Sept. 28, 2011

Swaim Saves Best for Last

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 3 Maryland men's soccer team is poised for a marquee showdown with No. 2 Creighton Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Ludwig Field.

The Terps (9-0-1, 3-0-0 ACC) are off to their best start since 1968 after topping #12 Charlotte, 3-1, on Tuesday. Maryland's terrific trio of Casey Townsend, John Stertzer, and Patrick Mullins continue to lead the attack, accounting for 22 of the Terps' 28 goals. Townsend and Stertzer scored their 10th and seventh goals of the season, respectively, against the 49ers.

Creighton rolls into Friday's top-five matchup with a perfect 8-0-0 record and has yet to surrender a goal this season. The Blue Jays have been forced into extra periods only once, a double overtime win at DePaul.

Tickets and Game Promotions
· Click here for ticket information for all 2011 Maryland men's soccer home games.

· Click here for a complete list of game promotions for this season.

Parking Information
General Information: After 4 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends, there is no charge for parking in Lots Z1 or 1b or in Regents Drive Garage. Lots R2 and R3 are limited to vehicles displaying current valid permits for the respective lots at all times. The Stadium Drive Garage is closed on weekends.

Event Multimedia
· For a listing of games available on Terps TV and information on how to purchase, click here via TerpsTV All-Access.

· Fans will be able to follow all of the action on umterps.com via Gametracker.

· Maryland's student-run radio station, WMUC, will also be broadcasting the match at WMUCsports.com.

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Scouting The Terps

· No. 3 Maryland picked up a hard-fought, non-conference victory against No. 12 Charlotte on Tuesday night. The Terps are outscoring their opponents, 19-4, at Ludwig Field.

· The Terps are led on offense by 2011 MAC Hermann Trophy watch list selection Casey Townsend and his sophomore counterpart Patrick Mullins. Towsend, a Traverse City, Mich., native, is the top returning scorer for the Terps after scoring nine goals for 2010 ACC champion Maryland. He has already eclipsed that mark in 2011, with 10 goals through 10 matches. The 2010 ACC Freshman of the Year, Mullins has five goals and has also dished an assist for 11 points.

· John Stertzer has been the statiscial leader in the midfield thus far, tallying seven goals, including the game-winner in overtime at UMBC, and three assists. Kaoru Forbess, Helge Leikvang and Sunny Jane have sealed up the remainder of the midfield with rookie Alex Shinsky earning significant playing time as the first player off the bench. Jane leads the Terps with five assists. Jereme Raley has also seen action in the starting lineup.

·Taylor Kemp returns for his third season as a starter at outside back and, along with senior captain Alex Lee, have led a dynamic defensive effort through eight games. Widner Saint Cyr and London Woodberry have been solid as well. Maryland is surrendering a mere 0.70 goals per contest. They have allowed only 27 shots on goal all season.

· Redshirt senior Will Swaim has started every match but one in 2011 at goalkeeper, replacing three-year starter and current Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath.

2011 Preseason Preview
· Part 1: Forwards featuring Casey Townsend
· Part 2: Midfield featuring senior Kaoru Forbess
· Part 3: Defense featuring senior Alex Lee
· Part 4: Overall Outlook featuring head coach Sasho Cirovski
· WATCH! Season Preview Video

Scouting The Jays
· Creighton rolls into College Park sporting a perfect record through eight games. The Jays topped St. Mary's, 1-0, their last time out Saturday. Creighton has not given up a goal this season.

· The Jays are led by Elmar Bolowich, the former long-time coach at North Carolina, who is in his first season at Creighton. The Jays boast the top-ranked defense in the nation and average 2.12 goals per game.

· Ethan Finley paces the Creighton offense with six goals and four assists. Five players boast more than one goal this season.

· Maryland leads the all-time series, 2-1-1. The Terps edged Creighton, 1-0, to earn their last trip to the College Cup on Dec. 6, 2008 at Ludwig Field. Rodney Wallace netted the game-winner in the 24th minute on a chilly College Park day.

Poll Central
· Follow the Terps and their opponents in the 2011 season via these national polls:
NSCAA Poll
Soccer America Poll
TopDrawerSoccer.com Poll

Terps Grind Out Win vs. #12 Charlotte
· Three first half strikes in a span of 12 minutes propelled the No. 3 Maryland men's soccer team past No. 12 Charlotte, 3-1, on a misty night at Ludwig Field.

