Maryland men’s soccer goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier jokes with his teammates that each netminder the Terps face has the best game of his life.
As the top-ranked team in the country, the Terps have gotten each foe’s best effort. While the Terps played a tough non-conference schedule, they’ve been fatigued for some of their games while their opponents exert all of their energy in an attempt for an upset.
Still, Maryland has displayed its resilience. The team was tired in its 2-1 win over American on Tuesday night after an emotional win against Wisconsin on Friday. The Eagles, meanwhile, gave their best effort against their local opponent.
While some of their wins, like Tuesday’s, haven’t been the prettiest, the Terps have held off opponents to remain undefeated.
“We have a bunch of competitors,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “They know flat-out what it means to put the jersey on. They know we’re going to get other teams’ best effort. There’s times we’ve matched it for 90 minutes, and there’s times we’ve matched it for less than 90.”
Cirovski said Maryland has the best soccer program of the 21st century, so opponents mark the matchups on their calendars. The Terps sitting atop the national standings adds more emphasis on a potential upset, the veteran coach said.
By preaching to his team how important each contest is, Cirovski has instilled a competitive mindset in his players, Niedermeier said.
Still, the Terps try to ignore the pressure. To relax before each match, the players play music in the locker room, joke around with each other and pump one another up.
“The players on the team, we really hold each other accountable and really try to raise our level each time,” Niedermeier said. “I don’t know what it is, but we’re always battling. Sometimes it takes too long and it takes a goal from the other team to wake up. The chemistry on this team can’t be matched.”
After playing each Friday, Maryland has two to three days off before its next contest. With short rest, the Terps have endured slow starts in some of their midweek games.
In a 2-0 win over San Diego on Oct. 3, Maryland recorded one shot in the opening 41 minutes. The next week, the Terps trailed then-No. 22 West Virginia in shooting, but they preserved the victory behind a career-high eight saves from Niedermeier.
Maryland’s undefeated season was three minutes from ending Friday. Maryland trailed, 2-1, in the 87th minute but netted the equalizer one minute later and prevailed in overtime. The Terps clinched the Big Ten regular season championship and celebrated, jumping up and down on Ludwig Field with the trophy after the match.
Tuesday, Maryland tried to regroup from Friday’s near-loss but entered halftime tied at one with the Eagles. Cirovski yelled at his players to raise the intensity, and they responded with the game-winning goal in the 70th minute.
“We just have to be humble and concentrate and treat every opponent with respect,” forward Gordon Wild said. “That’s how college soccer is. We’re a little bit tired. We gave our best, and thankfully it turned out well.”
Cirovski has advocated for the college soccer season to be extended throughout the year to give players proper rest. His proposed idea hasn’t been implemented, however, and the Terps have a difficult schedule, playing five ranked opponents so far.
Yet they’ve still found ways to win, and they understand claiming a national championship will require more quick turnarounds.
“There are still things we have to be better at,” Cirovski said. “But it’s difficult to find the time to train in those things. When you’re 12-0-2, it’s hard to be too upset.”
