Before this season, Maryland men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski said the Terps needed to reverse its recent history in September.
Maryland posted a combined 6-5-4 record in the month the previous two seasons. As a result, the Terps’ postseason standing dropped, and they didn’t earn home-field advantage in the late rounds of the NCAA tournament.
But Maryland changed its struggles in September this season, performing as a team Cirovksi said is one of the best he’s ever coached. The Terps (7-0-2) are the nation’s top-ranked team and are first in the Big Ten standings.
Maryland will look to continue the momentum from its impressive start when it hosts San Diego (3-3-3) on Monday night for its first contest of October.
“It’s nice to close out September now and move into the second half of the season on a good note,” Cirovski said. “We’ve shown glimpses of what this team can be like. It’s still early. It’s just one game at a time.”
The past two seasons, Maryland’s attack has needed time to gel. With eight returning starters this year, the Terps have piled on goals from the beginning of the season.
Maryland’s 2.67 goals and 8.33 points per game lead the Big Ten and rank in the top five in the nation. Forward Gordon Wild, who transferred from South Carolina Upstate this offseason, has scored more goals this year (nine) than any Terp did all last season.
The Terps also returned three senior starters on the backline, as well as senior goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier. Cirovski said the unit would develop into one of the best throughout the season, but it has struggled at times.
Between Sept. 9 and Sept. 18, Maryland surrendered a combined four goals in three matches while the offense carried the team. In their past two contests, though, the Terps have posted shutouts.
Defender Alex Crognale said the team’s fast start raises players’ confidence, but the defense still has to make improvements.
“The last two seasons we struggled to get off to a good start,” Crognale said. “Once we found ourselves, we were in a pretty good spot. Guys are starting to learn the game plan and play the way that [Cirovski] wants us to play.”
In each of their past two seasons, the Terps hit their stride after facing Northwestern at the beginning of October. They won the Big Ten Tournament both years, and in 2014, Maryland closed its regular season with eight straight victories after falling to the Wildcats.
The Terps earned their first victory over Northwestern on Friday night since joining the Big Ten, and they feel the group has room to grow as they aim to play in Houston for the national championship in December.
“We plan on getting even better,” Crognale said. “We know we’re not playing our best soccer right now, which is a good thing. We’ve progressed through August and September and continue to get better. We’re just starting to find ourselves. There’s still another level we can hit.”
