Midfielder Mikias Eticha fights for the ball during the Terps’ 3-2 victory over Coastal Carolina at Ludwig Field on Sep, 1 2014.
Terrapins men’s soccer midfielder Mikias Eticha was forced to take on a bigger role in the Terps’ 3-2 victory over then-No. 17 Coastal Carolina Monday night while fellow midfielders Alex Shinsky and Tsubasa Endoh sat out for injury and suspension, respectively.
Eticha was one of a number of players who contributed for the Terps, coming off the bench to assist on midfielder Michael Sauers’ go-ahead goal in the 62nd minute and score later in the contest. The performance earned Eticha Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
“I was not expecting that,” Eticha said of the award. “Especially not starting the game, just playing a few minutes.“
Shinsky and Endoh will return to the field Friday night for the Terps’ bout with No. 14 UMBC, and coach Sasho Cirovski hopes Eticha and the rest of his deep midfield will propel the team to victory against their intrastate rival, which is led by Eticha’s friend and former Terps defender Marquez Fernandez. And while Eticha is excited to reunite with Fernandez, who transferred after the 2012 season, the midfielder is focused on helping the No. 10 Terps forge their first winning streak of the season against a program they consider one of their fiercest opponents.
“Obviously, UMBC’s form over the past four years is as good as any team in the country,” Cirovski said. “They’ve been a contender every year, and that’s why we scheduled them. They’re a great team. They’ll make us better.”
Eticha said he played soccer with Fernandez and a few of his UMBC teammates over the summer, and the two often visit each other’s schools to catch up and hang out.
“He’s been [gone] for two years, and he’s still like family,” Eticha said.
Fernandez transferred from the Terps after his sophomore year, joining a UMBC team that has established itself as a perennial contender in the America East Conference. Defender Oumar Ballo, who was named to the 2014 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List in early August, accompanies Fernandez along the Retrievers’ backline. The duo led the defensive charge for a team that finished 16-1-3 last season.
“When people leave here, they leave on good terms,” Cirovski said. “Marquez left on great terms. I know he’s a Retriever now, but he’s always going to be a Terp as well.”
The respective team’s fan bases haven’t joined in on the mutual affection, though. Fans have been exchanging barbs on Twitter this week, fueling the anticipation of the game.
The passion likely will translate to the pitch. Following the Terps’ season-opening loss at Louisville and UMBC’s two victories in the Doubletree BWI Classic, the teams are now separated by just four spots in the national rankings. Not to mention, the Retrievers upended the Terps in a friendly scrimmage in April.
“We don’t get too high when we’re ranked high, we don’t get too low when we’re ranked low,” Shinsky said. “We just focus on what we need to do. It’s still early in the year. We know we have a lot of improving to do, we have things to work on.”
UMBC and this university are separated by just more than 25 miles and a 30-minute drive on Interstate 95. When the Terps hosted Coastal Carolina Monday night, 4,695 fans packed Ludwig Field. That figure could grow when the two local programs face off Friday night.
And while the Ludwig Field bleachers will surely be full of Terps fans, the home crowd might be joined by its yellow-clad neighbors from the north.
“I think they’re one of the biggest rivals,” Eticha said. “They try to copy pretty much most of the things we do here. The fans, they put them behind the goals, and they try to copy the Crew, and all that stuff.”
