Sitting in the stands at Penn State last November, Terrapin men’s soccer defender Alex Lee had never felt more powerless since the horrific car accident last October that sidelined him for the greater part of the 2009 season.
Something he had dreamed about since committing to the Terps three years ago — a date with Penn State and his identical twin brother, Justin Lee — had finally come true.
But instead of competing on the field, Lee was stuck sitting next to his mom in University Park, Pa., watching the Terps fight for their postseason lives against his brother and without his help.
“We finally play each other, and I can’t play,” Lee said. “That was probably the thing that upset me the most. I didn’t think we would ever get a chance to play again.”
But with a win against unseeded Penn on Sunday, the No. 2 Terps (18-2-1) sealed a rematch with the Nittany Lions for the second straight NCAA Tournament. This year, Lee is healthy and ready for the opportunity that he thought would never happen once, much less twice.
“It kind of sucks because one of us has to lose,” Lee said. “But it should be a lot of fun.”
Justin is one of three players on No. 15 Penn State (14-7-1) to start all 22 games this season. The defender is one of nine starters from last season’s game, which the Terps won, 2-1.
With the success of both teams this year and the relative proximity between the two universities, Justin said the matchup was bound to happen again.
“We always talked about it and always thought about it,” Lee said. “Now, it’s finally here. I’m pumped.”
The brothers hail from nearby Magruder High School in Rockville, where they starred in both soccer and basketball. On the hardcourt, the two starting guards led the Colonels to a state finals appearance in their junior seasons.
On the pitch, even as Alex gathered more attention and accolades with his scoring abilities, Justin became a consistent midfielder and defender, receiving many of the same scholarship offers to play in college. At one point during the recruiting process, the two decided they would play soccer at the same school.
But then Justin started leaning toward Penn State and Alex sprung for the Terps. From then on, it became a goal for the two to one day play against each other on the same field.
“We’re used to going against each other in everything we did, whether it was video games or playing basketball in the driveway,” Justin said. “But this is the first time I’ve ever played against him in a competitive situation.”
Terp coach Sasho Cirovski knows the feeling. When he starred collegiately at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his brother played just across Lake Michigan at Michigan State.
“I had the chance to play against my brother once in college, and I’ve never forgotten that day,” Cirovski said. “For Alex and Justin, it’s going to be a special day.”
While the Lee twins are excited for the matchup, their parents are not. Figuring out a way to cheer for both teams, Alex said, has been difficult.
“[My mom] was saying she was upset that one of us has to lose,” Lee said. “But it’s going to be great because all our friends and family are going to be there, and they’re all really excited.”
Festivities aside, both Alex and Justin said they remain focused on advancing farther in the tournament. And even though his brother wasn’t on the field last season, Justin remembers the feeling of losing to the unseeded Terps clearly.
This year, Penn State could play spoiler. The Nittany Lions advanced all the way to the Big Ten Championship, and they’re again led by one of the nation’s best attacking players, Corey Hertzog, and top distributors, Matheus Braga.
“We know this is going to be a very tightly contested match,” Cirovski said. “They have a very balanced team with a potent attack.”
But Lee and the Terps aren’t ready to relinquish their 14-game winning streak. Cirovski set Sunday’s starting time at 5 p.m. with the hope that more students can make it back from their Thanksgiving holiday to watch the Terps try to take the next step toward a fourth national championship.
“We’re just really in sync,” Lee said. “We try to get a shutout every game, and we’re going to try to get one Sunday.”
ceckard@umdbk.com
