Sept. 19, 2006
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 6 men's soccer team hosts the Penn State Nittany Lions on Wednesday night in the last match of a three-game homestand. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Terps then head to the road on Saturday to take on No. 7 Wake Forest.
Terps Face Penn State and Wake Forest
• The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer hosts its final match of a three-game homestand when Big Ten opponent Penn State visits Ludwig Field on Wednesday, September 20.
• This is the 36th meeting between the teams with the Nittany Lions holding a 19-16 record.
• Penn State has won the last two meetings, including a 1-0 triumph last year at Jeffrey Field. In that match, PSU scored in the second minute and did not allow a shot on goal. In 2004, the Nittany Lions beat the Terps 4-1 at Ludwig.
• On Saturday, September 23, Maryland will head to Winston-Salem, N.C. to take on No. 7 Wake Forest in their third ACC battle of the season.
• The Terps met the Deacons twice last season, beating them 3-1 in the regular season and then knocking them off in the ACC Tournament, 2-1.
• The series has almost been a deadlock with the Terps owning a slight advantage at 13-12-4.
• Junior Stephen King performed well against Wake Forest last season connecting on a penalty kick in both matches and then adding an assist in the conference tournament.
Terps Shutout The Mount and NC State
• Maryland came up with a couple of home wins last week in blankings of Mount St. Mary's, 2-0, and NC State, 3-0.
• In the Terps' 2-0 win against the Mount, freshman Jason Herrick had a hand in both scores with a goal and an assist. Classmate Jeremy Hall had the second goal for the Terps and senior A.J. Godbolt and sophomore A.J. Delagarza both had assists.
• In the 3-0 win against the Wolfpack, the Terps dominated the pace of play and did not allow a shot in the first half and let NC State attempt four total in the match.
• Godbolt, Herrick, and sophomore Graham Zusi scored the goals fot the Terps. King was credited with an assist and freshman Drew Yates had two.
• For the week, the Terps took 50 shots compared to the opposition's 10. Twenty one of the Terps' shots were on goal. Maryland also owned a 17-2 advantage in corner kicks in the two matches.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
• Penn State enters the match with a 2-4-1 record and won its first Big Ten matchup on Sunday in impressive fashion with a 3-1 win against Michigan State.
• Last season's Nittany Lion team was one for the record books. PSU won every match in conference play and won its first ever Big Ten regular season title; they then went on to win the conference tournament. The team went on to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, beating Seton Hall before falling to Creighton.
• Up front, PSU boasts Simon Omekanda and Jason Yeisley. Omekanda was a first team All-Big Ten and NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection last season and Yeisley was a second teamer in the conference.
• Omekanda and Barkley Miller lead the team with a goal and two assists. Yeisley and Jeff Chambers both have a goal and an assist.
• Keeper Conrad Taylor has allowed 1.38 goals per game with a save percentage of .737.
• Maryland will be the fifth ranked team that the Nittany Lions face in the last six contests. They lost against Wake Forest 2-0 and fell at North Carolina, 1-0. They also lost to San Francisco and tied Boston University.
Scouting the Demon Deacons
• Wake Forest enters the week with a 6-1-0 record, including a 1-1-0 conference record. The Deacons face Davidson on Wednesday night.
• WFU is coming off of a 4-2 victory against No. 24 Virginia Tech on Saturday.
• The Deacs defeated South Carolina and Old Dominion last year in the NCAA Tournament before losing a 3-2 double overtime heartbreaker to California.
• Keeper Brian Edwards has recorded 22 shutouts in the last three seasons, including four this year. He is allowing 1.12 goals per game and has a save percentage of .692.
• The Deacs return all but one player in the defense and midfield. Pat Phelan earned All-South region accolades last season. All-American Ryan Solle led the ACC with 13 assists last year.
• This season, Steven Curfman is leading the squad with two goals and five assists. Wells Thompson and Lyle Adams have both scored three goals.
The Other Side
• Sophomore Rich Costanzo, a transfer from Penn State, will face his old team for the first time when the Nittany Lions come to College Park.
