind North Carolina and Virginia, respectively.
• The Tar Heels earned the most first-place votes with four while the Terps earned two. Virginia, Duke, and Clemson also earned a first-place vote.

Sasho's Success
• Head coach Sasho Cirovski has emerged as one of the premiere coaches in the NCAA. He owns a 217-101-20 record in 16 years as a head coach.
• At Maryland, Cirovski has a 191-89-14 mark. He trails only Doyle Royal, the programs first and longest tenured coach, in wins. Royal had a 217-58-18 record while with the Terps.