Oct. 28, 2008

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -

Standing at 6'5", Omar Gonzalez is not your prototypical collegiate soccer player. While the game is filled with smaller, quicker players, Gonzalez patrols the Maryland back line with his big stature and has elevated the defense to becoming one of the best in the country.

"The referees usually call more on me because of my size, but Coach (Sasho Cirovski) likes to use me in every attacking corner and set piece," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez has been phenomenal for Maryland in his first two years on campus and is continuing the trend this year. In his freshman campaign, he was selected to the All-ACC Freshman Team and started 22 games.

"Sasho really helped me become more mature with every decision I make on and off the field," Gonzalez said.

With a new-found maturity, Gonzalez came out on-fire his sophomore year, starting every game and being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also tabbed NSCAA/adidas All-America Third-Team.

"Being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year was a great honor because there are a bunch of great players in the ACC," Gonzalez said. "It was definitely a big achievement for me personally."

Gonzalez hails from Dallas, Texas and grew up with three siblings; one brother and two sisters. The Gonzalez family is not lacking in athleticism as one sister played volleyball for Louisiana Tech and his brother, Adrian, plays arena football for the Dallas Desperados.

While attending Skyline High School and the IMG Soccer Academy, Gonzalez played for a variety teams before coming to College Park. His club team, the Dallas Texans, is one of the most prestigious teams in Texas. Aside from the Texans, Gonzalez played for the U-17 National Team, where he first heard about the Terps.

"I was at a national team camp when I first got recruited by [Assistant Coach] Russell Payne and at that time I was mostly considering St. Johns," said Gonzalez. "When I visited Maryland, I knew it would be the best choice."

Gonzalez has transitioned nicely from playing for the United States, where he earned eight caps and scored three goals, including the winning score against Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament, to playing for Maryland.

Although he has hopes of becoming a professional soccer player one day, Gonzalez says he needs to become more of a leader and improve on bits and pieces of his game and continues to be focused on the task at hand.

"I hope we can win the ACC and ultimately reach the Final Four," Gonzalez said.

The Terps, who are 13-3-0 and 4-2-0 in conference play, head to Virginia for a pivotal ACC contest Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

By: Chris Eckard - Maryland Media Relations