No. 6 Men's Soccer Makes Home Debut Against No. 20 West Virginia Friday Night
9/6/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 6, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team will open its 2007 home schedule against No. 20 West Virginia on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. at Ludwig Field. The first 500 fans will receive a free Terps soccer poster along with the first set of Maryland soccer trading cards. In addition, a limited edition Maryland Under Armour game jersey will be raffled off at halftime. Gates will open at 6:30 p.m. at Ludwig for this much-anticipated matchup that will be televised nationally on tape delay by CSTV.
Tickets for the raffle can be purchased at the gate of Ludwig Field on Friday night. Tickets are $1 for one, three for $2, or an arm's length for $5. The limited edition jersey is signed by the entire 2007 Maryland team and is not available in stores.
This is the first time since 1971 that the Terps and West Virginia will meet on the soccer pitch. The Mountaineers took the only meeting which was in the NCAA Tournament, 1-0.
CSTV will air the game Sunday, September 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Terps Host No. 20 West Virginia Friday Night
• The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team opens the home portion of its schedule on Friday, September 7 when it takes on No. 20 West Virginia of the BIG EAST.
• The game will be televised on tape delay by CSTV on Sunday, September 9 at 8:00 p.m. Jason Knapp will provide play-by-play while Richard Broad will be doing color commentary.
• This is just the second time in history that the two teams will meet and the first time in the regular season. The Mountaineers beat the Terps, 1-0, on November 17, 1971 in the NCAA Tournament.
• Maryland is coming off of a 1-0-1 weekend as it won the prestigious adidas/IU Credit Union Classic with a tie against No. 7 Indiana and an impressive 3-0 win versus No. 10 Notre Dame.
• West Virginia played in the Bert and Iris Wolstein Soccer Classic last weekend hosted by Ohio State and went 1-1-0 in the process. WVU lost to Ohio State in the season opener and then beat Penn State with both scores at 1-0.
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 No. 7 Indiana, 1-1, and beating 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.
• It was the first goal of Yates' career and the first assist for Rodkey.
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 No. 10 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.
• Marchiano and Gonzalez played key roles in Maryland's defense that allowed just one goal in two games. In the win against Notre Dame, the Terps' back line allowed just three shots, including none in the first half, while keeping Hermann Trophy winner Joseph Lapira in check.
Zusi Tabbed ACC Player of the Week
• Junior Graham Zusi was named the ACC Men's Soccer Player of the Week after leading the Terrapins to the tournament title at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. Zusi was named the Offensive MVP at the tournament while being placed on the All-Tournament Team.
• Zusi was also named the Maryland Men's Player of the Week and placed on the College Soccer News Team of the Week.
Scouting The Mountaineers
• West Virginia, ranked No. 20 in this week's NSCAA/adidas poll, is coming off of a 1-1-0 weekend at the Bert and Iris Wolstein Soccer Classic in Columbus, Ohio. The Mountaineers lost to Ohio State in the season opener and then beat Penn State with both scores at 1-0.
• WVU is coming off of a historic season as it went 15-3-3 and went a perfect 9-0-1 in the BIG EAST, its best season in school history. Head coach Marlon LeBlanc was named the Soccer America Coach of the Year, taking over on the first day of preseason in 2006.
• The Mountaineers return eight starters from last year's team, including first team All-BIG EAST honoree Andy Wright in the midfield. West Virginia lost All-Americans Nick Noble and Jarrod Smith, last year's top scorer, to graduation.
• Dan Stratford returns to the midfield with his 10 assists from last season.
• The West Virginia defense allowed just 13 goals in 20 games in 2006, a 0.62 per game average.
• WVU played its two opponents, Ohio State and Penn State, evenly on the opening weekend with both scoring a goal and opponents taking just one more shot. Wright scored the goal for the Mountaineers with Stratford assisting.
King Named Soccer America Player of the Week
• 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 74 games Maryland has played since 2004, his freshman campaign.
• King's 21 career assists ranks ninth all-time at Maryland while his 29 goals is just outside the top 10. His 79 points puts him at eighth 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 last weekend 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.
From A to Z-usi
• Junior Graham Zusi, the leading scorer for the Terps in 2006 with 11 goals and seven assists, will look to make an even bigger impact this season.
• So far, Zusi has done just that as he scored in both of Maryland's games 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.
• Zusi started out hot last year as he scored a point in nine of the first 11 games that he played. Maryland went 8-0-1 in those games.
• The Terps went 13-1-1 in 2006 when Zusi tallied at least one point.
Experience In The Back
• Maryland returns three starters on the back line from last year's squad that allowed just 16 goals, the fewest since 2003.
• Senior tri-captain Spencer Allen started all 22 games a year ago, mostly at right back. He also shifted over to the left side when David Glaudemans was injured and junior Rich Costanzo filled the right side.
• Junior A.J. Delagarza and sophomore Omar Gonzalez return after spending all of last season starting at the center back spot. Both started every game they played in last season.
• The Terps defense helped pitch nine shutouts last season with five of them coming in a six-game stretch from September 13-29.
• Maryland's experience showed in the first weekend at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic by allowing just one goal in two matches.
• In the Terps' win against No. 10 Notre Dame, Maryland held the Irish to just three shots, all in the second half, and kept 2006 Hermann Trophy Winner Joseph Lapira in check.
• Junior Michael Marchiano, who started at defensive midfield, and sophomore Omar Gonzalez were both named to the All-Tournament Team.
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 204-93-16 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.
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.
Non-Conference Dominance
• The Terps have been impressive against non-ACC foes since the 2001 season, compiling a 77-17-5 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.
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 1-0-0 when it scores first with a 3-0 win against No. 10 Notre Dame.
• The Terrapins have not lost a match when they strike first since October 2, 2004 - a total of 40-straight matches.
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.
