Oct. 17, 2012

BUY TICKETS!

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland men's soccer team welcomes North Carolina for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash of conference titans Friday at 6 p.m. The match will be shown live on ESPNU.

The top-ranked Terps (12-0-1, 5-0 ACC) remained unbeaten on the season with a 2-0 shutout of Colgate on Tuesday night at Ludwig. The increasingly impressive forward tandem of Schillo Tshuma and Patrick Mullins accounted for both goals. Mullins leads the Terps in goals (8), assists (7) and points (23).

North Carolina (11-1-1, 4-0-1 ACC) has allowed only three goals this season. The defending national champions boast a balanced attack with five players tallying multiple goals in 2012.

Fans are encouraged to get their tickets early for this anticipated sellout.

Following Friday's contest, Maryland continues its homestand with matches welcoming Lehigh (10/23) and Clemson (10/27).

Event Multimedia
· Friday's match will be shown live on ESPNU and ESPN3.

· Fans can follow the match via Gametracker.

· A live radio broadcast will also be available on WMUCSports.com.

Tickets and Promotional Schedule
· Click here for ticket information for all 2012 Maryland men's soccer home games.

· Click here for a promotional schedule of all Maryland home games!

Ludwig Field 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.

Follow Maryland Men's Soccer on Twitter

Scouting The Terps

· The Terps have reloaded for the 2012 campaign, head coach Sasho Cirovski's 20th at Maryland. With a talented recruiting class and the return of All-American midfielder John Stertzer, there is plenty of room for optimism as Maryland aims to return to the College Cup for the first time since 2008 when it captured the national championship.

· Stertzer tallied a career-high 14 goals as a junior and will anchor the midfield as a captain for the Terps in 2012. All-ACC selections Sunny Jane and Patrick Mullins will also be called upon to pitch in offensively.

· Taylor Kemp returns for his fourth season as a starter. The senior captain, along with Stertzer, was tabbed to the 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. He will team up with senior London Woodberry to lead the squad on defense. Maryland will look to its youth to seal up the goal as sophomore Keith Cardona, redshirt freshman Jordan Tatum and freshman Cody Niedermeier will compete for the starting job at keeper.

· Maryland returns eight starters from last year but expect competition to be very heated as Cirovski calls this roster his deepest in 20 years.

2012 Preseason Preview
· Offensive Weapons Work to Replace Townsend
· Stertzer Looks to Improve on Stellar 2011
· Kemp, Woodberry Return to Seal up Backline
· New Faces at Keeper
· Sasho's 20th Season - A Grind from the Get-Go

Scouting The Tar Heels
· North Carolina, the defending national champions, is 11-1-1 heading into Friday's showdown with its lone blemishes coming in a loss at James Madison and a tie versus Wake Forest.

· North Carolina has surrendered only three goals this season.

· Rob Lovejoy returned from injury for the first time this season to register a hat trick against College of Charleston and garner ACC Player of the Week honors. Andy Craven and Martin Murphy lead the offense with four goals each.

· Maryland leads the all-time series, 43-23-4, including a tie at Chapel Hill last Oct. 21.

Poll Central
· Follow the Terps and their opponents in the 2012 season via these national polls:
NSCAA Poll
Soccer America Poll
TopDrawerSoccer.com Poll

#1 Terps Stay Unbeaten Tuesday
· The No. 1 Maryland men's soccer team dominated Colgate 2-0 Tuesday night at Ludwig Field to secure its second best start in program history.

· Schillo Tshuma and Patrick Mullins each netted goals for Maryland (12-0-1, 5-0-0 ACC), which is off to its finest start since 1968.

· The Terps' starting lineup sported a new look as Maryland began the game with five freshmen and two sophomores.

Winnin' Like It's 1968
· With a 12-0-1 record, 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.

· The Terps were 11-0-1 to start the 2011 campaign.

Tshuma Power
· Freshman sensation Schillo Tshuma has been tremendous in his rookie campaign, tallying a class-high five goals in 2012.

