The Terps will take the field with targets pained on their shells ? figuratively speaking, of course. The University of Maryland men?s soccer team, the defending NCAA champion, will be the team to beat this fall. The Terps kick-off the season Friday at Old Dominion University (Va.), but if you ask head coach Sacho Cirovski, they are not defending anything.
“We are the reigning national champions,” Cirovski said Wednesday during a team workout.
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In his 14th season at the Terps? helm, Cirovski said that the team is not quite where he wants them to be going into the season opener. In two preseason games, Maryland was held scoreless, tying with Georgetown, 0-0, and losing to Indiana, 1-0.
“I like the makeup of this team,” Cirovski said. “We are talented and a lot younger, but the strength of this team has always been the team.”
The offense is a concern. Maryland lost seven starters from last year?s squad. The most recent loss was Robbie Rogers, who signed a contract to play professionally in the Dutch Premier League last week.
“Losing Robbie, the rest of the players will have to step up,” Cirovski said.
Junior midfielder Stephen King said that the timing of Rogers? departure was the only surprise.
“We are confident with what we have, and we need to focus on our performance,” King said.
Maryland?s midfield will be strong, as three-fourths of last year?s unit returns. Another positive will be sophomore goalkeeper Chris Seitz. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Seitz is an imposing figure in the net.
“Everybody has come in and played well,” said Seitz, who is coming off shoulder surgery in January. “There is not a big talent drop from last year?s team to this one.”
Six-foot-5 freshman Omar Gonzales will add to what Cirovski called “the spine of the team.” Listed as a defender and a forward, Gonzales will primarily play back for Maryland.
“I will probably go forward when it is late in the game and we need a goal,” Gonzales said.
Like his coach and teammates, junior midfielder Maurice Edu does not know where the offense will come from, but he knows that it will be there.
“I am confident in our forwards and midfield,” Edu said. “We just have to get used to each other and learn our roles.”
TIP-TOP TERPS
» 2005 record: 19-4-2 overall, 7-1-0 ACC
» Junior Stephen King is Maryland?s top goal scorer returning this year. In 2005, he was second in the team with 15 goals and was also second in assists with eight.
» Chris Seitz was 13-1-2 in his freshman year and posted a save percentage of .783 with 15 goals allowed.
» Maryland was ranked No. 1 in three of the four major preseason polls. The NSCAA/Adidas, College Soccer News and Soccer Times listed the Terps as No. 1, with Soccer America ranking them fourth.
