Zusi Earns Pair Of Honors After Stellar Week
9/25/2006 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 25, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Sophomore forward Graham Zusi was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week and College Soccer News placed him on its National Team of the Week after leading the Terps to a 2-0 week with wins against Penn State and No. 7 Wake Forest. Zusi was responsible for both game-winning goals and finished the week with five points.
Zusi was crucial to Maryland's success in the last two matches. At No. 7 Wake Forest on Saturday night, he connected on a penalty kick in the 85th minute to give the Terps the important 2-1 conference win. Zusi fired a shot to the top left corner and beat Brian Edwards, who had guessed correctly. The goal capped an amazing come-from-behind win for Maryland, which scored the equalizer in the 79th minute on a goal from freshman Jeremy Hall.
The win improved the Terps to 8-1-0 overall and 2-1-0 in the ACC.
Against Penn State on September 20, Zusi scored a brilliant goal in the fourth minute that proved to be the game winner in a 2-0 affair. After receiving a pass from Hall on the right side, Zusi blasted a shot from 25 yards out. The Nittany Lion keeper could only watch as the perfectly placed shot nailed the left side netting. He then went on to assist freshman Jason Herrick on the second goal of the game.
Zusi shares ACC Player of the Week honors with North Carolina's Scott Campbell who scored a pair of goals last week and helped the Tar Heels knock off No. 2 Virginia. Zusi is tied for fifth among ACC players for goals per game (0.75) and is sixth in points per game (1.62) in league action.
Zusi, a native of Longwood, Fla., leads the Terps with six goals and is second on the squad with 13 points. He has been remarkably accurate this season, scoring six times on just 18 shots for a shot percentage of 33.3 percent.
The Terps are back home at Ludwig Field for a pair of matches this week. Maryland hosts Loyola on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. and then takes on No. 5 Duke on Friday night in a match televised by Fox Soccer Channel. Kickoff against the Blue Devils is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
