Maryland men’s soccer announced a 2023 schedule Wednesday that features nine regular season matches against teams that made the NCAA tournament last year.
The Terps claimed a Big Ten regular season championship last season but bowed out in the second round of the national tournament. They’ll hope a majority of their regular season matchups coming against NCAA tournament-caliber teams will prepare a new-look squad to challenge for more trophies and make a deeper postseason run.
“Once again we have put together a challenging and exciting schedule for our players and fans,” coach Sasho Cirovski said in a release. “Our goal each season is to be the last team smiling, and to do that you have to play the best competition throughout the year.”
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Maryland returns just five players that started 10 or more games last season and welcomes an incoming class of 10 freshmen and one transfer. Cirovski lost multiple key players and experienced leaders in Joshua Bolma, Nick Richardson, Malcolm Johnston, Chris Rindov and Niklas Neumann.
The additions and new mix of starters will be challenged from the start of the season, with the Terps’ first five games coming against teams that appeared in last year’s NCAA tournament.
Maryland kicks the season off with three games at home against Missouri State on Aug. 24, UNC Greensboro on Aug. 27 and former ACC rival Wake Forest on Sept. 1. The Terps will then take on their two biggest local rivals in Virginia and Georgetown the following week.
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Cirovski’s squad opens their conference slate against Michigan at home on Sept. 14. Maryland plays each of the other eight Big Ten men’s soccer programs during the regular season. The Terps will host Indiana, last year’s national tournament finalists, and Rutgers, last year’s conference tournament champions, during conference play.
Three home matches against Bowling Green, Villanova and Navy — the latter of which claimed last year’s Patriot League tournament championship — are dispersed throughout Maryland’s conference schedule.
The Terps’ final regular season contest will come against Ohio State on Oct. 29, just one of five away matches throughout the upcoming season, before Cirovski’s squad will embark to claim their first postseason title since winning the national championship in 2018.
