University of Maryland Athletics

Men's Soccer 10/13/2023 3:09:00 PM

Match Preview: Maryland at. No. 19 Michigan State

Maryland (3-6-2) vs. No. 19 Michigan State (6-0-5)

October 15, 2023

DeMartin Stadium

2:00 p.m.

B1G+

COLLEGE PARK, MD - The Maryland men's soccer team travels to East Lansing to take on No. 19 Michigan State Sunday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., on B1G+.

setting the stage

Maryland leads the all-time series with the Spartans 7-6-5. The two teams hold a place in history together as they shared the 1968 National Championships after a 1-1 draw in the title game.
The Terps enter Sunday's match after back-to-back wins over Bowling Green and Villanova. Maryland defeated the Wildcats 6-4 on Tuesday night. The Terps registered 29 shots for the match, their most since accumulating 31 against St. John's on 8/30/15. Maryland previously scored six goals last season against Virginia. Prior to that, they had not scored six in a match since 2012 (vs. California).
Stefan Copetti has scored three goals in his last two contests and is now among the top-5 scorers in the Big Te
The Terrapins enter the 2023 season following a 2022 campaign in which they won the Big Ten Regular Season Championship and made the NCAA Tournament for the 40th time in program history. The Terrapins boasted an 11-4-5 record and went unbeaten in conference play (4-0-4).
Two of Maryland's freshmen had tremendous contests against Villanova. Kimani Stewart-Baynes had two goals and an assist, leading the Terps in that category with four. Luke van Heukelum matched the Maryland school record with three assists and also notched a goal.
Michigan State has not suffered a defeat this season and is coming off a 0-0 draw with Michigan on Tuesday night.
The Spartans are tied with Indiana for the least goals allowed in the Big Ten. Zac Kelly has a .583 goals against average, good enough for second in the conference.
Sam Kerrigan leads Michigan State with four goals, all of which have been game winning tallies.

Stefan Copetti celebrates a goal vs. Villanova

Stefan Copetti has scored three goals in the last two games and leads the team with four goals

Meet the 2023 Terps

The Terrapins return a group that includes four returning starters and five key contributors. They also add 10 freshmen and a transfer.
Maryland will be led by senior captain Alex Nitzl, a three-year starter and the men's 2022 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner for Maryland. Last year, he started all 16 matches he played and recorded four assists. He was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection. The Munich, Germany native enters 2023 with 39 starts and will be featured as a midfielder or on the back line. Read more about Nitzl.
Fellow senior Stefan Copetti will anchor the Terps' attacking set up. The Canadian (6g/3a in 2022) is a Big Ten Player to Watch after scoring Maryland's most important goal of 2022, a final minutes header that clinched the Big Ten Regular Season Championship for the Terps on the final day of the regular season.
Senior Jamie Lowell will step in between the sticks following the departure of All-Big Ten pick Niklas Neumann, Lowell has made 18 starts as a Terp and will be backed up by a pair of talented local keepers in Mikah Seger and Saxon Wolcott.
Bjarne Thiesen, a 2021 All-American at WVU, headlines Maryland's back line. He will be joined by fellow center back William Kulvik, who was named a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice last season, left back Luca Costabile (2022 Big Ten All-Freshman Team) and right back Kento Abe, the Terps standout player in their foreign tour to Portugal.
The combination of sophomores Brian St. Martin, Mack DeVries and freshman Joe McDaid will give the Terps cover at center back. Freshman Tyler Prebenda, who enrolled in the spring, will factor in as an outside back option, along with Dalton Hass.
Maryland's midfield will be anchored by Nitzl and sophomore Albi Ndrenika, who came on late for the Terps with a pair of goals in the NCAA Tournament in 2022. Redshirt junior Joe Suchecki provides experience for the Terps in midfield having played 30 matches in his career. Speaking of experience, Justin Harris and his 60 career matches returns for a fifth season as an option in the midfield and attacking wide positions for the Terps.
A number of younger players will factor in to the midfield for Maryland. Sophomore Matias De Jesus, and freshmen Jack McDaid, Kenny Quist-Therson, Leon Koehl, Cameron Gerber and Henrik Sakshaug will all battle for minutes at the position.
Joining Copetti in the more advanced positions is a pair of sophomores in Colin Griffith and Max Riley, who both tallied game winning goals for the Terps last season. An infusion of freshmen in Kimani Stewart-Baynes and Luke van Heukelum gives the Terps new looks in the attack. Senior and former JUCO All-American Seungeon Kim gives Cirovski another experience option up top.

Senior captain Alex Nitzl is among Maryland's influential players.

Sensational Sasho

Hall of Fame head coach Sasho Cirovski is on the sidelines for his 31st season as the head coach of the Terps. Cirovski has led the Terps to a trio of national titles (2005, 2008, 2018) and 16 conference titles.
Cirovski was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2022 after leading Maryland to its first conference regular season title since 2016.
Cirovski's 29 NCAA Tournament appearances rank him first in the history of NCAA Division I soccer (27 at Maryland, two at Hartford). He has guided the Terps to nine appearances in the College Cup.
Cirovski has won 453 matches and is the second winningest active coach in Division I. He has the 13th-most wins in Division I history.

