Andrew Samuels appeared next in line to take over defensive midfield for Maryland men’s soccer.
He played in every game last year, spending most of his time on the backline. After defensive midfielder Cody Albrecht graduated, Samuels was poised to move into his preferred position.
Instead, Samuels didn’t start any of Maryland’s first three games and sat out the fourth with an injury.
But he’s been on the field every minute since then, providing defensive balance to a team reliant on the creativity of its attacking midfielders. No. 3 Maryland will need his skill set beyond its Monday matchup with Connecticut, as the squad is pursuing its second straight undefeated season and deep postseason run.
“It was kind of frustrating coming off the bench,” Samuels said. “[Coach Sasho Cirovski] just kept telling me, ‘Just be patient, be patient,’ and I got my chances and took it.”
Maryland (7-0-3, 3-0-2 Big Ten) has used four new starters on its backline this season. But the Terps returned Samuels, who made 13 starts last year, mostly at left back.
Cirovski lauds Samuels’ versatility — he can play anywhere on the backline — but his natural position is holding midfielder, where he’s spent most his time in 2017.
“I’ve been doing it since I started playing soccer, so it’s a position I’m comfortable with,” Samuels said. “It’s what I really came here to do.”
Early this year, the Terps mostly played in a 4-3-3 formation, somewhat eliminating Samuels’ role and making him the midfielder left on the bench in favor of an extra forward. At the time, Cirovski said the choice stemmed from a desire to have greater formation flexibility this season.
Samuels averaged 42 minutes off the bench in the first three games, but his performance against UCLA was cut short when he tried to win a header, knocked heads with a Bruins midfielder and fell to the ground, bleeding from a cut above his eye.
The Maryland training staff attempted to give him stitches in Gossett Football Team House, but he eventually went to the hospital for treatment. He missed the Terps’ next game.
Maryland then shifted to a 4-4-2 — the formation it used last year — against Indiana, and Samuels made his first start while donning a sizable bandage over his cut.
Samuels has started every game since, playing 600 consecutive minutes for the Terps. Shortly after the rotation change, midfielder Amar Sejdic said Samuels’ presence allows him and fellow midfielders Jake Rozhansky and Eryk Williamson to push higher up the field, which he said is what they’re best at.
“Having Andrew Samuels now as a holding mid, it’s like a little more of stability, and we trust him a lot defensively,” Sejdic said.
Sejdic had been playing a more conservative role before Samuels entered the starting lineup, a position he wasn’t as comfortable with.
Now, with Samuels behind them, the other midfielders have applied increased focus on attacking.
“I just sit and let the guys like Amar, Jake and Eryk do their thing,” Samuels said. “That’s why they create so many chances; they’re great players.”
Defensively, Samuels is often tasked with preventing counterattacks, a frequent strategy against the Terps’ dangerous attack.
He was up to the task Friday against Northwestern, when the Wildcats managed just one shot on target while Maryland cruised to a 3-0 win.
If the Terps are to avenge their disappointing second-round NCAA tournament loss to Providence last year, it will come in part from the security Samuels provides the squad.
“He’s a great competitor and he just always does his job,” Cirovski said. “He’s been a very important piece of our puzzle.”
