A season to remember

On an overcast night in September 2006, a then-record crowd of 6,489 packed Ludwig Field to watch the Terrapins men's soccer team blank archrival Duke, 1-0.

Sitting in the stands that early autumn evening was a 17-year-old Casey Townsend, almost 800 miles from his hometown of Traverse City, Mich. Then a high school junior on his first-ever college-recruiting visit, Townsend watched in awe as Maurice Edu headed in the game's only goal and sent the stadium into an uproar.

"Casey was sold on Maryland before he even left the campus," said Casey's father, Carl Townsend, who was sitting next to his son that night. "It was the only place he visited. Whatever they showed us that weekend, he just knew that was the place for him."

He's had reminders over the past four seasons — a national championship, All-ACC honors, national player of the year consideration.

But it's nights like tonight, with a top-five showdown at Ludwig Field looming against No. 2 Creighton, when Townsend remembers that scene he witnessed more than half a decade ago.

"This season has been a lot of fun," Townsend said. "I'm just playing as free as I've ever played. I mean, I don't have any worries in the world. And tonight's going to have a great atmosphere, and a great team we're playing against."

Townsend, of course, is no stranger to great teams. Just 27 months after his introduction to Terps soccer, Townsend wasn't at Ludwig Field, but Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. And the freshman forward wasn't in the bleachers. He was on the field, hoisting the Terps' third national championship trophy.

"My freshman season was a really good one. I played a pretty big part on that team," said Townsend, who scored 11 goals and had four assists that year. "But we had a lot of great players that year, a lot of good leadership on that team, so I kind of just tried to fit my role."

Townsend is the only remaining starter from that team. The departure of seven key contributors from last year's ACC Championship team all but made sure of that.

So entering this year, Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski charged Townsend with a formidable task: lead his less experienced teammates back to the promised land.

"He was a good piece of an already pretty good puzzle [in 2008]," Cirovski said. "Now he's a large piece of a new puzzle, and he has a lot more responsibilities."

With more than half of the regular season in the books, Townsend is tied for second in Division I with 10 goals. He has scored in all but three games and accounted for just more than one-third of the third-highest-scoring offense in the nation.

"I'd kind of like to see more guys score," Townsend said after notching his latest goal in the Terps' 3-1 win over No. 12 Charlotte on Tuesday. "But if that's what it takes for our team to win, then I'm OK with that."

The No. 3 Terps (9-0-1) have had no problems with that so far this season. With Townsend carrying much of the offensive load, the team is off to its best start since 1968, the year of the program's first-ever national championship. The Terps have outscored opponents by a combined 28-7 and have taken care of top-25 competition handily in the process.

But Townsend almost wasn't a part of any of it. After overcoming a nagging leg injury that limited his sophomore campaign, Townsend tallied nine goals and five assists last season. He earned first-team All-ACC honors and was widely considered a second- or third-round MLS prospect.

But as much as he wanted to pursue his goal of playing professionally, Townsend had another dream that needed fulfilling.

When the second-seeded Terps suffered a stunning 3-2, double-overtime loss to an upstart Michigan squad in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals last December, Townsend's dreams of hoisting another golden trophy were put on hold.

"Winning another title would mean everything to me," Townsend said. "That was one of the main reasons I came back here. I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business."

Focused on capturing that elusive second title, Townsend returned to practice last spring intent on making the most of his remaining eligibility. Cirovski, who regularly refers to Townsend as a "workhorse," said his senior leader approached this season with a new outlook. He was more relaxed, more patient and more interested in enjoying himself.

That newfound patience has helped Townsend improve perhaps his biggest weakness in previous seasons: his efficiency. The Hermann Trophy candidate has taken half as many shot attempts as he did last season, and has already exceeded his 2010 goal total.

And according to several MLS Draft experts, that adjustment could be the difference between Townsend being taken in the late second round this January or being picked in the top 10.

"Having this season is important for him," said Matt Martin, a regional scout for MLS's Sporting Kansas City. "This senior season is his cap. It's very important for him that he's having this kind of year."

Townsend said he refuses to allow his growing hype to interfere with the task at hand: a home matchup tonight against the Bluejays, who haven't allowed a goal all season.

As he trots onto Ludwig Field, Townsend won't forget about that 17-year-old kid who sat awestruck that night in late September six years ago. After all, he's just trying to savor the final weeks of a career that won't soon be forgotten.

"It's going to be one of those games that I came here to play," Townsend said. "I can't wait."

letourneau@umdbk.com