Sasho Cirovski

GERMANTOWN – Just more than three weeks ago, the Terrapins men’s soccer team hosted North Carolina on national television on a rain-soaked Ludwig Field in front of the second largest crowd in program history. The Terps entered the game ranked No. 1. The Tar Heels entered at No. 2.

It had all of the hype and all of the buildup of a heavyweight fight.

And the two teams lived up to the matchup’s billing. It took a penalty kick stop by goalkeeper Keith Cardona in the 89th minute and a goal by forward Schillo Tshuma in the 99th minute to give the Terps the narrow victory.

Now, after the No. 1-seed Terps defeated No. 4-seed Clemson, 2-1, in overtime and No. 2-seed North Carolina ousted No. 6-seed Virginia in penalty kicks, the two teams will meet again Sunday for the ACC Championship at Maryland SoccerPlex.

“This is the sexy one for Sunday,” coach Sasho Cirovski said.

Like they were entering the Oct. 19 matchup, the No. 2 Terps and No. 3 Tar Heels represent stark contrasts in styles. The Terps still sit atop the ACC offensive rankings, averaging 2.53 goals per game, and boast the ACC Offensive Player of the Year in forward Patrick Mullins, who has tallied a league-high 13 goals this year.

North Carolina goalkeeper Scott Goodwin has allowed just four goals — the lowest total in the league by nine — for a miniscule goals against average of 0.20. The Tar Heels haven’t surrendered more than one goal in a game and have posted 15 shutouts this season.

“This is the one everyone wants to see, and we’re delighted we’re a part of it,” coach Sasho Cirovski said Friday night. “It’ll be a different type of game than the one today. Today was a track meet. Sunday will be a little bit of a track meet but more of a chess match.”

The Terps are looking to capture their first postseason ACC Championship since 2010. North Carolina captured the ACC Tournament last year en route to the national title. Cirovski said at the beginning of the season that one of the Terps’ main goals was to capture this title. Now, they sit one game away, and the team’s veterans have been called on to emphasize to the youth what this means.

“Just in the locker room in the guys, it’s something we all want,” said Mullins, who was a freshman on the 2010 team. “I was lucky enough to be a part of a team my freshman year that had a great core of guys leading us throughout the way. I’m one of the older guys now so I can translate to the younger guys how special it is and it doesn’t come around that often.”

The Terps have a senior core — midfielder John Stertzer and defenders Taylor Kemp and London Woodberry — that has tasted victory in the ACC Tournament, but never in the NCAA Tournament. They know what the ACC title means given the strength of the conference and how it can push the Terps toward the national title.

“It’s always a little bit more meaningful for the older players who have a little bit more maybe respect and history of what it means,” Cirovski said. “There’s no question it’s the second most important championship in all of college soccer. It’s not the NCAA championship, but this is a big, big deal.”

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