Midfielder John Stertzer, left, scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season Tuesday night in a 2-1 win against Rutgers. After a start to his career marred by immaturity, Stertzer has emerged as a star this season.
For John Stertzer, tonight’s game at Virginia is more than another heated matchup against an ACC rival. It’s a reminder of what could’ve been.
Growing up in Oakton, Va., two hours from the Cavaliers’ campus, the Terrapins men’s soccer midfielder considered the possibility of him ultimately wearing Virginia’s orange and navy from an early age.
But when the time finally arrived for colleges to start contacting recruits, Stertzer never heard from the in-state powerhouse. Stertzer, The Washington Post’s 2007 All-Met Virginia Player of the Year and a teammate of two Cavaliers at Flint Hill School, even sent Virginia several personal letters of inquiry.
But Virginia never responded, and Stertzer ultimately took his talents up the Capital Beltway to play for the defending national champion Terps.
“I’ve always kind of wondered why they never recruited me,” Stertzer said Wednesday. “But everything worked out perfectly.”
Settling into coach Sasho Cirovski’s attacking midfield slot, Stertzer has played a key role in the No. 2 Terps’ best start since 1968. He is tied for third in the ACC with nine goals and has joined forwards Patrick Mullins and Casey Townsend to form a lethal three-headed attack this season.
The Terps’ “big three,” as Cirovski calls them, have accounted for more than 80 percent of the goals of the ACC’s top-ranked offense.
“Every time we have a free kick or a set piece, you always think Stertzer is going to get on the end of it,” Townsend said. “He’s dangerous on a lot of set pieces, and he’s a dangerous scorer every game.”
That clinical finishing touch was on display during the Terps’ last visit to Charlottesville, Va., last fall. Making his first collegiate start in front of friends and family, Stertzer helped secure a 2-0 win in the 48th minute when he headed midfielder Matt Kassel’s free kick past Cavaliers goalkeeper Diego Restrepo.
“He didn’t let me know he was going to be starting,” said John’s father, David Stertzer, who was there with about five other family members. “He told his mom, but not me. I think he was worried I’d make him more nervous. But when he got that goal, that was just really exciting for all of us.”
Since that chilly night in late October, Stertzer hasn’t missed a single start. The player once spurned by his home state’s flagship university has developed into a leader on a team replete with MLS-caliber talent.
But Stertzer had to mature before he could get to that point.
Like many underclassmen, he struggled with his focus during his first two seasons in College Park. He showed numerous flashes of the player who tallied 105 goals in high school, but he often relied too heavily upon his talent to carry him through practices or games.
With the departure of seven starters from last season’s ACC Championship team, however, Stertzer knew he’d play a significant role in the Terps’ plans this year.
Losing focus didn’t fit in to those plans.
“He didn’t always have the highest [level] of concentration — not only through a full practice, but also sometimes through a whole season,” Cirovski said. “And we challenged him to grow up and be the kind of player he can be. It’s taken a few heart-to-hearts, but he’s flourishing right now. He’s totally bought in.”
Cirovski demonstrated his trust in Stertzer moments before an Aug. 29 win over West Virginia. Recognizing that he possessed the mental toughness for such a pressurized situation, the 19th-year coach asked Stertzer to take a penalty kick if one came up.
In the 54th minute of the Terps’ 3-1 win that night, the junior calmly netted the first penalty kick of his career.
“When he told me that, it gave me a lot of confidence,” Stertzer said. “It showed me that he had that kind of confidence in me, and that’s helped out a lot.”
Stertzer has found himself in more than a few high-stakes situations since that early-season night at Ludwig Field. After misfiring on a penalty kick in the first overtime period against UMBC last month, he headed in the game winner with just seven minutes remaining in the second sudden-death overtime.
And Tuesday, Stertzer celebrated his 21st birthday by notching another game winner during overtime of a 2-1 win over Rutgers. It was his second goal in little more than an hour.
“It was a great birthday present he gave to the team,” Cirovski said after the game.
Now three years after the surprising snubbing by his local state school, Stertzer feels Virginia gave him a gift, as well.
“I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but Maryland right now,” Stertzer said, “so I’m glad they didn’t [recruit me].”
letourneau@umdbk.com
