COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team will look to get back in the win column when it hosts George Mason on Sunday, September 9 at 7:00 p.m. at Ludwig Field. The first 1,000 fans that arrive at the game will receive a free Maryland soccer poster. On Friday night against No. 20 West Virginia, a crowd of 5,022 greeted the Terrapins in their 2007 home debut, the fifth-largest crowd in Ludwig history.

Terps Look To Bounce Back Against George Mason
• The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team will look to get back in the win column when it hosts George Mason on Sunday, September 9 at 7:00 p.m.
• Maryland owns a slight 6-5-1 advantage against the Patriots all-time. The two teams have not met since the 2002 season when the Terps traveled to Fairfax and came away with a 4-1 win on October 19.
• Maryland is coming off of an overtime 1-0 loss against No. 20 West Virginia on Friday night while GMU defeated Bowling Green, 3-1, on Friday afternoon.

Mountaineers Take Overtime Win Friday Night
• After a back-and-forth 90 minutes that saw both teams squander opportunities, No. 20 West Virginia wasted no time in the first overtime to steal a win on the road. After the kickoff, Mike Anoia dribbled down the left side of the field and sent a cross into the box where Dan Stratford was waiting for the game-winner just 35 seconds into the extra session.
• The 5,022 spectators that showed up for Maryland's 2007 home debut was the fifth-largest crowd in Ludwig Field history and outdrew the 4,565 that came out against NC State back on September 16 of last year.

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 No. 10 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 the easy goal into the net.
• 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.

Scouting The Patriots
• George Mason enters the match with a 2-1-0 record and is coming off of a 3-1 win against Bowling Green on Friday afternoon.
• GMU opened the season with a 3-0 win against Howard in the adidas DC College Cup but then lost to American, 2-1.
• The Patriots made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in a decade in 2006.
• GMU returns Sean Kelley in goal who pitched 11 shutouts last season as a freshman. Kelley earned numerous awards in 2006, including CAA Rookie of the Year, College Soccer News All-Freshman First Team, All-South Atlantic Region Third Team, CAA All-Rookie Team, CAA All-Tournament Team, and All-CAA Second Team.
• Last year's offense scored a goal or less in 18 of 21 games but has scored seven times in three games to start 2007.
• Freshman Fro Adu, brother of international star Freddy Adu, leads the team with three goals and six points. He is the only Patriot with more than one goal.
• Irvin Martinez has added a goal and two assists while Chris Chaves also has a pair of helpers.

Series History
• Maryland owns a 6-5-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Patriots.
• In the last 10 meetings, the home team has won just three times.

Last 10 Meetings:
October 19, 2002: Maryland 4, GEORGE MASON 1
October 10, 2001: George Mason 1, MARYLAND 0
October 11, 2000: MARYLAND 4, George Mason 0
October 13, 1999: Maryland 3, GEORGE MASON 1
October 7, 1998: MARYLAND 3, George Mason 0
October 8, 1997: Maryland 2, GEORGE MASON 0
August 30, 1996: George Mason 2, MARYLAND 1
October 29, 1989: George Mason 1, MARYLAND 0
October 29, 1988: Maryland 1, GEORGE MASON 1
November 1, 1987: GEORGE MASON 1, Maryland 0
Home team in CAPS

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 75 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 and are 1-0-1 to start this year.

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 204-94-16 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.

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 59-6-2 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 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 Friday night's match against No. 20 West Virginia, 5,022 spectators came out to root Maryland on in the 2007 home opener. That number ranks fifth all-time at Ludwig.

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 77-18-5 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 41-straight matches.

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.

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.