The Terrapins enter the contest following a 5-2 victory over Detroit Mercy on Friday night. Senior William Kulvik scored a pair of goals in the match, including a tally from the halfway line that earned the top spot on SportsCenter's top-10 plays. Junior Albi Ndrenika also scored in his return after not playing a competitive match for 649 days. 

Match Day Promotions

• Roller Banner Giveaway: The first 200 students to enter Gate C will receive a roller banner.
• First and Final Score Predictions: Fans will be able to guess which player they think will score the first goal and what they think the final score of the game will be. One person from each category who guessed correctly will be selected to receive a prize at the end of the game.

• The two teams last faced off in 2023, a 2-1 win for Virginia at Klöckner Stadium. The Terps lead the all-time series 43-31-10, including a 20-10-4 mark in College Park. 
• Prior to last year's meeting at Virginia, the Terps and Cavs faced off four times at Audi Field in Washington, D.C (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022). The Terrapins won 6-1 against Virginia in the two squads last meeting at Audi Field in 2022 and held a 2-1-1 edge in the neutral site series. 
• This is the second time the Terrapins have played Virginia at Ludwig Field since departing the ACC in 2013, the first being a 1-0 Terps win against UVA in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The Terps are 5-4-4 overall and 2-0-0 at Ludwig Field against ACC opponents since joining the Big Ten. 

Maryland and Virginia faced off last season in Charlottesville, the first on-campus meeting between the two programs since 2015

• After a season not up to the high standards of Maryland Men's Soccer, a combination of hungry returners and talented newcomers will try and forge a winning identity as the Terps look to return to the top of college soccer.
• Read our season preview, featuring words from head coach Sasho Cirovski, team captain Alex Nitzl and Yale transfer Max Rogers.

Yale transfer Max Rogers has started all three matches for the Terps after arriving following an already decorated college career

• Graduate student midfielder Alex Nitzl, graduate student center back Bjarne Thiesen and senior William Kulvik were named Big Ten Players to Watch, the league announced.
• Nitzl, a two-time team captain, enters his final season in College Park with 52 matches under his belt. With his ability to patrol the midfield and play any spot along the back line, he has established himself as one of the most versatile players in the country. 
• Thiesen, who came to Maryland after an All-American season at West Virginia in 2022, will once again team with Kulvik, a 2023 All-Big Ten selection, as the Terps' center back pairing. The two have combined to play 110 matches in their careers. 
• Maryland's other rostered player with past Big Ten plaudits is left back Luca Costabile, who was named an All-Freshman team selection in 2022. Fellow veteran Dalton Hass could also feature in an outside back spot for the Terps and the versatile Mack DeVries and Brian St. Martin can play multiple positions along the back line. 

A second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023, center back William Kulvik has already scored two goals and notched a pair of assists in 2024

• The Terrapins have welcomed 12 newcomers, a combination of freshmen and transfers that will bolster the roster for the 2024 season. 
• One of Maryland's most intriguing new additions is transfer Sadam Masereka, a dynamic attacking player who scored 22 goals and added seven assists in two seasons at Lindsey Wilson College. Yale transfer Max Rogers will also add to the attack after a first-team All-Ivy League season in 2023. The freshmen quartet of Mikkel Lejbowicz, Travis Thompson, Jameson Michel and Aidan Sheppela will also look to play roles in a Terps' attack that will look to return to form this fall.
• Maryland has become stronger between the posts with the additions of Brown transfer Hudson Blatteis, a Second-Team All-Ivy League selection in 2023, and freshman Laurin Mack from SC Freiburg of the German Bundesliga, who gained valuable experience with the Terps after joining the squad in the spring. They'll compete with talented sophomore Saxon Wolcott for playing time. 
• The back line will be infused with two freshman talents in Baltimore native Jace Clark and Tampa's Alexi Mihalek. The transfer additions of Chris Steinleitner (Eastern Florida) and Joel Brown (Saint Leo) give the Terps additional experience in the defense.
• The Terps also have newcomers on staff, joining Cirovski and longtime assistant coach Jake Pace, with Brian Rowland and Michael Gould joining as assistants. Rowland is no stranger to success at Maryland after serving on staff with Cirovski from 2010-17. He helped the Terps win 123 games, 10 conference trophies and advance to two College Cups, including the national championship game in 2013. Rowland spent the 2023 season with UMBC and previously was the head coach at Temple from 2018-22. Gould was an assistant coach at Chestnut Hill College in 2023, primarily working with goalkeepers, and he will continue to tutor that position in College Park. 

Uganda native Sadam Masereka has started the first three games for the Terps after coming to College Park this season

• The Terps picked up a pair of home exhibition victories over Rider and Old Dominion in the lead-up to the 2024 campaign. 
• Maryland's returning attacking players were on display as junior Colin Griffith and sophomore Luke van Heukelum tallied during exhibition action, including a hat trick from van Heukelum against Rider. The two will look for breakout seasons in 2024 and will be joined by returners Max Riley and Cameron Gerber in the Maryland attack. 
• Sophomores Leon Koehl and Kenny Quist-Therson featured in the Terps' midfield this preseason after seasons in which they debuted in the center of the park. Junior Matias de Jesus will fill a greater role in 2024, while Cirovski and the Terps hope for the full return of Albi Ndrenika, who missed all of 2023 due to injury after expecting to be a key piece in the midfield. 

After a few great exhibition performances Luke van Heukelum has scored two goals in the regular season so far