FRISCO, Texas - On a hot, humid August afternoon, midfielder Graham Zusi stood on the turf at Ludwig Field and projected into the future, something rare for any Terps soccer player to do, much less the quiet and reserved Zusi.
"I don't see why a national championship is out of our reach, by any means," Zusi said at the team's media day. "Absolutely we can win it - without a doubt - if we play to our full potential."
In this weekend's College Cup at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, nestled far away in the northern suburbs of Dallas, Zusi was the driving force behind the fulfillment of that goal.
His perfectly placed 67th-minute strike launched just inside the left goal post and past North Carolina goalkeeper Brooks Haggerty. It was good enough to give the Terps a one-goal lead. That lead was good enough to ensure the 1-0 win and the 2008 national championship.
"I happened to be at the right place at the right time," Zusi said in his typically understated manner.
Luck may have played a part in it. The ball came to Zusi after a shot by midfielder Jeremy Hall deflected off of a defender. But Zusi's clutch performances played a huge factor in the Terps' College Cup triumph.
Zusi's sharp, curling 26-yard free kick toward the upper left corner also gave the Terps the 1-0 win in Friday night's semifinal against St. John's. That goal came in double overtime, and Zusi pulled off and waved his shirt around as his teammates flooded the field, celebrating the win.
"I guess it is a little bit of being in the right place, just trying to step up at the right time when my team needs me the most," Zusi said, when asked about his knack for scoring big goals. "I don't really know how to answer that question, but I was just fortunate to do so."
Now, the senior from Longwood, Fla., has two national titles, coming in his first and last seasons on the team. But for Zusi, who also scored in the Terps' 2005 semifinal win against Southern Methodist, it was hard to envision being named the NCAA tournament's offensive MVP when he was struggling with his new attacking midfield position for much of the regular season.
He broke out in the Terps' 2-1 Oct. 31 win at Virginia, and has been one of the team's most consistent performers ever since, leading the team with five goals in that final 10-game stretch.
"Sasho always told me that I did have it in me," Zusi said. "I think it was just me buying into that. That made the difference."
Cirovski said since Zusi has become more comfortable with the position, making sure not to get too wide in the attack, he has been among the Terps' best players.
"It took Graham some time," Cirovski said. "The link was missing; we detailed it quite a bit. I think when Graham's eyes opened up and he recognized that, he's been on fire. He's just been terrific."
Zusi still displayed that same soft-spoken manner while sitting at the table during yesterday's postgame press conference. But there was also a feeling of satisfaction for leading the Terps to the national championship season he had anticipated from the very beginning.
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