· In total, Maryland rookies have accounted for 12 goals and nine assists this season.

Maryland/North Carolina, Circa 2011
· The No. 3 Maryland men's soccer team put forth a valiant effort at No. 2 North Carolina, escaping with a 1-1 tie to stay atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings last October.

· John Stertzer tallied his 12th goal of the season in the 51st minute to spark the Terps to a crucial tie on the road with two conference games remaining. Maryland thwarted one of the nation's most potent offenses, despite playing a man-down for nearly 50 minutes.

Shutting it Down
· Maryland boasts seven shutouts this season, one shy of its season total a year ago.

· Maryland established records for shutouts in a season with 15 in 2008 and 2010. The Terps won ACC titles in each of those seasons.

Kemp Named Senior CLASS Candidate
· Taylor Kemp has been named a candidate for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award.

· Kemp, a four-year starter for Maryland, has been a mainstay in the backline since his arrival in 2009. The senior captain from Highlands Ranch, Colo., was a second team All-ACC pick in 2011.

· Kemp is a two-time Academic All-ACC selection, boasting a 3.303 grade point average in the challenging Robert H. Smith School of Business. He also volunteers as part of Maryland's reading program and Relay for Life.

Fast Start
· Maryland is off to another great start this season, kicking off the year with a 12-0-1 record, including wins over four nationally-ranked opponents.

· Last year, Maryland started the season 11-0-1 before dropping its first match to Virginia Oct. 7.

A September to Remember
· Maryland was perfect through the month of September with a 7-0 record.

· The month of September consisted of the most road games of any month on Maryland's schedule with four scheduled away tilts.

No Rubber Stamp Lineups Here
· Maryland is using an array of starting lineups this season.

· A total of 21 players have landed in the starting XI this season, including six freshmen.

· Only two players - freshmen Mikey Ambrose and Dakota Edwards - have started all 13 matches.

Try to Keep Up the Pace
· Redshirt junior Jake Pace has exemplified Maryland's depth, notching a career-high four goals for the Terps in 2012.

· He was named to CollegeSoccerNews.com's National Team of the Week for his work against NC State and UMBC.

Terps Crush Cal, 6-0
· The No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team coasted by California 6-0 at Ludwig Field.

· Coming off a tough draw to No. 11 UCLA on Friday, the Terps battled through rain to score their highest goal tally in nearly two years. Patrick Mullins led Maryland with three points on a goal and two assists. Jordan Cyrus picked up two late goals to give the Terps their second win of the year.

Maryland Nets Tie with UCLA, 2-2
· In a battle of two perennial college soccer powers, the No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team drew with No. 11 UCLA 2-2 on an energy-fueled night at Ludwig Field.

· Dan Metzger and John Stertzer both scored for Maryland. Stertzer netted the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 68th minute.

· The attendance of 6,562 was the sixth highest in Maryland men's soccer history.

Balance Across the Board
· A total of 18 players have notched a goal and/or an assist through nine games this season.

· 12 players have scored at least one goal. That is the highest number of players to score of any team ranked nationally in the top 25.

Magic Mullins
· Patrick Mullins picked up his first goal of the year against California but it's his work as a distributor that's taking center stage.

· The New Orleans, La., product has seven assists through 13 games. He tallied two against Cal earlier this season.

· He had seven assists total heading into this season. He surpassed his career high of four as a freshman.

· The captain also leads Maryland in goals with eight.

Going Deep...
· Maryland showed why its one of the deepest teams in the nation against Cal and Boston College.

· The Terps picked up goals from reserves Tsubasa Endoh and Jordan Cyrus. Substitutes Endoh, Christiano Francois, Alex Shinsky, Jereme Raley and Jake Pace all notched assists against the Bears.

· Three of the four goals versus Boston College were scored by reserves.

Stertzer Nabs ACC Player of the Week Honor
· Senior midfielder John Stertzer was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week for his role in Maryland's 3-0 shutout of No. 7 Louisville.

