In three of its opening six games this season, the Terrapin men’s soccer team has started off very slowly.

Against Binghamton Aug. 27, the No. 6-ranked Terps did not score in the opening frame, it took 41 minutes for the Terps to get a goal on their first real scoring chance against No. 4 Clemson last week, and on Wednesday night, the Terps entered halftime tied at 0-0 against unranked Mount St. Mary’s.

In two of those games, they came out with wins, but against Clemson – the only team to score first – they lost.

They started against the Tigers completely out of key and leveled their play in the second half, but it was still not enough to come out on top.

“A lot of times, teams are going to come out and try to test themselves against us,” senior midfielder A.J. Godbolt said. “In the first half they are riding all of their emotions. … We tend to wear on teams and the talent will come out toward the second half.”

The few slow starts for the Terps are not something to worry about yet – the poor beginnings have only come in half the games, and the season is still young. But last year, when the Terps played N.C. State, tomorrow night’s opponent, a slow start is exactly what doomed them.

Last season in Raleigh, N.C., the Wolfpack scored in the second minute and then played back and lulled the Terps into a 1-0 loss. The Terps never recovered from the game’s poor start.

“It is always important to score early,” coach Sasho Cirovski said when asked of the game against N.C. State last year. “[This year] we just have to make sure that we are ready to play and give ourselves a chance to win.”

Cirovski said he is not all that worried about scoring the goals and said the few slow starts can be attributed to not having a consistent 11 players in the same positions on the field.

But even though the Wolfpack is one of only two teams in the ACC not ranked in the NSCAA/Adidas poll, Cirovski warned that the Terps are still going to have to come out strong to win.

“Every ACC game this year is going to be very unpredictable and its going to be a battle,” Cirovski said. “We are certainly going to have to be at our best. It is that simple.”

Terps vs. N.C. State

Where: Ludwig Field

When: Tomorrow, 7 p.m.

Radio: WMUCsports.com

Contact reporter Bryan Mann at bmanndbk@gmail.com.