The smattering of Terrapin men’s soccer fans who slogged through Capital Beltway traffic to George Mason Stadium, only to have their arrival greeted with jeers from a partisan crowd of several thousand, had to look only as far as the Terp bench to see it would be a rough Tuesday night in Fairfax, Va.
There, in crutches, was midfielder Doug Rodkey. Next to him, out of uniform, was forward Casey Towsend.
The Terps had emerged from preseason and the opening third of their schedule relatively unscathed, both in terms of the team’s record and health. Sickness and soreness beset some Terps in early games, but the squad’s key contributors remained relatively injury-free and it showed in their start.
In arguably the team’s biggest win this season, Friday’s 1-0 victory over then-No. 2 North Carolina, the team may have suffered its most significant loss. Rodkey went down late in the game with what coach Sasho Cirovski said was a broken metatarsal, a bone in his foot. Rodkey is expected to miss the next five or six weeks with the injury.
The diminutive senior had yet to grace the score sheet in a game this year, but his importance to the team’s attack and defense was apparent. The loss of someone with Rodkey’s ability to retain and extend possession on the right side, where his play flowed cohesively with defender Alex Lee and defensive midfielder Matt Kassel, cannot be understated. Even at an undersized 5-foot-7, Rodkey’s persistent defense and motor also made him a hassle for attacking midfielders and forwards.
Townsend’s absence from the team’s 2-0 loss against the Patriots was just as devastating. The sophomore forward has been nagged by a sore ankle for the last week and a half, and his replacements at forward, unsurprisingly, have not yet matched his level of production.
With Townsend (three goals this season) in the lineup, the Terps notched 12 scores in five games to start the season. Without him, the Terps have found the net only twice in the past three games.
“We’ll have to address it and figure out what’s wrong,” Cirovski said.
Tuesday, the Terps’ reconfigured attack against George Mason lacked the same precision and urgency that had become staples of the Townsend- and Rodkey-led offense.
Lanky, athletic midfielder London Woodberry took Rodkey’s spot on the right side, but the freshman from McKinney, Texas, received a yellow card in the 11th minute and was pulled later in the first half after an unproductive showing.
As he did against the Tar Heels, forward Billy Cortes filled in for the injured Townsend at right forward Tuesday night. Athletically, the two compare favorably, but Cortes’ measurables have not yet translated into production and after a lackluster start against the Patriots, Cortes was dropped back to the midfield. Forward Matt Oduaran assumed Cortes’ spot up top and again had his chances, but wasn’t able to crack George Mason goalkeeper Sean Kelley.
But after the loss, Cirovski didn’t make excuses, despite the key injuries.
“Some other kids will have to step up,” Cirovski said. “Too many players were off their game tonight.”
shaffer@umdbk.com