· Casey Townsend and John Stertzer scored two of the Terrapin goals, while Charlotte added the third on an own goal for Maryland.

Winnin' Like It's 1968
· Maryland is off to its best start since the 1968 season when the Terps were co-national champions. Maryland went 14-0-1 that season, tying Michigan State in the national championship game.

Three-Headed Maryland Monster
· Junior John Stertzer, senior Casey Townsend and sophomore Patrick Mullins have combined to total 22 of Maryland's 28 goals this season.

· Stertzer, a native of Oakton, Va., has tallied seven scores, including the game-winner at UMBC, and also has three assists. Townsend has tallied a team-high 10 goals, including a hat trick at UMBC. Mullins, last year's ACC Freshman of the Year, has five goals in 2011, including two against No. 8 Boston College.

Heavy Shooters
· Maryland has attempted more shots than its opponent in every game this season.

· The Terps are averaging over 10 shots per game more than their foes in 2011 and lead the league with 18.2 per contest.

Scoring Frenzy
· Maryland has recorded a hefty 28 goals in its first 10 matches in 2011.

· Maryland is averaging a national-best 2.80 per game rolling into Friday's match against Creighton. The squad is first in total goals and second in scoring offense nationally through nine games.

Cirovski Nets Career Win No. 300 vs. Radford
· Head coach Sasho Cirovski secured victory number 300 as the No. 4 Maryland men's soccer team defeated Radford, 2-1, at Ludwig Field.

· The Maryland victory vaults Cirovski into 10th all-time amongst active NCAA Division I men's soccer head coaches.

Stertzer's Time to Shine
· Junior John Stertzer is the middle of a breakout season for Maryland.

· He has already crushed his career-high in goals with seven, five more than he tallied in each of his first two seasons.

Maryland Stays Perfect in ACC with Win at VT
· The top-ranked Maryland men's soccer team remained perfect in conference play with a win at Virginia Tech, 2-0, Saturday.

· John Stertzer netted the game-winner and Casey Townsend provided the insurance goal to move Maryland to 8-0-1 on the year. Senior Kaoru Forbess notched both assists.

Townsend Climbs the Charts
· Casey Townsend has recorded 36 goals in his decorated four-year career at Maryland.

· The senior is currently seventh all-time in Maryland men's soccer history in career goals. He needs two more scores to move up to No. 6 alongside Shane Dougherty.

Terps Extend Streak with Win over NC State
· Three different Terrapins scored to lead No. 1 Maryland to a defeat of NC State, 3-1, at Ludwig Field to advance to 7-0 in 2011.

· Mikias Eticha scored with just 16 seconds left in the first half while Jereme Raley and John Stertzer added goals ten minutes into the second frame to help secure the victory for Maryland.

Terps Cruise to First ACC Win
· The No. 2 Maryland men's soccer team passed its first conference test with a 4-0 rout of No. 8 Boston College at a festive Ludwig Field.

· Sophomore Patrick Mullins scored twice and goalkeeper Will Swaim secured his third shutout of the season as the Terrapins outshot the Eagles, 18-4. Casey Townsend and Taylor Kemp accounted for Maryland's other two goals.

Jane the Playmaker
· Sophomore Sunny Jane has yet to net his first goal this season but that doesn't mean he hasn't had any effect on Maryland's high-flying offense.

· Jane has tallied a career-best five assists this season, a team-best average of 0.50 per game.

Cirovski Nets Career Win No. 300 vs. Radford
· Head coach Sasho Cirovski secured victory number 300 as the No. 4 Maryland men's soccer team defeated Radford, 2-1, at Ludwig Field.

· The Maryland victory vaults Cirovski into 10th all-time amongst active NCAA Division I men's soccer head coaches.

Maryland Soccer on Display in Stanford Win
· The Terps needed only 22 seconds to net their first of four goals in a 4-0 rout of Stanford in front of 7,178 fans at Ludwig Field.

· The crowd, which ranked as the second most in Ludwig Field history, and a live Fox Soccer Channel audience were treated to four first half goals by the Terps, including two from senior Casey Townsend.

· The four first half goals were the most for the Terrapins since scoring four on September 15, 2009 against Duquesne in a 7-0 drubbing. Ironically, Townsend scored two first half goals in that match as well.

