Nov. 7, 2012

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Top-seeded Maryland will make the short trip down I-270 for a semifinal match against fourth-seeded Clemson Friday at 8 p.m. in the 2012 ACC Men's Soccer Championship at the Maryland SoccerPlex.

The Terps (15-1-2) topped ninth-seeded Virginia Tech 2-1 on Tuesday night at Ludwig Field. John Stertzer converted on a penalty kick and Patrick Mullins headed home the game-winner to lift Maryland to the semifinals in Germantown.

Clemson (6-8-5) battled Boston College to a 0-0 tie before advancing on penalty kicks Tuesday. The Tigers tied Maryland in College Park Oct. 27 courtesy of two second-half scores.

The Terps are seeking their first tournament championship since 2010 and third in the last five seasons.

Event Multimedia
· Fridays's match will be shown live on ESPN3.

· Fans can follow the match via Gametracker.

ACC Championship Central
· Click here for information on the 2012 ACC Men's Soccer Championship.

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.

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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.

· Patrick Mullins has been the offensive Most Valuable Player thus far, registering team-highs in goals (12), assists (8) and points (32). Stertzer has been steady as ever, tallying seven goals and six assists while mentoring a very young midfield.

· Taylor Kemp has battled injury in his return as a starter for the fourth season. The senior captain, along with Stertzer, was tabbed to the 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. He has teamed up with senior London Woodberry to lead the squad on defense. Instrumental to the backline is the rookie duo of Dakota Edwards and Mikey Ambrose. Ambrose is the only player to start every match in 2012.

· Maryland has looked to its youth to seal up the goal as sophomore Keith Cardona and redshirt freshman Jordan Tatum have split time in net, with Cardona starting the majority of the season.

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 Tigers
· Clemson tied Boston College in quarterfinal action Tuesday before besting the Eagles in penalty kicks to advance.

· Austin Savage leads Clemson with eight goals and four assists. The Tigers are narrowly outscoring opponents 21-20.

· Cody Mizell boasts 56 saves while surrendering 17 goals in 2012.

· Clemson leads the all-time series, 31-21-2. The two teams played to a 2-2 draw Oct. 27 at Maryland.

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

Top-Seeded Terps Drop Hokies in ACC Quarters
· The top-seeded Maryland men's soccer team defeated Virginia Tech 2-1 in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 ACC Men's Soccer Championship Tuesday at Ludwig Field.

· Goals by senior John Stertzer and junior Patrick Mullins lifted ACC regular season champion Maryland back to the conference semifinals after falling short in quarterfinal play in 2011.

Cirovski Seeks Maryland Win No. 300
· Head coach Sasho Cirovski is one win away from No. 300 while at the helm of the Maryland men's soccer program.

· Cirovski, who is in his 20th season at Maryland, owns a 299-116-28 record with the Terps.

#1 Terps Clinch ACC Regular Season Title
· The No. 1 Maryland men's soccer team clinched its first ACC regular season championship since 2005 with a 2-2 draw against Clemson on Senior Night at Ludwig Field.

· Maryland's 2-0 lead off tallies from Patrick Mullins and Schillo Tshuma were offset by two Clemson goals in the second half.

Terps in the ACC Tournament in 2011
· No. 7 seed Boston College scored two first half goals in a span of four minutes to defeat No.2 Maryland 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Men's Soccer Championship Tuesday at Ludwig Field.

· Despite outshooting the Eagles 18-9, the defending ACC champion Terrapins could not overcome the early two goal deficit to advance in the tournament.

Mullins Tabbed Co-ACC Player of the Week
· Junior forward Patrick Mullins was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week, announced by conference officials following a pair of victories against North Carolina and Colgate.

· Mullins led top-ranked Maryland to a 2-0-0 week including a 1-0 win over No. 2 North Carolina in overtime. Mullins started the week with a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Colgate, before delivering the game-winning assist in the victory over the Tar Heels.

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

Winnin' Like It's 1968
· With a 14-0-1 record to start the 2012 season, Maryland matched its best start since the 1968 season when the Terps were co-national champions. Maryland tied 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 seven goals in 2012.

· In total, Maryland rookies have accounted for 15 goals and 13 assists this season.

#1 Terps Defeat #2 UNC in Instant Classic
· Schillo Tshuma redirected a Patrick Mullins shot late in the first overtime period to lift the No. 1 Maryland men's soccer team over No. 2 North Carolina at Ludwig Field.

· A crowd of 7,340, the second highest in Maryland soccer history, saw a quality contest with the top-ranked teams in the country going back and forth on a water-logged field.

· North Carolina was able to beat Maryland on the counter and create their best chance of the night late in regulation. Junior forward Robert Lovejoy was taken down in the box late by Tshuma, but Maryland keeper Keith Cardona came up huge, saving Lovejoy's penalty and midfielder Verneri Valimaa's follow-up.

Shutting it Down
· Maryland boasts eight shutouts this season, tying its season total from 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.

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 one player - freshman Mikey Ambrose - has started all 18 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 then-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 18 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' distributing has been a pleasant addition to the junior's game in 2012.

· The New Orleans, La., product has eight assists through 18 games.

· He had seven assists total heading into this season.

· The captain also leads Maryland in goals with 12, including six game-winners.

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.

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.

19 and Counting!
· With a 15-1-2 record this season, Maryland has clinched yet another winning season - its 19th 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 hit the 15-victory mark 11 times.

· The Terps have not lost more than two games at home in a season since 2001, recording a 112-12-10 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)...

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