Former Maryland men’s soccer goalkeeper Jamie Lowell almost never got the chance to celebrate with his teammates after they scored. In spring 2024, months after his final game with the Terps, Lowell finally got that opportunity — to an extent.

Then-freshman Daniel Thompson scored a volley on his birthday. Defender Luca Costabile promptly lifted him up, while Lowell shouted, “Birthday boy!”

Costabile’s and Lowell’s reactions were heartwarming, especially because Thompson was never their teammate. He’s a junior civil engineering student at the university, and no longer plays competitive soccer.

But Thompson stays connected to the sport through his involvement in The Crew, Maryland men’s soccer’s devoted student fan club. He scored his volley in one of the annual spring games where Terps play alongside The Crew — an event that epitomizes one of the most unique player-fan dynamics.

“You go to professional sports games, and these are people that you could never relate to, but at the end of the day, these are other college kids,” Crew co-president Quinn Savitt said. “They’re just us, but they play soccer.”

That rapport is particularly prevalent between Savitt and midfielder Albi Ndrenika.

[Albi Ndrenika seizes opportunity in new role for Maryland men’s soccer]

The junior computer science major messaged Ndrenika on Instagram, hoping to do a signed jersey giveaway. Savitt said the senior responded instantly, and soon after, the pair exchanged phone numbers.

“Other than like a fan-player relationship, it’s more just like a friend to friend relationship,” Ndrenika said.

The Terps and The Crew also frequently share posts on their official Instagram accounts. Those collaborations include final score graphics, Maryland’s in-game highlights, and the team’s post-win jog around Ludwig Field to high-five their remaining fans — a tradition known as the “Crew Run,” or the “Ludwig Lap.”

Joint-posting between the team and The Crew was present in seasons past, but Thompson, the group’s social media director, said this year’s support staff has kept the trend alive.

“If we brought that idea [to the team], it would seem absurd,” Thompson said. “Why would an actual collegiate Instagram handle want to work with guys that are just doing this for fun?”

Strategic communications assistant Jake Freelund, who runs the team’s Instagram account, said he invites The Crew to collaborate on certain posts because it brings more attention to their fandom.

Abby Ullum, the Terps’ fan development and event marketing assistant, also works with The Crew to promote giveaways and theme nights.

“I like to keep the crowd full,” Ullum said. “They have been super great at making sure our message for students to come is being heard.”

Maryland is 29-10-12 at Ludwig Field since its first season back from the COVID-19 lockdown. The Crew has facilitated that home-field edge by creating vibrant Ludwig Field atmospheres since its inception in the early 2000s.

Their work starts long before games kick off, with tailgates on the grassy hill adjacent to the field’s north side. Savitt and fellow co-president Caleb Daniele regularly start tailgates three and a half hours before games, anticipating that college students tend to show up to events late.

[No. 23 Maryland men’s soccer dominates Northwestern 4-1]

Tailgates feature stadium foods, lawn games and the pregame music that blares from the stadium speakers.

The camaraderie carries into the stadium, where The Crew fills up the bleachers behind the opposing goalkeeper. A railing along the front of the grandstand, and a flimsy netting are the only things separating The Crew from the other team’s shot stopper.

The chirping starts while the opposing goalkeepers go through their warmups. It leads into starting lineup announcements, at the end of which The Crew chants coach Sasho Cirovski’s first name in unison.

The 33rd-year Maryland coach acknowledges their shouts by clapping his hands twice and pumping his right fist in their direction.

One Crew member bangs a large drum during the game while others shower the other team’s goalkeeper with chants that contain personal information.

“The internet’s a scary place when you think about it in the way that we use it,” Daniele admitted. “As long as we have the name and the hometown of the guy off the team roster website, it’s pretty easy from there to then look up.”

When the teams swap sides for the second half, The Crew moves to the opposite bleachers and continues berating the goalie for another 45 minutes. It’s all done in the hopes of distracting the shotstopper.

That relentless expression of passion has occasionally drawn backlash from opposing coaches, and goalkeepers’ parents.

But The Crew’s leadership emphasized that it’s just a group of soccer-loving students who pull for their peers at any opportunity they get.

“These guys want to go pro, most of them, and this is the path to that in America,” Savitt said. “Before I start supporting the Premier League, before I start supporting any of that stuff, I should be supporting the people that are 10 steps away from my dorm.”