No. 1 Terps Head To No. 4 Clemson For ACC Showdown
9/6/2006 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 6, 2006
Weekly Release
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 1 men's soccer team will travel to No. 4 Clemson for its first ACC match of the 2006 season on Friday, Sept. 8 at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are a perfect 4-0-0 entering the contest. Terps fans can listen to the game live on WMUC 88.1 FM.
Terps and Tigers Meet In ACC Opener
• No. 1 Maryland travels to No. 4 Clemson for the ACC opener for both teams on Friday, September 8. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Riggs Field.
• The Terps are coming off a 2-0-0 Labor Day weekend with a 4-1 win against No. 10 UCLA and a 2-1 triumph against Louisville in their first ever meeting.
• Clemson owns a 27-17-1 record against the Terps all time, but Maryland has won the last six meetings between the two teams.
• Last season, Maryland used the strength of three second half goals to earn the 3-0 win at Ludwig Field. Sophomore Matt Beckman scored a goal in that game as well as Kenney Bertz and Robbie Rogers. Juniors Stephen King and Maurice Edu were both credited with assists in the match.
Terps Improve To 4-0-0
• Maryland used a pair of wins over the Labor Day weekend to improve its mark to 4-0-0 this season.
• The No. 1 Terps took down No. 10 UCLA on September 2, 4-1, in a game postponed from the night before due to the remnants of Ernesto.
• Stephen King had a hand in the first three goals with a goal and two assists. He was named the ACC Player of the Week and College Soccer News National Player of the Week for his performance.
• Freshmen Jason Herrick and Jeremy Hall and sophomore Graham Zusi tallied the other goals for the Terps. For Hall, it was the first of his career.
• Herrick, senior David Glaudemans, and freshman Drew Yates were all credited with assists as well.
• Maryland met Louisville for the first time ever on September 4 and came away with a 2-1 victory at home.
• King was a crucial part of the win again as he was involved with both of the Terps goals. He assisted on the first goal which Zusi scored while on the ground, and he notched the game winner in the 20th minute on a cross from sophomore Rich Costanzo.
• The Terps dominated the pace of play for most of the match, earning a 20-5 advantage in shots and a 7-0 edge in corners.
• Glaudemans came up with a huge defensive play for Maryland in the 18th minute. After a Maryland defender misplayed a ball, Louisville's Frank Jonke came away with a clear path to the goal along with two teammates on either side of him. As sophomore keeper Chris Seitz back peddled from the attack, Glaudemans hustled from the right side and tackled the ball away from an unsuspecting Jonke. The ball deflected to Seitz and the Terps kept the lead.
Scouting The Tigers
• Clemson enters the match with the same 4-0-0 record and ranked No. 4 in the latest NSCAA/adidas poll.
• The Tigers returned 13 letter winners and seven starters from last year's team that finished 15-6-3 overall and advanced to the Final Four of the College Cup.
• Senior All-American goalkeeper Phil Marfuggi returns with his 0.85 goals allowed average and 89 saves from 2005.
• The Tigers leading scorer from last year is back in Dane Richards. He recorded 12 goals and eight assists for 32 points and was an All-ACC and All-College Cup selection.
• Clemson advanced to the College Cup in 2005 and did not allow a goal in the NCAA Tournament until they lost to New Mexico, 2-1, in the national semifinals.
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 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 four 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 averaging three points a match, tops in the ACC.
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 17-1-2 record for the Terps since last season.
• His only loss came back on November 11 against Duke in the ACC Tourament, 4-2. Since that match, Seitz is undefeated at 8-0-1.
• Seitz and the Terps defense have been strong so far this season. Maryland has only allowed two goals in four matches while the back line is making it tough to even reach Seitz. He has had to make just eight saves in the four wins.
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 entered the scoring book in impressive fashion when he chested down a Stephen King pass and hammered a shot on the volley past the UCLA keeper.
• Freshmen Omar Gonzalez and Drew Yates have also recorded an assist this season.
Force Of Habit
• For the third time in four years, the Terps have 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 will be the highest preseason ranked team to visit College Park when it brings its No. 10 ranking to Ludwig Field on September 1.
• Current record against the NSCAA/adidas top 25: 2-0 (No. 23 Old Dominion, No. 10 UCLA)
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.
Terps On Top
• Maryland is still the top team in the nation in three of four major men's soccer polls. The Terps are No. 1 in the NSCAA/adidas, College Soccer News, and Soccer Times polls.
• The only poll to not list UM No. 1 is Soccer America, which lists ACC foe North Carolina at the top. Maryland comes in at the No. 4 slot. Also ahead of the Terps is No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 SMU.
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.
