Three days after starting defender Alex Lee was struck by a vehicle and hospitalized, the Terrapin men’s soccer team will face Georgetown today with an obvious sense of sadness.
The usually jovial bunch was conspicuously tempered following yesterday’s practice, and coach Sasho Cirovski emphasized the need for his team to balance its off-the-field distraction with its on-the-field play.
“When you’re an athlete, it’s your reprieve to go on the field and play,” Cirovski said. “I know that our guys will be focused on the task at hand and the game that’s inside the lines.”
Lee, a sophomore who had started all 11 games this year at right back, was hit about 9:30 p.m. Saturday while crossing a street in Washington. He was transported to George Washington University Hospital, according to a statement from the Athletics Department released yesterday afternoon.
Lee is currently listed in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery. The release said that no timetable has been set for Lee’s return, but he will remain sidelined “indefinitely.”
“Alex is an important member of the Maryland Men’s Soccer team and has the full support of the entire Maryland Soccer family and athletic department,” the release read.
According to several sources familiar with the situation, Lee sustained a head injury and underwent successful surgery after arriving at the hospital.
Lee, a Rockville native, scored a school-record 21 goals in 2007 for Magruder High School as he led the Colonels to the 4A state title during his senior season. He appeared in 13 games as a forward for the Terps last season but converted to defense in the offseason.
Lee joined freshmen Ethan White and Taylor Kemp and senior Kevin Tangney to help form a talented but inexperienced backline that has allowed only 0.82 goals per game this season, fourth-best in the ACC. Redshirt senior Kwame Darko is expected to start in Lee’s place at right back.
His absence will only heighten the difficulty the No. 11 Terps (7-3-1) will encounter this afternoon against the up-and-coming Hoyas (8-3-1). Georgetown blanked No. 4 UCLA 2-0 two days after the Bruins had done the same to the Terps in both teams’ season-opener on Sept. 4. Also, Georgetown’s three losses have come against Connecticut and St. John’s — who garnered preseason first-place votes in the Big East’s Blue and Red Divisions, respectively — and No. 5 California.
“They’re a program that’s getting better every year,” Cirovski said. “They’ve had a great year this year, so we know that the challenge on the field will be formidable. We’re going to put it out there.”
Beating the Hoyas will only be part of the struggle, though.
“We’ve had a couple of days to deal with the emotional part of it,” Cirovski said. “Now, we’re ready to play.”
shaffer@umdbk.com