Sasho Cirovski, one of the greatest coaches in NCAA men's soccer history, captured his 16th conference title last season

Sustained Success

Maryland has made 22 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the second longest active streak in the nation, and has made 40 appearances in the NCAA Tournament overall.
The Terps have won four national titles (1968, 2005, 2008, 2018) in school history and reached the round-of-16 in 19 of the last 29 years.
Maryland is 61-32-8 all-time in its 101 NCAA Tournament games, the 61 wins is fifth all-time in Division I history.
The Terps are 48-21-7 under Sasho Cirovski in the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins have won three national titles since 2000, tied with Stanford and Indiana for the most in the nation in that span.
The Terps have won six total Big Ten trophies since entering the league in 2014. The Terrapins captured the 2022 Big Ten Regular Season Championship on a dramatic final day of conference play. Stefan Copetti's 87th minute header gave the Terps a 1-1 draw against Indiana and lifted them to the title.
The Terps finished the conference season unbeaten for the first time since 2016, which was also their last Big Ten Regular Season title.

Maryland is among the best program's in men's college soccer history, capturing three national titles, the last coming in 2018.

World travelers

The Terps enter the 2023 fall season following a spring season in which they traveled to Portugal for a 10-day tour of the country in March.
The Terps explored the historic cities of Porto and Lisbon. They also played matches against reserve/youth sides of Vitoria S.C., Braga and Benfica.
To read more about the Terps' trip to Portugal, check out the Terps in Portugal daily blog.

The Terps took a 10-day trip to Portugal, highlighted by three matches and cultural immersion experiences.

A legacy of excellence

Maryland is the preeminent producer of professional soccer talent among college teams in the United States. Maryland is the only school with alums that have been rostered in the last four FIFA Men's World Cups.
Seven players have been named to FIFA World Cup squads: Dayne St. Clair (2022, Canada), Rodney Wallace (2018, Costa Rica), Omar Gonzalez (2014, USA), Graham Zusi (2014, USA), Maurice Edu (2010, USA), Clarence Goodson (2010, USA), Desmond Armstrong (1990, USA).
22 Terps have appeared for full national teams. Four Terps have appeared in the Olympics. Thirteen Terps have appeared for the US Men's National Team.
Maryland has had 53 players selected in the MLS SuperDraft, including three No. 1 overall selections, since the league's inception and has become the best producer of professional soccer talent in the United States among men's college programs.
Head coach Sasho Cirovski has developed seven MLS homegrown signees, eight MLS All-Stars, six MLS Best XI selections and winners of all of Major League Soccer's major individual awards.
Maryland currently has 12 alums playing in MLS and 22 alums playing professional soccer at various levels worldwide.

2018 national champion Dayne St. Clair, pictured at the 2023 Gold Cup, was Maryland's last player to be included a FIFA Men's World Cup Roster.

Ludwig Field

Since its opening in 1995, Ludwig Field has been the home of the Terrapin men's and women's soccer teams.
The Terps routinely rank among the top-five in the nation in attendance, including ranking No. 1 in attendance in 2016 and 2019.
Friday Night Light matches at Ludwig Field has become the best home environment in the nation. The since 2010, the Terps have had ten crowds of over 7,000 in those big stage affairs.

Maryland's notorious student supporters club, The Crew, gives Ludwig Field the best atmosphere in men's college soccer.

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Players Mentioned

#36 Niklas Neumann: GK; 6' 1"; Senior

#2 Kento Abe: D; 5' 10"; Senior

#10 Stefan Copetti: F; 6' 1"; Senior

#3 Luca Costabile: D; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#30 Matias De Jesus: MF; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#4 Mack DeVries: D; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#9 Colin Griffith: F; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#20 Justin Harris: MF; 5' 11"; Graduate Student

#34 Dalton Hass: MF; 5' 7"; Redshirt Sophomore

#19 Seungeon Kim: F; 5' 8"; Senior

#96 William Kulvik: D; 6' 1"; Junior

#1 Jamie Lowell: GK; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#36 Niklas Neumann
: 6' 1"; Senior
: GK

#2 Kento Abe
: 5' 10"; Senior
: D

#10 Stefan Copetti
: 6' 1"; Senior
: F

#3 Luca Costabile
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: D

#30 Matias De Jesus
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: MF

#4 Mack DeVries
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: D

#9 Colin Griffith
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: F

#20 Justin Harris
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student
: MF

#34 Dalton Hass
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Sophomore
: MF

#19 Seungeon Kim
: 5' 8"; Senior
: F

#96 William Kulvik
: 6' 1"; Junior
: D

#1 Jamie Lowell
: 6' 4"; Senior
: GK