Men's Soccer Hosts Lehigh Tuesday Night In First Ever Meeting
10/8/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 8, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland men's soccer team returns to action on Tuesday, October 9 when it hosts Lehigh (5-2-2) at Ludwig Field at 7:30 p.m. It is the first ever meeting between the two teams as the Terrapins (4-4-2) look to extend their unbeaten streak to three matches.
Terps Host Lehigh In First Ever Matchup
• The Maryland men's soccer team hosts Lehigh of the Patriot League on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
• This is the first time that the Terps and Mountain Hawks will meet on the pitch.
• Maryland is coming off of a 1-0-1 week in which it tied Stony Brook on Tuesday and beat Clemson, 3-2 in overtime, for its first ACC win of the season.
• Lehigh defeated Navy on Saturday night, 3-0, for its first league win of the season as well.
Wallace's Header In Overtime Beats Clemson
• Freshman Rodney Wallace scored his first collegiate goal in the fourth minute of overtime off of a Graham Zusi corner kick to give the Maryland men's soccer team a 3-2 win against Clemson in front of a crowd of 3,726 at Ludwig Field.
• Senior Stephen King added a pair of assists for the Terrapins on their first score and the equalizer in the second half.
• Freshman Billy Cortes added the first goal of the night while sophomore Drew Yates scored the equalizer in the 68th minute after the Terps fell behind. Junior Rich Costanzo also added an assist in the win.
Terrapins, Party Of Four
• Maryland is the only team in the country with four attendance figures (home or away) in the top 20 in the Soccer America Crowd Count.
• The 5,022 fans that came out on September 7 to Ludwig Field is the ninth largest in the nation this season and is the fifth largest all-time at Ludwig Field.
• The 5,013 spectators that watched Duke and Maryland battle it out in Durham is the 10th biggest attendance number this year.
• A total of 4,240 fans came out to watch Indiana and Maryland play to a 1-1 draw at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. That number is the 15th highest in 2007.
• The 10th largest crowd in Ludwig Field history, a total of 3,726, came out as Maryland beat Clemson in a 3-2 overtime classic. That number ranks 19th nationally.
The Ludwig Effect
• Ludwig Field has developed into one of the most exciting places to watch a collegiate soccer match in the country as the men's soccer team has increasingly attracted more and more fans to the pitch season after season.
• Maryland is 60-6-2 at Ludwig Field since 2002. Included in that number are two undefeated seasons in 2002 (13-0-0) and 2005 (11-0-2). The Terps have never lost more than two games at Ludwig in that span.
• Last year, Ludwig Field saw over 40,000 fans come out to watch the Terps which set a school record. The total was second best in the country.
• The Maryland soccer community came out in full force on Friday, September 29, 2006 as a record crowd of 6,489 fans watched their Terps take down No. 14 Duke, 1-0. The fans sparked an electric atmosphere for the match shown on Fox Soccer Channel. Maryland entered the field under a cloud of smoke and fireworks lit the sky during the national anthem and prior to player introductions.
• In Maryland's 2007 home opener against No. 20 West Virginia, 5,022 spectators came out to root on the Terps. That number ranks fifth all-time at Ludwig.
• A total of 3,726 fans saw Maryland pick up its first ACC win of the season on October 5 as the Terps beat Clemson, 3-2, in an overtime thriller. It was the 10th largest crowd in Ludwig history.
• So far this season, Maryland is averaging 2,490 fans per game.
Scouting The Mountain Hawks
• Lehigh enters Tuesday's match with a 5-2-2 mark and a 1-1-0 record in the Patriot League.
• The Mountain Hawks are 1-1-1 away from Ulrich Sports Complex.
• Kyle Evans leads the team with nine goals in their nine games and has an assists for 19 points. Half of his 24 shots have been on goal.
• The only other player with more than one goal is Patrick Cucci with two. Four others have tallied one.
• Jim Taranto has recorded a goal and a team-best five assists.
• Brian Lee has seen every minute of action in goal and has allowed just eight scores. He has 19 saves for a .704 save percentage.