• Costanzo, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., was familiar with Ludwig Field prior to his first ever game in a Terps uniform. He recorded an assist in Penn State's 4-1 triumph at Maryland back in 2004.
Come One, Come All
• The returning national champion Terps have drawn quite a crowd at Ludwig Field and on the road this season.
• Against NC State, 4,565 fans came out to watch the Terps win 3-0. It was the third largest crowd in Ludwig history.
• 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 then the fifth-largest crowd in Ludwig history.
• 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.
King Of College Park
• Junior Stephen King had an assist against NC State to earn his fifth of the season to go along with four goals. His five assists and 13 points lead the team while his four goals is tied for first.
• King has been a part of six game winning or go-ahead goals this season. His two game winning goals were scored against UCLA and Louisville. He has also assisted the go-ahead goals against Binghamton, UCLA, Louisville, and NC State.
• 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.
• The Medford, N.J. native is tied for 13th in the nation with 0.71 assists per game.
Herr-o-ick
• With some doubts about where scoring would come from prior to the season, freshman Jason Herrick has provided an answer.
• His four goals is tied for the team lead and his 10 points is second on the team.
• Herrick has been a part of two game winning goals, assisting the one against UCLA and scoring it against Mount St. Mary's. He also scored the first goal of the match against UCLA.
• Against NC State, Herrick scored his fourth goal in amazing fashion when he launched a shot into the top left corner from about 30 yards out. The keeper had no chance at stopping the perfectly placed shot.
Zusi As 1-2-3
• Sophomore Graham Zusi, who scored five goals and added two assists in 2005, is tied for the team with four goals and is third on the squad with eight 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.
• Zusi scored the fourth goal of the season against NC State.
A Little Help From Godbolt
• Senior A.J. Godbolt has played a key role not only this season, but for his entire career. Regarded as the best crosser on the team, Godbolt has three assists and a game winning goal that he notched against NC State.
• His 22 career assists ranks sixth all-time, tied with Jason Sardis and A.J. Herrera. Scott Buete stands in fifth with 24 career helpers.
• Last season, Godbolt was one assist away from tying the single-season record of 14 held by Gino Ferrin (1985).
• Godbolt recorded his first-ever game-winning goal when he put back a Stephen King penalty kick that had been saved against NC State.
Near Perfect Seitz
• Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Seitz has compiled an impressive 19-2-2 record for the Terps since last season.
• Before losing at Clemson, 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 10-1-1.
• 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.
• Seitz has shutout his last two opponents and has four clean sheats this year.
Royal Company
• Head coach Sasho Cirovski will soon enter some outstanding company when it comes to Maryland soccer.
• WIth 193 wins, Cirovski is seven wins from earning his 200th victory while with the Terps. The only other head coach to accomplish that feat was the program's first coach, Doyle Royal.
• Royal had a 217-58-18 record with Maryland in 28 years at the helm.
• Cirovski already matched Royal in one department, and that is the national championship. Royal coached the Terps to a perfect 1968 season at 14-0-1, earning a share of the national title.
Non-Conference Dominance
• The Terps have been impressive against non-league foes since the 2001 season, compiling a 71-17-4 record. Five of those losses came in a 10-5 2001 campaign.
• Maryland is off to a 5-0 start this season. Its best non-conference record during the span came in 2003 when the Terps went 15-2-1.
Newcomers Making An Impact
• With a relatively young squad, Terps newcomers are making a major impact as two of the top five scorers are new to College Park.
• Freshman Jason Herrick has been stellar for Maryland with four goals and two assists.
• Sophomore Rich Costanzo, a transfer from Penn State, has an assist to go with his game winning goal against Binghamton.
• Freshman Jeremy Hall has recorded three goals.
• Freshmen Omar Gonzalez has one assist and Drew Yates has racked up three.
• Newcomers have accounted for 23 of the Terps' 52 points, which comes out to 44 percent.
• Their 23 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.
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 53-3-3 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.
