After the Maryland men’s soccer team beat then-No. 1 UCLA on a game-winning goal in its home-opener last season, the Terps came out flat in their next game three days later. Maryland lost to Akron, 3-2, behind multiple defensive errors.
With momentum on the Terps’ side this sesaon, after beating Georgetown in their first Friday night game, coach Sasho Cirovski didn’t want history to repeat itself in Maryland’s match against South Florida on Monday. He challenged his team to play with high-energy even after a tiring contest against the Hoyas.
The No. 5 Terps accomplished that goal. Though Maryland started off slow, it picked up its energy in the second half to beat the Bulls, 4-1, at Ludwig Field.
“From a night like Friday night with Georgetown, there’s a lot of emotion,” midfielder Amar Sejdic said. “When we got on the field, we battled with hard intensity. We knew as a team we’re growing with confidence. As the season progresses, we’re just going to get better and better.”
Cirovski said the Terps’ Friday night home-opener is “a huge event emotionally and physically.” Those games earn a large turnout from fans — the announced attendance was 7,413 for Maryland’s match against the Hoyas on Friday — including The Crew, which led the rowdiness on opening night.
On top of that, the Terps scored the game-winning goal with 45 seconds remaining Friday, which Sejdic said made the event more emotionally draining.
It wasn’t the same atmosphere when the team returned to play Monday, yet the Terps knew they needed to rebound quickly. South Florida received votes in the NSCAA poll and has been to the NCAA tournament in nine of its previous 11 seasons.
Cirovski discussed the matter with his team after the win Friday.
“We talked about … what they have to do in terms of proper rest and recovery, paying attention to the details and making sure we have our legs and our minds for this game,” Cirovski said. “We did it.”
The Terps returned eight starters this season, so most of the players knew what to expect Monday. Four of those returning starters are sophomores who weren’t as prepared for the quick turnaround last year.
In the locker room before the match Monday, Sejdic said the players gave each other positive encouragement and played music to get focused.
Cirovski also said the Terps have a stronger attack this year, which makes them more dangerous, even after a taxing game. The Terps have scored the most goals in the Big Ten (12), and forwards Sebastian Elney, who led the Terps with seven goals last year, and Gordon Wild, who leads the team with five scores, power the attack.
Maryland got out to a slow start Monday, attempting four shots in the first half and giving up a goal in the 49th minute. But from there, the Terps picked up their tempo, scoring three more goals and outshooting the Bulls, 7-2, in the second frame.
While it wasn’t the exciting finish the Terps experienced against Georgetown, Cirovski said it was just as important of a victory. “We’re just learning from the last couple of years,” Wild said. “This was a really important game to show we’re developing as a team. They made it tough on us. It’s important that we got the win [Monday], and now we got to look forward to Indiana on Friday.”
