Terps gather around head coach Sasho Cirovski after the Terps drew with UMBC 0-0 after extra time at Ludwig Field on Sep, 5 2014.
The Terrapins men’s soccer team was in a slump five games into its 2013 campaign, with a 1-2-2 record.
Though coach Sasho Cirovski employed a steady stream of reliable, explosive scorers, a daunting early-season road trip to California exposed the Terps’ young defense, which featured then-freshmen goalkeeper Zach Steffen and defenders Alex Crognale, Chris Odoi-Atsem and Suli Dainkeh.
The Terps eventually rectified their issues on the backline, captured an ACC title and returnd to the sport’s final weekend for the second straight year. But it took time.
This year’s Terps are in a similar situation. The team has a young group of forwards and an unimpressive 1-2-1 record following a 2-1 loss to Navy on Monday. And while some Terps appear to be growing irritated, Cirovski remains confident in his strategy.
“It’s all part of the plan,” Cirovski said. “My team needs to find their identity. We’ve had a lot of success the last couple of years. We’ve lost some key personalities.”
Cirovski said in his preseason news conference that he prefers to take his team on the road for difficult games early because it will prepare them for the grind of full season.
This season has begun much like last year’s. In their first two road games of the season, the Terps challenged programs that started the season in the national rankings — No. 14 Louisville and Navy, which began at No. 25.
And in their first two contests at Ludwig Field, the Terps welcomed then-No. 11 Coastal Carolina and then-No. 14 UMBC.
“I’m always going to try to play my first game on the road against a top-10 team every year,” Cirovski said in August. “We’re going to play tough teams in opening weekends because it’s a time that you really see what you’re good at, and see what you’re not.”
The tough competition has contributed to ineffectiveness up top for the Terps. Through the first four games of the year, freshman Jeroen Meefout has been the only Terps forward to score. The Terps have been shut out twice, too.
After the Terps played UMBC to a scoreless draw Friday, Steffen said the offense wasn’t fluid and lacked concentration.
Cirovski remains adamant that the stiff challenges will help his team, but the Terps have already suffered two losses. Several Terps appeared to become irked during Monday night’s loss.
On numerous occasions Monday, Terps tugged at the Midshipmen’s jerseys. Shortly after Navy midefielder Daniel Camuti netted the game’s first goal, defensive midfielder Dan Metzger grabbed an opponent’s jersey, but no foul was called. Less than a minute later, defender Mikey Ambrose was given a yellow card for trying to grab a player who appeared primed to burst past him along the right flank.
As the period wore on, Navy continued to find space in the scoring third, constantly outmaneuvering the Terps defense and finding open space. About 10 minutes after Ambrose was penalized, the Terps received another yellow card after Metzger exchanged words with an official following a wayward Navy shot.
By throwing challenges at his team early on, Cirovski believes he is preparing them for the future. If everything works out, the Terps will be competing for a spot in the College Cup once again in a few months.
But for now, the Terps’ priority is halting a winless streak.
“This all by design,” Cirovski said. “I didn’t want to be 1-2-1 right now, but we’re going to recover. We’re going to become stronger, and we’re going to be heard from.”
