Midfielder Mikias Eticha defends a pass during the Terps’ 4-0 win over Penn State on Oct. 12, 2014.
It wasn’t a permanent fix, but soccer helped Mikias Eticha cope with heartbreak.
When the Terrapins men’s soccer midfielder was about 6 years old, Eticha learned from his mother that she and several of his siblings were leaving their home in Ethiopia for a vacation. Days later, though, Eticha discovered the members of his family were not coming back to Africa.
They had traveled thousands of miles overseas to start a new life in the United States.
“My mom didn’t want to say bye because she knew she couldn’t handle it,” Eticha said.
More than a decade later, Eticha is a steady contributor on a Terps team that has experienced one of its most difficult seasons under coach Sasho Cirovski. But through it all, Eticha, who scored twice in Wednesday night’s 2-0 win over Lehigh, has stayed even-keeled.
He’s overcome tougher circumstances.
“He had to mature very quickly and take charge of his own life,” said Larry Burnfeld, who coached Eticha at J.E.B. Stuart High School in Falls Church, Virginia. “When you struggle for survival, when you have to do things yourself, you get your own quiet determination.”
With most of his loved ones gone, Eticha developed a passion for soccer. He’d spend hours playing the game, filling the gap in his heart with the ball. And as he grew on the field, he matured as a person, too. Humbled by his past, he learned to be grateful.
After much of his immediate family left Ethiopia, Eticha said he and a brother moved in with their aunt. They spent hours on the soccer field, honing their skills and having fun. “All we’d do after school, everything we did was soccer,” Eticha said. “It helps forget whatever happened with our family and [was a] distraction.”
When he was about 14, Eticha moved to the United States and reunited with his family. A few years later, he joined D.C. United’s U-18 Developmental Academy team, teaming up with assistant coach Tom Torres, whom he had met while with a Virginia club team earlier in his career.
“If you’re not feeling it on a certain day, and maybe you’re not going to work as hard because you had a bad day,” Torres said, “that doesn’t happen with [Eticha].”
Eticha played well for D.C. United and later earned a spot with the Terps. The midfielder’s role has increased with each season in College Park. He started 11 games as a sophomore in 2012 and was a major contributor during the Terps’ run to the College Cup final last season.
Eticha has been hampered by a nagging injury throughout this season, which has contributed to an up-and-down campaign for the Terps, who will take on Indiana on Sunday. But when Eticha has been healthy, Cirovski has relied on the midfielder’s attacking presence in the absence of a consistent forward.
And since Eticha returned to the lineup on Sunday against Penn State, the Terps are outscoring opponents 6-0.
“I’m really happy for [Eticha] to get rewarded for all the good work he’s done over the past couple of games,” Cirovski said. “He was very active again [Wednesday]. He’s starting to show his senior qualities and his experience.”
Eticha played up top Wednesday against the Mountain Hawks, marking a return to the position he played before joining the Terps. Eticha starred at J.E.B. Stuart for his sophomore and junior years of high school.
Burnfeld said he never spoke with Eticha about his past, but he sensed that Eticha was affected by it.
“If he didn’t work hard, if he didn’t harden himself, he could not have survived,” Burnfeld said.
On Sept. 2, Eticha was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after he scored a goal and added an assist in the Terps’ 3-2 victory over Coastal Carolina on Sept. 1.
Two days later, he stood outside Varsity Team House, repeatedly wiping sweat off his brow and squinting to avoid the sun’s harsh glare. But when he was asked about the honor, a toothy grin spread across his face.
“I was not expecting that,” Eticha said with a chuckle.
Throughout their disappointing campaign, the Terps have often referred to “filing away” losses and moving on. They don’t have time to dwell on the past.
Eticha hasn’t forgotten about his family leaving him for a new country. He said the memory was “devastating.” But, just like this year’s Terps, Eticha didn’t accept failure.
He kept kicking the ball.
“He’s a tough cookie,” Cirovski said. “He’s a survivor.”