· The MAC Hermann Trophy candidate gave Maryland a three-goal cushion with his goal late in the second half. Stertzer also played an instrumental role on defense as he helped the Terps preserve their first shutout of 2012 and avenge their third round loss against the Cardinals in the NCAA tournament last season.

· Stertzer was also tabbed to TopDrawerSoccer.com's national team of the week.

Terps Picked First in ACC Preseason Poll
· Maryland is the preseason favorite to claim the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Championship, according to a vote of the league's nine head coaches.

· The Terps, who return two MAC Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List candidates in senior defender Taylor Kemp and senior midfielder John Stertzer, amassed 72 total points in the balloting.

· Defending NCAA and ACC champion North Carolina placed second with 71 points in the coaches' vote.

Terp Duo Named to MAC Hermann Trophy List
· Maryland seniors Taylor Kemp and John Stertzer were named nominees for the 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer.

· Kemp is a four-year starter in Maryland's backline. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native has started in all 66 games he's appeared in heading into this season, aiding the Terps to an impressive 48-13-6 record. One of the top attacking defenders in the nation, Kemp has also netted a pair of goals and added 11 assists.

· Stertzer had a breakout campaign in 2011, netting NSCAA Third Team All-America honors after boasting a career-high 14 goals. The Oakton, Va., product, was also a First Team All-ACC selection. He tallied a squad-best five game-winners.

Terp Rookies Looking to Make Impact
· Head coach Sasho Cirovski announced the Terps' 2012 signing class, his 20th at Maryland, this spring.

· The Terps signed eight players to this year's highly-touted class. The class consists of five players on College Soccer News' Top 150 Recruits, including Michael Ambrose (#2), Christiano Francois (#45), Cody Niedermeier (#58), Ntokozo Tshuma (#60), Dakota Edwards (#83), and Donovan Fraser (#102).

· Tsubasa Endoh, David Kabelik and Ryan Reid also signed letters of intent to play for Maryland.

18 and Counting!
· With a 14-4-3 record last season, Maryland clinched yet another winning season - its 18th consecutive.

· Prior to this season, Maryland averaged 15.5 wins per season since 1994. The Terps have had three 20+ win seasons in that span and have eclipsed the 15-victory mark 10 times.

· The Terps have not lost more than two games at home in a season since 2001, recording a 109-12-9 record in the last 10 years.

Lovin' Ludwig!
· There are few venues in all of college athletics quite like the always-raucous Ludwig Field on the campus of the University of Maryland.

· Last season, Maryland averaged 3,781 fans per game and boasted three of the top ten single-game attendance figures in the nation. Excluding football and men's basketball, only three other Division I programs in any sport in the area outdrew the Terps' soccer program on average during the 2010-11 school year.

Head Coach Sasho Cirovski
· The winningest head coach in Maryland men's soccer annals, Sasho Cirovski returns for his 20th season at the helm of the prestigious Terp program.

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

Townsend Drafted Fifth by Chivas USA
· Casey Townsend became the eighth Terrapin to be drafted with a top five pick in the MLS SuperDraft. The senior forward was selected fifth overall by Chivas USA.

· The Traverse City, Mich., product became Maryland's fourth top 10 pick in the draft in the last three seasons, joining Zac MacMath (fifth overall - Philadelphia), Omar Gonzalez (third overall - Los Angeles), and Rodney Wallace (sixth overall - D.C. United).

· Townsend is the eighth top five pick for the Terps all-time, joining Leo Cullen (1998 - first), Taylor Twellman (2002 - second), Jason Garey (2006 - third), Chris Seitz (2007 - fourth), Maurice Edu (2007 - first), Gonzalez (2009 - third), and MacMath (2011 - fifth).

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, nearly 375,000 fans have filled the stands to take in exciting Terrapin soccer action since the facility opened in 1995.

· The Terps set a Ludwig Field record Oct. 14, 2011 when 7,957 fans watched Maryland defeat Duke on a perfect College Park night set with fireworks. Maryland averaged nearly 4,000 fans per game in 2011.

The Terps When (2012)...

Follow Maryland Athletics on Twitter

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 2012 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.