16 for 2016: Maryland Soccer Preview
8/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The season opener is only one day away which means it is time to preview the 2016 season. Check out the top 16 things you need to know heading into Friday night's game against UCLA at the Stub Hub Center.
TITLE TERPS
After defeating top-seed and host Ohio State last season in Columbus to capture their fourth straight league tournament championship, the Terps will look to make it five in a row in 2016. Maryland has won the Big Ten Tournament title in each of its first two seasons in the conference.
NEW GUYS GET HIGH ACCLAIM
Click here for a detailed view of this year's incoming class.
The class was ranked third nationally by Top Drawer Soccer.
PACKIN' LUDWIG
Last season, the Terps established a single-game Ludwig Field record crowd when 8,449 fans watched Maryland edge then No. 1 UCLA in overtime in an epic battle in College Park. The Terps finished third in the nation in average attendance in 2015.
SEASONED TERPS
Give it up for the Codys!
Cody Albrecht and Cody Niedermeier are entering their sixth and fifth seasons, respectively. Albrecht, a transfer from St. John's, and Niedermeier, last season's Big Ten Tournament Defensive Most Valuable Player, grew up in the Terps' backyard and both have been continually tested by injuries over their careers.
Look for that experience to play a big role this season.
EVERYWHERE WE FOLLOW – MEET THE CREW
Maryland is home to the best fans in all of college soccer.
Meet The Crew by following them on Twitter.
FROM LA TO HOUSTON?
In both of Maryland's national championship seasons under Cirovski, the Terps started the season by playing UCLA.
“I feel like this is the kind of challenge I want the team to experience and we are going to become better from this game, no matter the outcome,” Cirovski said. “In 2008, our motto was from the Home Depot Center to Pizza Hut Park. This year, it's from Stub Hub to BBVA. We want to start in an MLS Stadium and end in an MLS Stadium. The team is very motivated to play in the final weekend of this year.”
SEASON TIX + SCARF = SCORE
This season, for the first time in program history, fans will score an exclusive Maryland Soccer scarf when they purchase season tickets.
SUPER SOPHS
Sebastian Elney was named a second team All-Big Ten selection last season and both he and Eryk Williamson garnered all-freshman honors but don't sleep on the rest of this talented sophomore class.
Amar Sejdic, Diego Silva and Andrew Samuels all spent time in the starting lineup a year ago while DJ Reeves, Connor Smith and Jorge Calix also saw significant action.
“Our sophomores are so much further along than they were at this time last year,” Cirovski said.
TRANSFERS TURNING HEADS
You'd be hard pressed to find two more impactful transfers this season than Jake Rozhansky and Gordon Wild.
Rozhansky, a transfer from Virginia, was recently named the 15th best player in the country by Top Drawer Soccer, while Wild – a German native - led the nation in scoring while at USC Upstate last season.
Both are making a seamless transition to the program.
Wild is rooming with seniors Alex Crognale, Cody Niedermeier and Cody Albrecht while Rozhansky – who hails from Germantown, Md. - has grown up playing with several current Terps and suited up with four players with D.C. United U-23s this summer.
“Jake is a mix between Tsubasa Endoh and Mael Corboz. Right now we are looking for him to play the right side of our midfield and will also be involved in our attack,” Cirovski said. “Gordon is a talented striker. He's dangerous but it will take him a little time for him to adjust to our high-tempo play. It takes time but he is progressing every day.”
WHAT OFFSEASON?
Ludwig Field had a busy summer as did the Terps.
Read about Maryland playing host to Barclays Premier League squads Southampton FC and Swansea City here.
In addition, six Terps spent time with their respective national teams over the offseason. Eryk Williamson and Sebastian Elney played with the U.S. U-20s while freshman Donovan Pines was with the U-19s. Aaron Franco trained with the Peruvian U-20s and Luca Levee (Jamaica) and Dayne St. Clair (Canada) each spent time with their U-20 squads.
B1G PICK
Maryland was picked to win the Big Ten this season, per a poll by the league's coaches released earlier in August. Alex Crognale, Chris Odoi-Atsem and Eryk Williamson were tabbed Players to Watch by the conference.
“You need to have a very strong backline and a highly-motivated team. We have both of those things,” Cirovski said of this year's squad. “This is probably one of the deeper more balanced squads since the last time we won a national title.
“This is a sport that is very unforgiving though. We must stay humble and hungry through the whole process. That is the key. If we can do that and stay true to the Maryland culture and standards, we will give ourselves a good chance to have a long season.”
The Terps are ranked fourth in the NSCAA Preseason Top 25 poll.
D-FENSE
Maryland returns a very strong backline, including senior All-Big Ten honorees Alex Crognale and Chris Odoi-Atsem. In addition, senior Suli Dainkeh has played quality minutes over his four-year career in College Park while sophomore Diego Silva promises to be a rising star on the defense.
“I can't remember the last time we've had seniors in the backline,” Cirovski said. “It is going to become one of the best backlines in the country.”
CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Cody Niedermeier, Cody Albrecht and Alex Crognale will have the honor of repping the captain band this season for the Terps.
TOUGH OUT THE GATE
Maryland will be challenged immediately as it battles nationally-ranked UCLA and Georgetown the first two weekends of the season in addition to playing five consecutive league matches in the month of September.
“We really want to get off a better start,” Cirovski said. “The last couple of years we have had a rough September but that will be a challenge because we frontloaded a heavy, difficult schedule. We are confident in our group and our hope is we get off to a great start and peak in late October, early November so we are ready for a long run.”
A-LIST ATTACK
Of the 38 goals scored a year ago, 26 were by players returning this season, including a combined 13 from sophomores Eryk Williamson and Sebastian Elney.
With the addition of Gordon Wild, look for Williamson to slide into a midfield attacking role, at least in the beginning of the season.
“With Eryk and Sebastian, that's the biggest thing - confidence, understanding, mentality, work rate – all those things have improved,” Cirovski said. “They have names and they are going to be challenged every game and that's something they will need to respond to better as sophomores.”
Cirovski is excited about his attack as a whole.
“We can go four deep up front and eight deep in the midfield and not really lose much. The gap between the guys who have the privilege of starting and those coming off the bench is very small.”
MAS FUTBOL
Head coach Sasho Cirovski – who is entering his 24th season at Maryland – has been instrumental in growing the game of college soccer during his tenure.
You'll want to get acclimated with his latest vision, which stretches the competitive soccer season across the full academic year for the betterment of both student-athletes and fans.
