John Stertzer (right) and the Terrapins men’s soccer program will face an N.C. State program that is steadily improving under Coach Kelly Findley.

A fast start is nothing new to the Terrapins men’s soccer team. Their opponent tonight, though, is in uncharted waters.

No. 18 N.C. State is off to its best start since 1982 and has the opportunity to tie the program’s fastest start ever when the Wolfpack take on the No. 3 Terps at Dail Soccer Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.

It’s a stark turnaround from the team’s position a mere two seasons ago. From 2000 to 2010, the Wolfpack finished over .500 just three times under coach George Tarantini, totaling an 84-108-17 (16-55-8 ACC) record in that span.

But coach Kelly Findley is helping change N.C. State’s fortunes in just his second season at the helm.

“The whole team has bought in,” Terps coach Sasho Cirovski said. “There’s a lot of really good individual players, but as a unit, they’re exceptional. They’re going to be a handful in the ACC this year.”

The Terps (4-0-1, 1-0-0 ACC) travel to N.C. State (6-0-0, 0-0-0) to renew a rivalry that has largely been one-sided. They haven’t fallen to the Wolfpack since a road game in 2005, and Cirovski is 15-3-2 all-time against it.

Enter Findley. Since arriving in Raleigh in December 2010, the former Butler coach has overhauled the program and stocked it with talent, either through transfers or recruiting. In Findley’s first game last season, eight starters were making their N.C. State debut. College Soccer News ranked Findley’s first full recruiting class No. 12 nationally.

“I’ve heard a lot about them,” midfielder John Stertzer said. “It’s going to be a good game. It’s going to be a tough road ACC game. Every ACC team is good, so we just have to come in with our best mentality and mindset to get another win.”

The Terps beat the Wolfpack, 3-1, last September at Ludwig Field in Findley’s first visit to College Park. Tomorrow will likely be more of a challenge.

“They’re an outstanding team,” Cirovski said. “They’re the real deal. We’ve seen them on tape and they’re really good. They deserve to be 6-0 and they deserve their ranking at this point.”

Wolfpack midfielder Alex Martinez has played a key role in N.C. State’s hot start. The junior transfer from High Point leads the ACC with 14 points (five goals, four assists) this season and has scored in four straight games.

The Wolfpack has yet to play a team ranked in the top 25, so while the Terps get their second ACC road test — they beat then-No. 24 Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., last Friday, 4-0 — the Wolfpack will be getting its first chance to see how they stack up against nationally ranked competition.

But after a dissatisfying 3-1 win over UMBC on Tuesday, the Terps are focused on their own performance — not on the surging Wolfpack.

After all, they want to end N.C. State’s undefeated streak and extend their own.

“Ultimately, the game is going to come down to us because we didn’t play the way we wanted to [Tuesday],” defender London Woodberry said. “I think the biggest concern is us. We’re not really worried about them. As long as we play our game, we’re going to get the result that we want.”

dgallen@umdbk.com