A record crowd and a rousing win for men's soccer

Sasho Cirovski's wish was simple: All the Terrapins men's soccer coach wanted for his 49th birthday was a win over rival Duke.

And like most things in the coach's storied career at this university, that's exactly what he got. The No. 3 Terps celebrated Cirovski's birthday in grand fashion, beating the No. 22 Blue Devils, 4-2, in front of a record crowd of 7,957 at Ludwig Field.

"What an occasion," Cirovski said after the game. "To have almost 8,000 people here, and it looked like it was more than that. It was just a great night. I can go home and have a nice smile on my face as I get one more year older."

That occasion started with a bang — literally.

After men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon kicked off the honorary first ball, fireworks greeted the Terps (13-1-1, 4-1 ACC) during introductions.

But Duke, which entered Friday's matchup riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, was determined to crash the party. Playing on ESPN3 for the first time this season, the Blue Devils (7-5-1, 3-2-1) made a statement during the 13th minute.

Duke midfielder Sean Davis broke free from his marker and netted a 30-yard rocket for his first career goal. Noticeably caught off guard on the play, Terps goalkeeper Will Swaim expressed dissatisfaction with the defense in front of him for one of the first times this season.

"I was frustrated because we worked so hard to keep the ball out of the box," Swaim said. "I got screened; I couldn't see the ball and then, bam. He hit it well. You know, to his credit, he got a good goal."

Those early frustrations didn't last long.

Just two minutes after Davis' goal, midfielder Sunny Jane corralled a header from forward Casey Townsend and darted into the open field. The sophomore beat Duke goalkeeper James Belshaw one on one to even the score at 1-1.

Jane's score sent Ludwig Field's record crowd into an uproar. After 24 errant shots, the Terps' assists leader finally had his first goal of the season.

"We knew it was just a matter of time for Sunny to get his first," midfielder John Stertzer said.

And Stertzer, as he would show, knows a bit about scoring.

After the conference foes exchanged possession for the remainder of the first half, the junior delivered a crucial blow in the 55th minute. A Duke defender tripped midfielder Patrick Mullins inside the 18-yard box, and Stertzer scored off a penalty kick for the third time this season and his 10th goal overall. With Townsend's 12, the Terps are the only Division I team with two double-digit goal scorers.

But Stertzer wasn't done yet. Just 10 days after netting two goals on his 21st birthday against Rutgers, he provided another multi-goal outburst to celebrate his coach's birthday. In the 65th minute, Stertzer collected a 40-yard cross from defender Widner Saint Cyr and finished an 8-yard header.

The festivities were muted just moments later, however, when Jane was shown a red card and ejected. Confused over the reasoning behind the ejection, Cirovski exchanged some heated words with the referee, and the Terps' bench received a yellow card.

Jane's ejection will keep him on the bench for their game at No. 2 North Carolina on Friday.

"It's a big blow not having him against North Carolina," Cirovski said. "That's the one sour note of the whole game. He's like the nicest kid in America, so I'm curious to see what he did."

Playing a man down for the first time this season, the Terps showed resiliency over the final 23 minutes. The backline continued shutting down the nation's top scorer, Duke forward Andrew Wenger, and Mullins scored his first goal in more than a month during the 85th minute.

With the Terps' 13th win already secured, Duke midfielder Andrew Morales scored a rebound goal with 42 seconds remaining to prevent a blowout.

But rout or not, the Terps gave Cirovski exactly what he wanted: a win over Duke on his birthday. And they did it in style.

"This was a great birthday present," Cirovski said. "I couldn't even imagine a much better one."

letourneau@umdbk.com