Season Preview - Forwards, Schedule
8/24/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 24, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - This is the final installment of a four-part series previewing the 2009 Maryland men's soccer season.
Wednesday - Goalkeepers, Overview
Thursday - Backline
Friday - Midfield
Monday - Forwards, Schedule
FORWARDS
Maryland is thrilled to return both of its starters at the forward position as junior Jason Herrick and sophomore Casey Townsend are poised for their second season working together up front.
"Jason and Casey have developed a good relationship and their styles are very complimentary," Cirovski said. "They enjoy playing with each other and I expect them to be more productive this year."
Herrick scored four goals and added four assists in 24 appearances last season. He paced the Terps with a pair of goals at N.C. State for a pivotal ACC win. Townsend, a highly-touted striker from Traverse City, Mich., enters his sophomore campaign after racking up All-ACC Freshman team honors with 11 goals and four assists in 2008.
"Jason is a fit, experienced and mature player who is also a great student," Cirovski said. "As a co-captain this season, he will be one of the key leaders on this team.
"Casey is a natural goal scorer who will have several chances to score every game, but I think he will be more of a marked man this season. He is a determined young man that is fully capable of scoring many goals and we expect him to be more of a provider this year as well with an increase in assists."
Also factoring into the forward position will be sophomore Matt Oduaran and junior Billy Cortes. Oduaran gained invaluable experience this summer training with the Nigerian U-20 team and provided some key minutes off the bench for Maryland last year. Cortes had a few strong showings in the spring and is poised to make a contribution up front.
"Matt's confidence and physical strength have really improved," Cirovski said. "I see him having a more prominent role in the rotation up front.
"Billy seems to have regained his freshman form and can play either striker or outside midfield for us. He's very versatile, has a great work ethic, two good feet and a myriad of skills."
Joining the returners will be freshman Gonzalo Frechilla. A late addition to the Terps' 2009 signing class, Frechilla hails from the Dominican Republic and has a great deal of international playing experience despite his young age.
"Gonzalo is a combination of Doug (Rodkey) and Kaoru (Forbess)," Cirovski said. "He is gifted technically and has good experience which should make his transition fairly smooth. He could see time as an attacking or outside midfielder or at striker."
SCHEDULE
The Terps welcome 12 teams to Ludwig Field this season, including a four-game home stand to kick off the 2009 campaign.
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.
"I think our fans can look forward to a real treat this year," 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."
After opening up at home with a game against UCLA Friday, Sept. 4, Maryland will play host to California that Sunday in a rematch of last year's Sweet Sixteen matchup. The Terps continue their four-game homestand to start the season with an ACC 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.
