Fifth-Seeded Terps Travel to #4 Northwestern in B1G Quarterfinals

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The fifth-seeded Maryland men's soccer team travels to Evanston to take on fourth-seeded Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals this Sunday. The match will be streamed on BTN Plus.

Storylines

The all-time series with Maryland and Northwestern is tied at 3-3-0. The Wildcats won the meeting betweent the two sides this season, 3-1, in College Park on Sept. 20. Sophomore Brayan Padilla scored the lone goal for the Terps.
Maryland is looking to win its first Big Ten Tournament title since 2016, when the Terps defeated Wisconsin in the final. Maryland's tournament results since joining the league: 2018 (semifinals), 2017 (quarterfinals), 2016 (champions), 2015 (champions), 2014 (champions).
Senior Eli Crognale is finishing off his final season in style as Maryland's captain has either an goal or assist in five consecutive matches. Crognale has a goal in his last two matches. Crognale, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, has three goals and five assists this season. His brother, Alex, was also a first-team selection in 2016.
Crognale was joined on the first team by senior center back Johannes Bergmann, who was a unanimous selection. Bergmann has helped the Terps to nine clean sheets and has also added two goals and two assists this season.
Junior forward Eric Matzelevich and freshman goalkeeper Niklas Neumann were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Matzelevich leads the Terps with five goals while Neumann has notched eight clean sheets this season.
Maryland has new players selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, midfielders Malcolm Johnston and Nick Richardson. Johnston has three goals and four assists this season while Richardson has emerged as one of the best defensive midfielders in the country.
Maryland once again had some of the best fan support in the country this season. 27,631 fans entered Ludwig Field this season, the most in the country and the Terps averged 2,546 fans, the second most in the country.
Sasho Cirovski, one of the most decorated coaches in college soccer history, is now four wins away from 400 at Maryland. Cirovski currently has 422 wins all-time, the sixth-most among active coaches. With 400 wins at Maryland, Cirovski would be one of just six coaches in history with 400 wins at one Division I school.

B1G Things Poppin'

The Big Ten men's soccer tournament semifinal and championship games will be played at Ludwig Fied.
The men's tournament will begin on Nov. 9 with the eighth and ninth seed playing in the first-round game at the top-seeded institution, followed by the top-four seeds hosting quarterfinal matches on Nov. 10. The tournament will move to Ludwig Field for the two semifinal games on Friday, Nov. 15 and the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Maryland hosted the Big Ten Tournament at Ludwig Field in 2014, the program's first season in the league. The Terps captured the title with a 2-1 win over Indiana in the final.

The Champs

Fifty years after its first title and 10 years after its last title, Maryland captured its fourth national championship in program history in 2018. After an uneven start, the Terps ended the season 9-1-1, including five shutouts in the NCAA Tournament to take the title.
The title was the third in the career of head coach Sasho Cirovski after he led the Terps to title in 2005 and 2008. Maryland, which was not ranked at all during the regular season, found itself in the second half of the season and upset three teams with higher seeds in the NCAA Tournament before downing Akron in the final, 1-0, on a penalty kick from Amar Sejdic. Sejdic, who captained the side with fellow senior Andrew Samuels, led a talented group of seniors that included fellow MLS draft picks Samuels, Chase Gasper and Dayne St. Clair. Seniors Sebastian Elney and DJ Reeves made key contributions in the attack for the Terps.
Maryland also boasted All-American defender Donovan Pines, who is now a defender for DC United. Pines, Gasper and St. Clair led a defense that did not give up a goal for the final 500 minutes of the season.
Maryland returns five starters for its national title squad: Paul Bin, William James Herve, Johannes Bergmann, Ben Di Rosa and Eli Crognale.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Sebastian Elney: F; 6' 1"; Senior

#28 Chase Gasper: D; 6' 0"; Senior

#2 Donovan Pines: D; 6' 5"; Junior

#11 DJ Reeves: F/MF; 6' 0"; Senior

#13 Andrew Samuels: MF/D; 5' 9"; Senior

#10 Amar Sejdic: MF; 5' 10"; Senior

#99 Dayne St. Clair: GK; 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior

#5 Johannes Bergmann: D; 6' 1"; Senior

#7 Paul Bin: F; 5' 10"; Senior

#10 Eli Crognale: MF; 6' 0"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#9 Sebastian Elney
: 6' 1"; Senior
: F

#28 Chase Gasper
: 6' 0"; Senior
: D

#2 Donovan Pines
: 6' 5"; Junior
: D

#11 DJ Reeves
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F/MF

#13 Andrew Samuels
: 5' 9"; Senior
: MF/D

#10 Amar Sejdic
: 5' 10"; Senior
: MF

#99 Dayne St. Clair
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior
: GK

#5 Johannes Bergmann
: 6' 1"; Senior
: D

#7 Paul Bin
: 5' 10"; Senior
: F

#10 Eli Crognale
: 6' 0"; Senior
: MF