Terrapins men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski thought he’d seen the last of Jake Rozhansky. A talented midfielder with national team experience, Rozhansky elected to leave Virginia early to pursue a professional career.

So when Cirovski learned Rozhansky was considering returning to college, he jumped at the opportunity. After being granted a release Jan. 18, it took Rozhansky fewer than two weeks to find his new home: College Park.

“Everyone associated with college soccer thought he was going to sign a pro contract somewhere,” Cirovski said. “But I think he probably didn’t find exactly what he was looking for and wanted to go back to college. We’re happy he selected to continue his career at Maryland.”

READ MORE: Toronto FC picks former Terps midfielder Tsubasa Endoh in MLS SuperDraft

In late December, it was announced that Rozhansky was leaving the Cavaliers after two seasons.

He made a mark as a freshman, appearing in all 23 matches. His first goal came in dramatic fashion when he scored to help lift the Cavaliers past UNC Wilmington in the second round of the 2014 NCAA tournament. Four games later, Virginia hoisted the national championship trophy.

Rozhansky’s success continued into the 2015 season, as he led the team with four goals and was named to the All-ACC second team.

Yet after testing the professional waters, the Germantown native and former Bethesda-Olney Academy player elected to return to school. Cirovski said the Terps benefited from acting fast in the recruiting process.

“He was looking at maybe four schools or so, somewhere in that neighborhood. Couple of local schools, couple of soccer powers,” Cirovski said. “But I think we kind of lucked out because we’re the only school that hadn’t started classes yet. Yeah, I think that was a positive on our behalf.”

Cirovski was effusive in his praise of Rozhansky, crediting his “great feet” and “great engine.” The veteran coach also noted the transfer’s creativity and ability to create and score.

For a midfield losing former starters Tsubasa Endoh and Mael Corboz to the MLS, Rozhansky could be relied on for heavy minutes in 2016.

“I think he has some similarities to both Mael and Tsubasa,” Cirovski said.

Cirovski wasn’t ready to commit to Rozhansky as a starter, though. The veteran coach said he’ll have to earn his time, just like everybody else. But in the minutes after Rozhansky’s transfer became official Wednesday night, Cirovski couldn’t stop praising his new midfielder.

“He’s an extremely talented soccer player,” Cirovski said. “He fits very much into the mold of how we play.”