King Of The Pitch
• Senior Stephen King is in his final season in red and black and has left an indelible impression in College Park. The second-year captain has started all 82 games Maryland has played since 2004, his freshman campaign.
• King's 23 career assists ranks sixth all-time at Maryland while his 29 goals is just outside the top 10. His 81 points puts him at sixth on the career list.
• His sophomore season, King scored 15 times and assisted others eight times. His goal number is tied for 10th all-time in a single season while his 38 points is tied for eighth.
• King was named to the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team on September 2 after scoring a goal and an assist in Maryland's 3-0 win against No. 10 Notre Dame.
• He was also named the Soccer America Player of the Week and was placed on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week.
• King added an assist in the 3-0 win against George Mason on September 9 and the 2-1 loss at Duke on September 22.
• He chipped in with a pair of assists in Maryland's 3-2 overtime win against Clemson. It was the first time he had recorded two helpers in a game since the UCLA game on September 2 of last season.
King Candidate For Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
• Senior midfielder Stephen King was named one of 20 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, presented annually in eight NCAA sports to a senior student-athlete who excels both on and off the field. This is the first time that this award will be given in soccer.
• King is one of four student-athletes from the ACC who are up for the honor, the most of any other conference in the nation. The other candidates from the conference include Duke's Tim Jepson, North Carolina's Andre Sherard, and Wake Forest's Julian Valentine.
• The award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
• From the list of 20 candidates, a national media committee will select 10 finalists in October. Those names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote spanning from October 16 to November 21. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Winners will be announced during the NCAA Soccer Championship scheduled for December 14-16 in Cary, N.C.
From A to Z-usi
• Junior Graham Zusi, Maryland's leading scorer from 2006, has started 2007 on the right foot. At the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, he was named the Offensive MVP at the tournament while being placed on the All-Tournament Team.
• Zusi scored two goals that came on eight total shots in the two games. His goal against No. 7 Indiana on August 31 equalized the score at 1-1, which was the final, and came just 71 seconds after the Hoosiers had taken the lead. His goal against No. 10 Notre Dame proved to be the game-winner in a 3-0 win against the Irish.
• The Longwood, Fla. native added an assist in Maryland's wins against George Mason, Old Dominion and Clemson and has scored in five of the Terps' 10 games this season.
• Since his freshman season in 2005, the Terps are 22-1-2 when Zusi tallies a goal or an assist.
• The Terps went 13-1-1 in 2006 when Zusi tallied at least one point and are 4-0-1 this year.
Flood Yates Are Open
• Sophomore Drew Yates seems to be an important ingredient when it comes to the Terps getting a result.
• When the Severna Park native tallies a point in a match, Maryland has a record of 8-1-0 with its first loss coming against Duke on September 22.
• Yates assisted on goals in four different games in 2006 which were all Terp wins, two of them by one goal.
• This season, Maryland is 4-1-0 when Yates records a point.
Where There's A Will...
• Freshman keeper Will Swaim had quite a week in goal for the Terps three weeks ago as he went 1-1-0.
• The Ellicott City product earned a shutout win against Old Dominion, his second of the season, on September 19 after stopping three of the five shots he faced.
• In the 2-1 double overtime loss at Duke, Swaim racked up a career high nine saves, the most by a Maryland keeper since Christian Lewis saved nine in 2000, also against the Blue Devils.
• As of October 1, Swaim was tied for 28th in the nation with a save percentage of .846.
Cirovski's Legacy
• Head coach Sasho Cirovski has built Maryland into the premier soccer program in the country. He has guided the Terps to the 2005 National Championship, 12 NCAA postseason appearances, five appearances at the College Cup, and two ACC Tournament titles.
• Cirovski owns a record of 207-97-17 in 15 years at the helm of the program. His win total ranks second at Maryland all-time, just 13 behind Doyle Royal who went 217-58-58 with the Terps in 28 seasons.
• Along with all of the team accomplishments, Cirovski has mentored some of the top student-athletes in the game. He guided Jason Garey to the Hermann Trophy in 2005, the program's first-ever recipient.
