Strack's Take: Terps Hope to Delay Senior Sendoff
10/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Six seniors will be in the spotlight Saturday night as the Terrapins host Ohio State in their last regular-season home game of the year. The crew may be wailing their praise and some parents may get choked up in the stands, but senior night is hardly more than another important match for Maryland's players and coaches.
The ideal recognition for the soon-to-be Alumni would be delaying the celebration until important postseason games resume at Ludwig Field, according to head coach Sasho Cirovski. Only that would be a proper sendoff for a senior class that the 22-year coach describes as having “Maryland blood flowing through their veins.”
“I've been through this a lot,” Cirovski said, “and I think we all try not to get too emotional about saying goodbyes on senior day because we hope to be playing much further and longer.”
While the game may in fact be the last time Dan Metzger, Alex Shinsky, Mikias Eticha, Jereme Raley, Kyle Roach and Jordan Tatum take the field in College Park, senior night implies an end is in sight. As the resilient Maryland bunch has shown all season, the Terps (9-5-2, 3-2-1 Big Ten) have bigger plans.
“It's not over yet, I think we still have a lot of work to do this year and a lot can be accomplished still,” said Shinsky. “I still have the same dreams of winning a national championship that I did four years ago when I arrived.”
A few weeks ago, the thought of a national championship seemed more of a nostalgic fantasy than an actual possibility. But after starting 3-5-2 in their first 10 games, the Terps have rattled off six straight wins, including victories over top-five-ranked opponents Penn State and Indiana.
A team forced to adopt a “do-or-die” mentality after a seemingly crushing overtime loss to Northwestern on Oct. 5, the Terps are thriving with their backs against the wall. The return of senior leaders Shinsky and Eticha, who fought injuries during the opening 10-game stretch, has especially helped the team regain its swagger.
“We've picked up some good wins in recent weeks but it's got to be more than that, it's got to be continued,” said Shinsky. “Every team, every game is a challenge for us. We've been in playoff mode here for a couple weeks now and I think the team's in a good spot.”
Maryland is in a prime place indeed, within striking distance of the Big Ten-leading Nittany Lions. If Penn State ties or loses their Sunday matchup with Northwestern and Michigan State loses one of their last two games, the Terps could win the conference regular season title with two victories.
Furthermore, a win Saturday would propel the Terps over Ohio State (7-5-4, 4-2 Big Ten) in the standings, which would improve tournament seeding. But thinking about all that is enough to make a team lose focus.
“We've been successful lately because we've been focused really on the details of the next game and not gotten too far into all the different scenarios,” said Cirovski. “It'll drive you crazy.”
The Buckeyes, like the Terps, are on a hot streak, winning their last three games. They have outscored opponents 9-1 in that stretch, and have two talented players in midfielder Yianni Sarris and defender Liam Doyle who each have five goals this season. It hasn't been in the Terps' nature to fear anyone this season and with sky-high confidence radiating from the squad, why start now?
“They have six multi-goal scorers,” said Cirovski. “We've got eight. So, you don't prepare for an individual, you prepare for a team. We'll know their tendencies, I'm sure they'll know ours, and it'll come down to execution.”
Ben Strack, a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland, is a contributing writer to umterps.com.
