Forward Alex Shinsky and the rest of the Terps high five fans after their 1-0 victory over Ohio State at Ludwig Field on Nov 1, 2014.
The Terrapins men’s soccer team isn’t used to traveling very far for conference tournaments.
For the past two seasons, the Terps have spent just 30 minutes en route to Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown for ACC semifinal and championship games, while competitors from Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina have spent hours in transit.
But this season, the Terps won’t have to commute to the semifinals or the finals if they move on.
The team finished the regular season in first place to earn the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, and so Ludwig Field will host the final two rounds of the tournament this weekend.
“There isn’t a better place in the country than Ludwig Field,” coach Sasho Cirovski said.
On Friday, No. 6-seed Indiana and No. 2-seed Ohio State will kick off the semifinals at 1 p.m. before the top-seeded Terps challenge No. 5-seed Michigan State at 3:40 p.m. The winners will then play for the Big Ten Championship on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
“This is a special opportunity. We’ve hosted tournaments here, but they haven’t been on campus,” Cirovski said. “To host this one on campus is really special and unique. First time ever for us.”
The No. 13 Terps could receive more home games at Ludwig Field if they earn a high seed in the NCAA tournament, which begins in late November. If the Terps advance to the College Cup for the third consecutive year, they’ll travel to Cary, North Carolina.
The Terps have had success in Cary in the past, as they topped North Carolina on Nov. 14, 2010 to win the ACC tournament.
In the team’s inaugural Big Ten campaign, though, the Terps will have a chance to clinch the conference title in front of their home fans.
“We need all of our fans to plan their schedules on Friday because it’s an early kickoff,” Cirovski said. “And we need to make Ludwig Field really rocking so we can demonstrate to everybody what a great place Ludwig Field is.”
