COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The approach to the 2007 season for the Maryland Terrapins will be much like it was in 2006 as the Terps lost some of their most crucial components from last year's squad. Maryland lost six seniors from its 2005 national championship team and this time around, the Terps have lost the services of five starters from their successful 2006 squad.

"Like every season at Maryland, I expect us to be highly competitive and to be a team that is a contender in November and December," head coach Sasho Cirovski said. "There are some doubters out there about where we are going to be this year and that excites me. This is the first year in a while that we are not coming off a Final Four or a national championship. Though it was a remarkable finish last year to be the No. 5 seed, and we had a tough loss to Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, I feel like we have the mentality on this team to really maintain the high level that we have had over the years."

With the early losses of Maurice Edu and Chris Seitz, the graduation of A.J. Godbolt and David Glaudemans, and sophomore Jason Herrick who will miss the season to a knee injury, the Terps will have to rely on their depth to fill the gaps.

"We have Doug Rodkey and Kevin Tangney available again after missing last season," Cirovski said. "We have a very good recruiting class with kids that we know are going to come in and help this year. I think this is a group that is very tough mentally. I was saying that in the spring and they proved me right. I think that they are ready for the challenge even though a lot of people are saying this is going to be a down year for Maryland."

Maryland does return a strong core of experience and skill to the team, though, which should make up for its losses. The loss of Herrick to a summer knee injury affects the attack but the Terps return their three top scorers. Godbolt and Glaudemans were mainstays on the right side of the midfield and defense, respectively, but both spent time on the bench due to injury and junior Rich Costanzo filled in nicely.

The Terps have a good crop of talent to choose from to fill Edu's spot at defensive midfield and Cirovski has brought in two talented keepers, along with Aaron Chinn who has gained a lot of experience in the spring, to be the stopper between the pipes.

The goal for Maryland has always been to be playing its best come November and December, and with the surprising success of last year's squad that advanced to the Sweet 16, Cirovski will look to do the exact same with the 2007 Terps.

Forward
The Terps return their top three scorers from the 2006 season, including junior Graham Zusi who had a breakout season with 11 goals and seven assists, both tops on the team. Zusi established himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in the ACC with his deceptive speed and nose for the goal.

Sophomore Jeremy Hall will have to step up in the attack in 2007. The exciting Tampa, Fla., native scored seven times and assisted on three others in 2006 and with international exposure at the Pan Am Games over the summer, will bring his experience to the Maryland attack.

Senior Aki Kadotani brings his experience and skill in the box which could result in time on the attack, while talented freshman Billy Cortes could be used as well. Sophomore Omar Gonzalez, who played forward at the Pan Am Games and scored twice, can also be used at the forward slot. Newcomer Rahim Stennett provides another option for the Terp attack.

"I am going into the season with a very open mind on who is going to play different positions and how we, as a team, are going to play," Cirovski said. "The unfortunate injury to Herrick was unexpected, and it will change a little bit how we play. This is why I signed on for another preseason game to give our team three tune-ups instead of two so we can do a lot of experimenting."

Midfield
Despite losing starters Edu and Godbolt to the professional ranks, the Terps midfield is probably the deepest spot on the pitch. Senior tri-captain Stephen King, an All-ACC and All-South Region honoree as well as a member of the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, will command the middle of the field.

Much like 2005, King quietly racked up six goals and tied with Zusi for the team lead with seven assists. King doesn't just bring his offensive skill to the mix; his experience is unparalleled as he enters his second year as captain. He has not missed a game his entire career, playing in all 72 since he arrived on campus.

"King is a coach's dream," Cirovski said. "You can just let him do his thing because he is so responsible. He is a quiet kid but he knows how to change a game because he has such a great focus and a multitude of skill that you see on a consistent basis."

Costanzo, Hall and sophomore Drew Yates all spent considerable time in the midfield last season, but mostly in an attacking role. The biggest hole to fill on the field is at defensive midfield, but the Terps have many options to choose from.

"We have three players that are going to compete for that position and we may play with two defensive midfielders this year," Cirovski said. "Michael Marchiano and Kevin Tangney played there a lot last spring and they are both capable of playing that position. We have a very talented freshman in Yannick Salmon who is also going to compete for the defensive midfielder position. I feel like all three are very good players and we may have two of them share that position depending on how we play."

The Terps also regain the services of the talented Rodkey, who missed 2006 due to an injury, while Tyler Mishalow, Kwame Darko, and Rodney Wallace will all add even more depth to the strong midfield.

Defense
Maryland returns three starters to the back line that allowed just 16 goals in 2006, the fewest in a season since 2003. Senior tri-captain Spencer Allen anchored the defense at the right back position last season by starting every match. Junior A.J. Delagarza, who missed just one game, and sophomore Omar Gonzalez were also mainstays on the defensive side of the field for the Terps. Costanzo could also see time on defense as he filled in nicely at right back late in the season for an injured Glaudemans.

"Last year we had a lot of trouble with the back line and had some growing pains, but I thought at the end of the year they really came together and were a very good unit," Cirovski said. "We have the entire group back and now we are also bringing in some additional players to be more competitive. Kevin Tangney is back in the picture, so we have more players competing in the back then we were last year. I think that is going to be a strength of our team."

In addition to Tangney, newcomers Sean Flatley and Greg Young, a transfer from Siena who started 10 games on defense, will add even more depth to the back.

Goalkeeper
The biggest question mark entering the season is between the pipes with the loss of Chris Seitz to the MLS. Seitz, one of the most talented keepers to ever come through Maryland, left as the all-time leader in career goals against average.

"Will Swaim has had a very good spring with his club team and he is training really hard this summer," Cirovski said. "Thorne Holder is an experienced guy, a little bit older and extremely athletic. Also, Aaron Chinn has been our spring goalkeeper for the past two years and has seen some great competition. The ground is wide open in preseason for the goalkeepers and our biggest challenge is going to be which player will be our number one."

Holder, who is from Trinidad & Tobago, is the starting keeper for the U-23 Olympic pool for his country. Swaim was a first team All-County and second team All-State keeper from Ellicott City.

Schedule
Once again, Cirovski has scheduled one of the toughest slates in the country to prepare his team for the postseason. The Terps start out at Indiana for the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic to take on the Hoosiers and Notre Dame, which both finished in the top 10 in the final NSCAA/adidas poll last year.

Maryland opens its home schedule with last season's biggest surprise, West Virginia, which finished the season at No. 18, before taking on George Mason which advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Terps open their ACC schedule on September 15 at Boston College before returning home to take on Old Dominion, which finished at No. 14 in the rankings last season.

The most crucial two-game stretch may come on September 22 and 29 when Maryland travels to Duke and Wake Forest for a pair of important ACC match ups on the road.

The Terps then come home to Ludwig Field for nine-straight home games spanning from October 2 to November 3 before finishing up the regular season at North Carolina on November 9.

"I can't imagine anyone having the month of September tougher than we have it," Cirovski said. "On top of this, we have an inexperienced goalkeeper and Jason Herrick, one of our leading goal scorers, out for the year. We are going to have our challenges and have a lot of obstacles coming in September, but I expect this team to learn quickly, to adjust, and come out of there as a stronger, more resilient team."

The ACC Tournament will be played November 13-18 in Cary, N.C. which is also the home of the 2007 College Cup. The NCAA Tournament starts on November 23 and concludes on December 14-16 at the SAS Soccer Stadium.