Coach Sasho Cirovski made Maryland men’s soccer’s schedule difficult by design.
The coach knew the Terps would face some of the best programs in the country in the Big Ten. But to him, the strength of the nonconference teams Maryland faces plays a bigger role.
“There’s no walkover games in college soccer, period,” Cirovski said. “Every game is tough.”
The Terps’ tough slew of out-of-conference opponents weigh heavily on their rating percentage index ranking. Maryland’s victories — such as its 2-0 win against George Mason on Tuesday — in those difficult outings this season has increased its ranking, which will benefit the Terps in November.
The index, a metric the NCAA uses throughout the season, incorporates winning percentage into a team’s ranking. For Maryland, the ranking is calculated based on its win rate, its opponents’ victory percentage and how well the Terps’ opponents have fared against other teams.
Maryland’s ranking skyrocketed after its triumph over the Patriots. The Terps collected another win — their third straight — against a George Mason team with just two losses and had played quality teams before the matchup.
[No. 6 Maryland men’s soccer tops George Mason 2-0 in regular season nonconference finale]
A draw, which counts as one-third of a win, against Virginia in early September has benefited the Terps since the Cavaliers have lost less than half of their games against quality ACC teams. They even secured a top 10 win over James Madison.
Maryland’s eight wins, five against conference foes, have helped its rank.
The Terps sit at No. 7, the second-highest Big Ten team. The NCAA uses the index as one of its selection criteria for the national tournament, which dictates if Maryland will receive one of the top 16 spots — and a first-round bye — to begin the tournament.
The Terps’ best finish in the last nine years was in 2016, when they were the top team in the Big Ten. They ended 2018 at No. 12, their second-best ranking in a national championship campaign, and one the team hasn’t achieved since.
“We took it personally last year,” Cirovski said. “Having started off great this year, but we’re going to finish really strong. This team will be heard from this year.”
[Maryland men’s soccer is winning the critical ‘mental moments’]
The Terps concluded their 2018 regular season with three wins in their final four contests, which started with a ranked nonconference home win over Denver. They downed two Big Ten opponents at home before dropping their final game.
This year’s side has a chance to match what the Maryland team accomplished that season. Forward Colin Griffith, who has already scored six times, can surpass former midfielder Amar Sejdic’s eight goal tally for the 2018 club-lead.
Maryland is on pace to surpass the 30 goals the 2018 team scored, already netting 24 scores between 10 players.
The Terps begin their final two weeks of the regular season with a meeting against UCLA. Six years ago, Maryland fell to the Bruins and suffered a hit to its ranking. A loss in Monday’s meeting would bring a similar consequence, along with the failure to extend its lead atop the Big Ten.
“It’s a very strong RPI game,” Cirovski said. “But now it’s for three points. It’s very meaningful in different ways.”