• He has also produced two No. 1 overall MLS SuperDraft picks, three ACC Players of the Year, a national and ACC Freshman of the Year, 21 first team All-ACC selections, 19 All-Americans, and 28 MLS players.
Non-Conference Dominance
• The Terps have been impressive against non-ACC foes since the 2001 season, compiling a 79-18-6 record. Five of those losses came in a 10-5-0 2001 campaign.
• Maryland went a perfect 10-0-0 in 2006 in non-conference outings. The last time it was undefeated out of conference was in 1986 when it went 11-0-0.
• This year, the Terps are 3-1-2 playing outside of the ACC.
First To Score Wins
• Last year, Maryland went 16-0-0 when it scored the first goal in a match. The Terps outscored their opponents 21-7 in the first half in 2006.
• This year, Maryland is 4-0-1 when it scores first with wins against No. 10 Notre Dame, George Mason, and Old Dominion.
• The Terrapins have not lost a match when they strike first since October 2, 2004 - a total of 44-straight matches.
Sunday Funday
• Maryland loves to score on Sunday's. In its two games on that day, the Terps are 2-0-0 while outscoring their opponents 6-0.
• The two 3-0 wins came against No. 10 Notre Dame on September 2 and George Mason on September 9.
• In their eight other matches, the Terps are 2-4-2 and are being outscored 11-7.
International Experience
• Sophomores Omar Gonzalez and Jeremy Hall were both exposed to the international game over the summer as both competed for the United States at the Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro.
• The Americans did not make it out of group play, but both Terps saw plenty of action on the pitch in Brazil. Gonzalez started at forward all three matches and scored twice against Bolivia.
• Hall was the first player off the bench for the Americans in the first match and started the second.
• Gonzalez started all 22 games at center back and contributed on the offensive end with a goal and three assists last season for the Terps.
• Hall was second on the team with seven goals, and his three assists gave him 17 points, which was third on the squad. Two of his seven goals were game-winners.
Terps, Seawolves Play To 1-1 Tie
• Freshman Billy Cortes scored his first collegiate goal in the 57th minute as the Maryland men's soccer team and Stony Brook played to a 1-1 draw on October 2 at Ludwig Field.
• Maryland controlled the match for the entire 110 minutes, allowing just a single shot in each of the four periods. The Terps rattled off 17 shots in regulation and three more in the extra sessions. The Terps also earned eight corners during the course of the night and did not allow one to Stony Brook.
• Senior Spencer Allen and junior Graham Zusi were credited with the assist on Maryland's score.
Terps Beat Old Dominion, 1-0
• Sophomore Drew Yates scored his third goal of the season and the only one of the match as the No. 16 Maryland men's soccer team defeated Old Dominion, 1-0, on September 19 at Ludwig Field.
• Junior Graham Zusi was credited with the assist as he sent in the cross in the 32nd minute.
• Maryland dominated the Monarchs in the midfield in the first half with senior captains Stephen King and Spencer Allen commanding the pitch. The Terrapins' offense fired off five shots while the back line did not allow one.
• Old Dominion got off five shots in the second half and had its chances but came up empty.
Hall, Yates Lead Terps To 3-0 Win Against Mason
• Sophomores Jeremy Hall and Drew Yates led the Maryland men's soccer team in a strong second half as the Terrapins scored all of their goals after halftime in a 3-0 win against George Mason on September 9 at Ludwig Field. All of the Terps' goals came in the last 20 minutes of the match.
• Hall established career highs with his two goals and four points while Yates' three points is also a personal best.
• Hall's two scores were the first of this season for him while Yates added his second goal of 2007. Seniors Stephen King and Aki Kadotani and junior Graham Zusi were each credited with an assist in the match. Kadotani's helper was the first of his career.
• Freshman keeper Thorne Holder had to make just one save in his first collegiate start to earn the shutout.
Maryland Opens Up With Impressive Weekend
• The Terps opened the 2007 season on a high note as they won the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic last weekend after tying then-No. 7 Indiana, 1-1, and beating then-No. 10 Notre Dame, 3-0.
