The tape doesn’t lie. Still, Terrapin men’s soccer defender Ethan White shakes his head at what he sees.
There he goes, a burly blur of a freshman running stride-for-stride with the ACC’s best, skying for headers with players who have more goals to their names than he does starts.
The whole process seems too far-fetched. After all, the few times he used to watch film before this fall were for laughs over a breathtaking juke or a sensational goal. Now, he’s watching himself make mistakes. He’s learning the hard way, but that’s been the theme lately for his soccer career.
After all, that White would even be in a position to be criticized or complimented for his play this early is an achievement itself. He’s endured injury, burdened himself with nearly impossible expectations and matched up against future professionals.
But coach Sasho Cirovski said how White has handled the developmental challenge has impressed him as much as the athletic tools he was first drawn to.
“He keeps getting better,” Cirovski said. “He has a tremendous upside and I’ve been just extremely pleased with his progress, his attitude and his willingness to learn and embrace everything we ask him to do.”
All-ACC talents like Boston College’s Edvin Worley and N.C. State’s Ronnie Bouemboue all but disappeared for stretches in their matchups with White this season. The freshman insists there’s no deeper meaning in donning the Terps’ No. 4 jersey — most recently that of Omar Gonzalez, the former All-American and current Los Angeles Galaxy starter who shut down other stars with similar ease.
“I thought it was coincidental,” White said of his jersey number, laughing. “I try not to think about that. I try to play my game.”
Still, Cirovski has had just as little to worry about with White as one of the Terps’ last line of defense as he did with Gonzalez. Whereas Gonzalez soared over strikers and knew where to be with each fleeting second, White chases down wayward balls and streaking forwards with ease before sealing them off effortlessly with his chiseled physique and wide frame.
“He’s had to learn to become a piece of the puzzle and he really has done a great job,” Cirovski said. “I’ve been delighted with him.”
White committed to the Terp coaching staff summer of 2008 after a two-year courtship with the program. His speed and size captivated Cirovski, who watched him dominate the club soccer scene with the Potomac Cougars and play a year up with the D.C. United Youth Academy.
His ascension to the Terps’ starting lineup from there wasn’t as clear-cut as both probably thought it might be. After recovering from a torn calf muscle injury before his senior year, White’s play stagnated. His coaches at D.C. United became so concerned with what they saw of their backliner they dialed Cirovski. It wasn’t long before Cirovski was in White’s ear.
“We challenged Ethan that going through the motions just because he’s committed to a school isn’t going to be good enough,” Cirovski said. “Within days, I started getting reports back that it’s a whole new Ethan White.”
“When people challenge me, it just pushes me harder to do whatever I have to do,” White said. “When someone says I’m not playing well or I can’t do this or I can’t do that, it just makes you want to try harder.”
The next obstacle for White wasn’t any easier. When he stepped on the campus, White said he wasn’t expecting to start. Even with a backline depleted by graduation and defections to MLS, he didn’t think he’d be counted on to replace stars he’s still in awe of.
“We’ll watch video of our games last year and I’ll be like, ‘Wow, Omar!'” White said, shaking his head. “[But] to play as much as I do, it feels great.”
Even as his disbelief lingers, White said he knows the Terps are ready for big things. He never expected to be playing under the lights at Ludwig Field in front of a live television audience and likely another 7,000 in-person.
Friday, when No. 2 North Carolina comes to College Park in a rematch of last year’s national championship, he’ll do just that for the No. 4 Terps.
“I try not to think about it. … I get butterflies,” White said. “This is a reward for how much hard work I’ve been with here.”
shaffer@umdbk.com
