Maryland men’s soccer forward Gordon Wild didn’t win the MAC Hermann Trophy as a finalist for the country’s best player award, but in an Instagram post from the ceremony, the Terps’ star scorer made an important announcement.
Wild plans to return for his junior season after leading Maryland in scoring as a transfer in 2016.
“I want to officially announce that I will return to the University of Maryland for my junior season,” Wild wrote in the caption. “Thanks #terpnation for all of your support and can’t wait to begin the chase for the national championship next season with my brothers!”
The Germany native’s 17 scores, the most by a Maryland player since 2013, tied for the second most in the country, while the Terps boasted the nation’s second-best scoring offense with 2.52 goals a game. Before transferring to coach Sasho Cirovski’s program last summer, Wild posted a nation-best 16 scores as a rookie at South Carolina Upstate.
His prowess on the front line helped Maryland finish the regular season undefeated, win the Big Ten tournament and earn the No. 1-overall seed in the NCAA tournament. But the Terps’ season ended with a major upset against Providence at Ludwig Field in the first round. Wild scored about five minutes into that game.
With Wild’s announcement, the Terps expect to return their entire forward rotation from last year, but they will lose their top three defenders and starting goalkeeper to graduation.