Two-timin' Townsend
· Senior Casey Townsend has been absolutely fantastic up-top in 2011, racking up 10 goals in 10 matches this season. He is currently ranked in the top ten nationally in total goals.

· Townsend has already recorded two multi-goal performances this season, including his second career hat trick against UMBC.

· He was tabbed to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week for his efforts against UMBC.

Mullins Snags ACC Player of the Week Nod
· Patrick Mullins has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Co-Player of the Week after tallying two goals against No. 8 Boston College.

· Mullins led Maryland to its first 5-0 start since 2004 with his first career two-goal outing in a 4-0 rout of the Eagles.

· The sophomore forward netted the second and third goals in the Terps' victory over BC. He was also named to both the College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer National Teams of the Week.

Head Coach Sasho Cirovski
· The winningest head coach in Maryland men's soccer annals, Sasho Cirovski returns for his 19th season at the helm of the prestigious Terp program. Here are just a few of his highlights with the Terps.

· National Champions (2005, 2008)
· NSCAA National Coach of the Year (2005)
· ACC Coach of the Year (2003, 2005)
· 16 NCAA postseason appearances
· Four ACC Tournament titles
· Six appearances in the College Cup
· 17 straight winning seasons
· 37 MLS players
· 30 First Team All-ACC picks
· Eight MAC Hermann Trophy finalists

Townsend Earns Preseason Honors
· Casey Townsend earned two lofty national preseason honors. The senior was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and garnered College Soccer News Preseason All-America honors.

· Townsend was tabbed to the initial 42-player list for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the top individual honor in college soccer. A senior from Traverse City, Mich., the 2010 First Team All-ACC pick is Maryland's top returning scorer after tallying nine goals as a junior.

· Townsend was also named a College Soccer News Second Team Preseason All-American. He is currently 15th in TopDrawerSoccer.com's listing of the top 100 prospects for professional soccer in the college senior class.

Protect This House
· Maryland is tremendous at its home venue, Ludwig Field, boasting a 163-36-12 record since the facility was built in 1995.

· The Terps have not lost more than two games at home in a season since 2001, boasting a 97-11-8 record in the last 10 years.

ACC Freshman of the Year Returns for Terps
· Sophomore Patrick Mullins was tabbed ACC Freshman of the Year in 2010 after appearing in 21 games and registering 14 points.

· As a midfielder, Mullins was also a TopDrawerSoccer All-Rookie second team pick.

· The New Orleans, La., product will move up to a striker position in 2011, accompanying Casey Townsend and replacing four-year starter Jason Herrick.

From College Park to the MLS
· Maryland had another banner day at the 2011 MLS SuperDraft with three student-athletes being selected.

· Zac MacMath was selected by the Philadelphia Union with the fifth overall pick. Billy Cortes (38th - NYRB) and Jason Herrick (45th - Chicago) were also taken in the draft. Underclassmen Matt Kassel and Ethan White later signed homegrown deals with New York and D.C.

Terps Land Top Recruit
· Incoming freshman Alex Shinsky heads to Maryland as TopDrawerSoccer.com's No. 1-rated recruit in 2011. The midfielder is also the No. 2-ranked recruit in the nation by College Soccer News.

· Shinsky is a member of U-17 U.S. National Team where he scored a goal for the U.S. U-17 National Team in the FIFA World Cup in Malawi.

Will The Thrill
· Redshirt senior Will Swaim enters the 2011 season atop the depth chart at goalkeeper after serving as a reserve to All-American Zac MacMath for three seasons.

· Swaim began his career at Maryland as a starter during his freshman season and has made a valiant return to a starting role in 2011, giving up only seven goals in nine games thus far.

Fan Friendly Ludwig Field
· The Maryland men's soccer team has increasingly attracted more and more fans to Ludwig Field season after season. Heading into this season, more than 325,000 fans have filled the stands to take in exciting Terrapin soccer action since the facility opened in 1995. In Maryland's win against Stanford Sept. 2, a near-record crowd of 7,178 showed up to support the Terps in an early season non-conference showdown.

· A program-high crowd of 7,260 watched Maryland top No. 9 Duke in 2010. The Terps were second nationally in overall attendance in 2009. Maryland has averaged more than 2,000 fans per match in each of the last seven seasons.

The Terps When (2011)...

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Media Information
· Terps on the Web: For up-to-date game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please log-on to www.umterps.com on the Internet.

· GameTracker: Follow Terps games live in 2011 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.