Men's soccer back on top with No. 1 ranking

It's unusual for a team not to win yet still move up in the rankings.

The chaos in men's college soccer's upper crust, however, afforded the Terrapins men's soccer team just that opportunity.

After capturing a 1-1 tie at then-No. 2 North Carolina on Friday, the Terps earned the top slot in yesterday's NSCAA Coaches Poll. That gave the Terps, who were No. 3 in last week's poll, the nation's top ranking for the first time since the week of Sept. 20.

Coach Sasho Cirovski said he wasn't surprised with the jump after what happened to Connecticut and North Carolina last week. The then-No. 1 Huskies lost at West Virginia last Tuesday, and the Tar Heels lost at Davidson last Monday, clearing the way for the streaking Terps.

"It's not at the forefront of our minds right now," Cirovski said yesterday. "We know that you only remember where you finish, not where you are on Oct. 25."

The Terps received 10 first-place votes, while New Mexico — the only undefeated Division I team remaining this season — took over the No. 2 spot despite garnering 11 first-place votes.

TITLE CHASE

Just as Friday's tie boosted the Terps' ranking, it also helped their chances of capturing an ACC regular-season title.

With just two games remaining before the conference tournament, the No. 1 Terps are atop the ACC standings with 13 points. Wake Forest, which will face the Terps at Ludwig Field on Nov. 3 in its lone remaining conference game, is second with 12.

If they can hold on to their lead, the Terps will earn their third regular-season title under Cirovski. The previous two came in 2003 and 2005.

"If that game [at North Carolina] didn't go our way, it would've been the end of our ACC regular-season championship hopes," defender Kyle Roach said. "So you could tell that it meant the world to everyone."

WOODBERRY'S FALLOUT

In the 61st minute of their tie at North Carolina on Friday, the Terps suffered their second major setback in two games.

Just seven days after midfielder Sunny Jane was ejected on a red card against Duke, defender London Woodberry was tossed after he was called for a handball in the penalty box.

That left the Terps a man down for the remaining 49 minutes, and Woodberry — an anchor on the backline this year — out for Friday's matchup at Clemson.

"It'll be a big challenge for us," defender Taylor Kemp said after the Terps secured their second tie of the season Friday. "He's a big player for us, especially in the center-back role."

Although Roach filled in for Woodberry against the Tar Heels, Cirovski was mum on who would start against Clemson.

"It's a work in progress," he said. "We're tinkering with some things during the week in training, and we may not know exactly how it all falls out until warm-ups at Clemson."

LEE'S STATUS UNCERTAIN

Just a minute after Woodberry was ejected Friday, the Terps' backline suffered another key loss.

Senior co-captain Alex Lee, who's joined Woodberry to form one of the nation's top center-back tandems this season, went down with a leg injury and didn't return to action.

His condition is still being evaluated, and he showed up to practice yesterday in running shoes.

Cirovski declined to speculate on the likelihood Lee would play against Clemson, but he did say he might not decide until near game time.

"Well, I hope it's not that late," he said. "But it's not out of the question."

letourneau@umdbk.com