Aug. 23, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland men's soccer team and American University played to a 1-1 draw on an extremely hot Sunday afternoon in Washington D.C.

The Terps got on the board first in the 15th minute. Doug Rodkey found fellow senior Drew Yates with a good pass who was able to slip a ball in behind the back four of AU to Casey Townsend. Townsend beat AU goalkeeper, Matt Makowski, to his back post giving the Terps the 1-0 lead.

Outshooting the Eagles 9 - 4, Maryland held their 1-0 advantage heading into the half. Nick Kapus tied the game for the Eagles in the 75th minute when he tucked a pass from Mike Worden just past the outstretched arms of Maryland goalkeeper, Will Swaim. Goalkeepers, Zac MacMath and Will Swaim combined for 9 saves as Maryland outshot American 17-11 en route to a 1-1 tie.

"This was a good exercise for us today...American is a very good opponent and made it really hard on us," head coach Sasho Cirovski said. "Overall, I was pleased with some of the things I saw. There are certainly areas where we need to improve and games like this point those things out, but I was encouraged by what we were able to accomplish today.

"We were able to get all of our available players in the game today and gain them some valuable game experience. I am looking forward to getting back at it this week as we prepare for Villanova on Thursday."

The Terps will host Villanova Thursday night at Ludwig Field for the final scrimmage before the 2009 season begins. The game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.