Maryland men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski had enough. With 11 minutes remaining in the first half of the Terps’ game against San Diego on Monday, Cirovski got up from his squat on the sideline and yelled for his players to raise their intensity.
Cirovski usually remains poised on the sideline, but his team had only managed one shot, so the veteran coach let his emotions show.
Maryland displayed a lack of energy from the start against the Toreros, but the Terps raised their intensity after Cirovski’s actions.
With revamped energy, Maryland defeated San Diego, 2-0, at Ludwig Field for its fifth consecutive victory behind goals from forward DJ Reeves and midfielder Amar Sejdic.
“I’m really proud of our team tonight,” Cirovski said. “San Diego came to play. They were a high-pressing, aggressive, very direct team. We weathered a little bit of their early storm. As the half progressed, we settled in and started to play our soccer and created a key goal. In the second half, we came out and understood what they were going to be about.”
Cirovski has emphasized the importance of starting fast after Maryland struggled with its intensity in some matches this season.
After starting fast in their past two wins over Michigan State and Northwestern, the Terps (8-0-2), who entered Monday with the second most points per game in the country (8.33), attempted a season-low two shots in the opening frame against the Toreros (3-4-3). Cirovski said San Diego pressed more aggressively than any team Maryland has played this season.
But Cirovski said the contest changed when he replaced forwards Gordon Wild and Sebastian Elney with Reeves and forward George Campbell late in the half. The adjustments resulted in the Terps getting on the board.
In the 42nd minute, Reeves lost the ball as he dribbled into the box, but Campbell corralled it. He tapped it back to Reeves, who kicked the ball through two defenders into the bottom right corner of the net for his first career goal. His teammates dog-piled him in celebration.
“[Cirovski] just told us to play with more intensity,” Reeves said. “Our build up was kind of slow and we tried to pick up the intensity in terms of the attack, moving the ball, and being compact in our defense in getting rid of the ball quick. Don’t let them get any opportunities in the back.”
At halftime, Cirovski told his squad it needed to play with more energy. He also discussed the best ways to break down San Diego’s high-pressure defense, a formation the Terps practice against.
It paid off as Maryland recorded seven shots in the frame and controlled possession. Then a penalty allowed the Terps to extend their lead in the 68th minute. San Diego defender Merlin Hoeckendorff tripped Reeves in the box, and Sejdic netted the penalty kick for his fourth goal of the season and second off a penalty kick.
“The biggest thing Sasho said was we had to transition better in the second half,” Campbell said. “We definitely won the transition battle in the second half, which led to our second goal.”
While the defense recorded its third straight shutout, the offense bounced back from a sluggish start to keep the Terps’ undefeated season and perfect home record alive.
“San Diego pushed us, and we responded well,” Cirovski said. “Our team got a little tougher today.”
