Nov. 27, 2008
Tournament Central | NCAA Third Round Game Notes <="">
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
For a nation-best seventh consecutive season, the Maryland men's soccer team is headed to the third round of the NCAA Tournament as the second-seeded Terps play host to California Saturday at 1 p.m. at Ludwig Field.
Maryland (19-3-0) coasted through the second round of College Cup action, defeating George Mason, 2-0, Tuesday night in College Park. Casey Townsend registered the first punch when he scored off a through ball from Jason Herrick at 21:16 before Graham Zusi provided the knockout score with three minutes remaining in the first half. The Terrapin defense continues its potency, securing the squad's 12th shutout in 2008. The backline has surrendered a mere five goals during Maryland's current 12-game winning streak. Offensively, the Terps are led by Jeremy Hall, who boasts team-bests in goals (13) and points (32). Heading into this week, the Maryland attack is 13th in scoring offense (2.05) nationally while the defense is 19th in shutout percentage (0.52). The Terps are ranked third in the current NSCAA poll.
One of only three teams to beat the Terps this season, California (12-3-5) has won five consecutive games heading into third round action Saturday. The Bears outlasted the Terps, 1-0, Aug. 31 in Maryland's second game this season. It was the first meeting between the two programs. The contest, which was played on neutral ground at Drake Stadium on the campus of UCLA, is the lone loss in a Maryland uniform for freshman keeper Zac MacMath, who has since won 15 straight. Cal, which is ranked 11th in the most recent NSCAA poll, is led by First-Team All-PAC-10 picks Stefan Frei, Andrew Wiedeman and Hector Jimenez. Frei is the only keeper to shut out the Terps this season. Wiedeman, a sophomore, boasts 27 points (11g, 5a) to pace the Cal attack. The Bears arrive in College Park after downing San Francisco, 3-0, in the first round last week and UC Santa Barbara, 3-2, in overtime on the road Tuesday night.
Maryland looks to return to the round of eight for the first time since 2005 when it captured the national championship. The Terps are quite comfortable at home at Ludwig Field, notching an 11-1 record this season with its lone loss coming to No. 1 Wake Forest. Maryland is 17-6-3 at Ludwig during tourney play. This is the 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament for head coach Sasho Cirovski while at the helm of the Maryland program and his 16th overall.
Tickets are available for early purchase by logging on to www.umterps.com.