• The Terps and Hoosiers played to a thrilling draw on August 31. Kevin Noschang scored for the Hoosiers in the 25th minute but junior Graham Zusi responded just 71 seconds later with a goal of his own. Classmate Rich Costanzo provided the assist on a cross.
• Both teams had opportunities to score the game-winning goal but came up just short. Noschang almost ended the game in the first overtime when he fired a shot that freshman keeper Will Swaim dove to his left for. His fingertip save kept the game going into the second overtime session.
• Maryland was inches away from taking the win in the second OT as senior Stephen King hit the right post on a shot.
• In the 3-0 victory against the Irish on September 2, Maryland dominated the entire way by outshooting Notre Dame 17-3. The Terps did not allow a single shot in the first half and kept 2006 Hermann Trophy winner Joseph Lapira in check.
• King tallied a goal and an assist in the win while Zusi and sophomore Drew Yates scored the other two goals. Sophomores Jeremy Hall and Doug Rodkey were awarded assists as well.
Awards Roll In After Weekend At Indiana
• Maryland reaped numerous rewards for winning the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic after going 1-0-1 last weekend. Senior Stephen King was named the Soccer America Player of the Week and was placed on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week while junior Graham Zusi was named the ACC Player of the Week, was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week and was the inaugural Maryland Men's Player of the Week.
• King was instrumental in the Terps' 3-0 win against Notre Dame on September 2. The Medford, N.J. native recorded a goal and assisted on another to aid the Terps to their first win of the season. With the score 1-0 in the 41st minute, King had a defender on him on the left side of the box and kept trying to shake him to find an opening to deliver a cross. He faked towards the goal line and spun inside to send a pass into the box. The pass found sophomore Drew Yates who tucked a shot next to the right post to put the Terps up two.
• King's goal came in the 70th minute after sophomore Doug Rodkey sent a ball into the box. The Fighting Irish keeper came out to catch the pass but the ball slipped through his hands and King was behind him to put in the easy goal.
• Zusi scored a goal in each of Maryland's two games last weekend. His goal against No. 7 Indiana was the equalizer in the 1-1 tie as he scored just 71 seconds after the Hoosiers got on the board. His tally against No. 10 Notre Dame proved to be the game-winner in a 3-0 affair.
• Both King and Zusi were named to the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team while Zusi was also tabbed the Offensive MVP.
Zusi Named Offensive MVP; Four On All-Tourney Team
• Junior Graham Zusi was tabbed the Offensive MVP of the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic last weekend after scoring a goal in each of Maryland's matches.
• His goal against No. 7 Indiana was the equalizer and got the Terps a tie against the Hoosiers in the season opener.
• Zusi's score against Notre Dame proved to be the game-winner in a 3-0 win.
• He totaled eight shots on the weekend and five of them were on goal.
• Three other Terps joined Zusi on the All-Tournament team including senior Stephen King, junior Michael Marchiano, and sophomore Omar Gonzalez.
• King recorded a goal and an assist in Maryland's win against Notre Dame.
Draft History Made In 2007
• Junior midfielder Maurice Edu became the second men's soccer student-athlete in Maryland history to be drafted with the first overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft as he was selected by the expansion franchise Toronto FC with the draft's first selection on January 12, 2007 at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Sophomore keeper Chris Seitz was taken fourth overall by Real Salt Lake.
• It marked just the fourth time in MLS SuperDraft history that two student-athletes from the same school were selected in the top five.
• It was the second time under head coach Sasho Cirovski that a Terp has been selected with the first overall pick. Leo Cullen was taken by Miami in 1998 with the first pick in the draft.
• Edu and Seitz were also the seventh and eighth student-athletes under Cirovski's guidance to be taken in the first round. Since the draft's inception in 1996, Cirovski has produced 21 MLS SuperDraft picks.
• Edu was the fifth student-athlete from Maryland to be selected first overall in his respective sport's draft. Men's basketball has had two top picks in John Lucas (1976) and Joe Smith (1995) and men's lacrosse had Joe Walters go first in 2006.
