National Champion Men's Soccer Announces 2009 Schedule
6/11/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
June 11, 2009
2009 Schedule <="">
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The road to a repeat national championship begins at Ludwig Field this fall as the Terps tangle with UCLA at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, to open up the 2009 Maryland men's soccer schedule, announced by head coach Sasho Cirovski today.
In total, the Terps will battle eight NCAA Tournament teams from last season, including three that Maryland defeated in postseason play en route to its second national title in four seasons.
After opening up with UCLA Friday night, Maryland will play host to California at 7 p.m. on Sunday at Ludwig Field in a rematch of last year's Sweet Sixteen matchup. The Terps continue their four-game homestand to start the season with an Atlantic Coast Conference match against Boston College Sept. 11 and a game against Atlantic-10 opponent Duquesne two days later.
Maryland embarks on its first road trip of the season on Sept. 19 with a match at N.C. State before returning home to the friendly confines of College Park with a midweek contest against St. Peters (N.J.) on Sept. 22. The Terps then set their sights on North Carolina in a showdown of the final two teams standing in last year's College Cup. That match has been pegged as the National Game of the Week and will be broadcast live on the Fox Soccer Channel
A trip to George Mason, a squad Maryland played in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008, rounds out the month of September.
The Terps begin October with a game at Duke before Loyola (Chicago) and Virginia Tech travel to Ludwig Field on Oct. 6 and Oct. 9, respectively. Maryland heads down the beltway for a match at Georgetown on Oct. 13 before trekking to Clemson on Sept. 16. Seton Hall visits Ludwig on Oct. 20 before Maryland faces a tough two-game stretch with back-to-back matches at Wake Forest (Oct. 24) and against Virginia (Oct. 31).
The Terps will then face intrastate-foe Navy at Ludwig on Nov. 3 before hosting Senior Night in Maryland's final home match of the season against College of Charleston on Nov. 6.
The Terps will aim for a repeat title at the ACC Tournament in Cary, N.C., from Nov. 10-15. College Cup action kicks off with first round play on Nov. 20.
"I am excited to announce our 2009 schedule," Cirovski said. "In addition to the always demanding and fiercely contested ACC matches, our lineup has a little bit of everything. We will compete against national powers and regional rivals. We will also welcome some new programs on our schedule while re-visiting some old foes.
"All in all, we are facing teams from seven different conferences outside the ACC. We know the challenge of every game will be formidable and we are looking forward to that challenge."
Maryland went a program-best 23-3 in 2008 and rides a 16-game winning streak into the 2009 campaign.
