Let the Games Begin!
9/1/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 1, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team opens its 2010 campaign against No. 24 Michigan State Friday at Ludwig Field. The Terps' home opener is slated to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
The Terps, who return nine starters from last season's squad which advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals, went 2-1 in preseason play, including wins over BIG EAST foes St. John's and Georgetown.
Michigan State rolls into College Park sporting ten starters from a year ago, including two-time All-Big Ten goalkeeper Avery Steinlage. The Spartans were 11-8-2 and garnered the 14th seed in the NCAA Tournament last season before bowing out in the second round to Duke in East Lansing.
Tickets for Friday night's match are $8 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and free for all Maryland students with a valid ID. Fans are also encouraged to arrive early for a special tailgate sponsored by Pepsi which feature several games and samplings of Pepsi Max. The tailgate area will be open from the time gates open until first kick.
TERPS COMPLETE SUCCESSFUL PRESEASON
• Junior midfielder Matt Kassel led all scorers in preseason with two goals as Maryland went 2-1.
• The Terps defeated St. John's and Georgetown in College Park, falling to UMBC on the road.
• Maryland, which came into camp as the fittest squad head coach Sasho Cirovski has had during his tenure, is looking to seal up a backline spot and a midfielder post vacated by departed seniors and MLS draft picks Kevin Tangney and Drew Yates.
THE 2010 SEASON - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Maryland made its 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. It was the 15th under head coach Sasho Cirovski.
• In addition to returning the most experience since the 2008 national championship squad, the Terps boast the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation this season.
• The Terps return nine starters from 2009, including All-ACC honorees Jason Herrick and Zac MacMath. Maryland has five seniors and six juniors on its roster this season.
• Maryland, which plays in the always-tough ACC, once again faces one of the toughest schedules in the country, battling nine teams that participated in the 2007 NCAA Tournament and five that are ranked in the NSCAA Preseason Top 20.
• Seven of the first nine teams the Terps face in 2010 advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.
MARYLAND MSOC LIVE
• Fans will be able to watch every Maryland men's soccer regular season home game live from their computer this season with a subscription to TerpsTV on umterps.com!
• Premium TerpsTV programming requires a subscription which ranges from $9.95 monthly to $79.95 annually for all content.
• To sign up, log on to www.umterps.com/allaccess/.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS...
• Michigan State rolls into College Park sporting ten starters from a year ago, including two-time All-Big Ten goalkeeper Avery Steinlage.
• The Spartans were 11-8-2 and garnered the 14th seed in the NCAA Tournament last season before bowing out in the second round to Duke in East Lansing.
• Rubin Bega returns as MSU's top scoring threat from a year ago, accounting for 10 of the Spartans' 28 goals.
• Maryland trails the all-time series, 1-3-1.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES...
• Northeastern battles Georgetown in Washington D.C. Friday night before heading to College Park for the Sunday matchup.
• The Huskies are led by 2010 Preseason All-CAA picks Don Anding, Santiago Bedoya and Matt Sanford.
• Anding racked up CAA Rookie of the Year honors last season. The Huskies posted 10 shutouts as a squad in 2009.
• This the first meeting between the Terps and the Huskies.
THE TOURNEY STREAK
• Maryland has been to the NCAA Tournament nine consecutive seasons and 15 out of the last 16 seasons.
• In those nine seasons, Maryland has advanced to the College Cup five times (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008), racking up national titles in 2005 and 2008.
• The Terps saw their nation-best streak of seven straight seasons with a first-round bye snapped in 2009.
• Maryland is 42-24-4 in 29 NCAA appearances.
A GREAT HOME SLATE
• In addition to its always challenging conference schedule which features home matches against NCAA Tournament participants N.C. State, Wake Forest and Duke, the Terps' non-conference slate is highlighted by contests against Michigan State (Sept. 3) and Connecticut (Oct. 5).
BACK ON TRACK
• After missing the majority of the 2009 season, junior Casey Townsend, one of the most prolific goal scorers in all of college soccer, returns to the starting lineup in great shape this season. He will team up with First Team All-ACC selection Jason Herrick up front.
• In addition, Doug Rodkey returns after missing the majority of the season with a foot injury.
NO. 5 RECRUITING CLASS
• Head coach Sasho Cirovksi and his staff has assembled one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. In addition to Patrick Mullins and Gordon Murie, who enrolled early this spring, Maryland will also welcome Marquez Fernandez, Tsotleho "Sunny" Jane, Jereme Raley and Helge Leikvang this season.
RODKEY BACK FOR MORE
• Maryland senior Doug Rodkey returns for a sixth season after an injury sidelined the midfielder in his sophomore and senior campaigns.
• He will be aiming to be the first male athlete in Maryland history to win three NCAA championships.
U.S. WINS U-20 MILK CUP TITLE
• Zac MacMath and Ethan White headed up the U.S. under-20 national team this July for the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland, ultimately taking home a title in the annual international youth soccer tournament.
• MacMath posted a clean sheet in goal in a 1-0 victory against China while White started and played almost the entire match in a 3-2 victory against Denmark two days later.
WELCOME TO FAN-FRIENDLY LUDWIG FIELD
• The Maryland men's soccer team has increasingly attracted more and more fans to Ludwig Field season after season. More than 325,000 fans have filled the stands to take in exciting Terrapin soccer action since the facility opened in 1995.
• A program-high crowd of 6,946 watched Maryland top No. 2 North Carolina in 2009, as the Terps were second nationally in overall attendance.
• Maryland has averaged more than 2,000 fans per match in each of the last seven seasons.
HERRICK NAMED LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS CANDIDATE
• Forward Jason Herrick has been named a candidate for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
• Herrick, who was also recently tabbed to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list, led Maryland in scoring as a junior last season with nine goals. The Accounting major from Elmhurst, Ill., is a two-time captain for the Terps and has spent two years as a representative for men's soccer on the Student-Athlete Athletic Council.
TERPS IN OPENERS
• Maryland is 40-24-1 in season openers, with the lone tie coming at Indiana in 2007.
• Friday's contest against Michigan State is only the third time in Ludwig Field history that the Terps have opened up at home. The other contests were last season against UCLA and 1996 against George Mason.
• The Terps are 9-5-1 in home openers at Ludwig Field, including winning five of their last seven.
TERPS IN THE COMMUNITY
• Maryland spent the spring semester not only prepping for the upcoming 2010 fall slate, but also making a difference in the community.
• The team raised $1,500 for Justin's Quest in ticket sales at its spring match against Virginia in addition to shooting baskets with Justin Friedlander to raise awareness for brain tumors.
• The Terps also teamed up to help raise money for the relief effort following the devastating earthquake in Haiti by selling t-shirts. The effort hit close to home for the Terps, as sophomore midfielder Widner Saint Cyr grew up in Port-Au-Prince.
