Men's soccer's streak of wins compares favorably to 2008 run

By knocking off No. 4 North Carolina in the ACC Championship on Sunday, the Terrapin men's soccer team continued one of the most impressive winning streaks in team history.

With 13 straight victories, the Terps (17-2-1) have amassed the program's second-longest win streak, behind only the 2008 team (16 straight). With 11 players, including several starters, overlapping both teams, comparisons to the Terps' most recent national championship team have only been natural.

But more salient similarities lie in the respective paths of the two seasons. Both suffered a midseason road loss to a conference opponent that became a turning point in their season. Both rode their streak to a second-place ACC regular-season finish before claiming the ACC Tournament championship.

And, come Sunday, both will have entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. But while the 2008 team's streak to the national championship concluded a season that coach Sasho Cirovski dubbed "the gold standard," this year's players might be one-upping their counterparts.

"They're the same players, but they're two more years older and more experienced," said Joe Mauceri, the creator of proplayerpipeline.wordpress.com and a contributing writer to www.collegesoccernews.com.

Mauceri said the Terps' 2008 team boasted a superior backline, but this year's team has demonstrated a more potent attack against tougher competition. During their 13-game streak, the Terps have tallied 36 goals. Only two teams in the ACC have scored that many times the entire season.

And since losing at then-No. 3 North Carolina on Sept. 24, the Terps have beaten six top-20 teams, including two in the top five, en route to the winningest regular season in program history.

During the Terps' 2008 streak, by comparison, the team did not face an opponent ranked higher than No. 20 before the NCAA Tournament. They also scored more than two goals in just two of those games. This year's team has accomplished that feat in six of its 13 straight wins.

"We've always had good chemistry, but we really needed to come together," midfielder Doug Rodkey said of the Terps' 2008 team. "I think the same exact thing happened this year with UNC. We knew we didn't play well. Defensively, we just took on that role of playing compact and playing well together."

"The mentality was similar," Cirovski said. "There are a lot of eerie similarities to that year right now. Hopefully, we can finish the way we did."

Offensively, forwards Casey Townsend and Jason Herrick have remained healthy this season and reestablished their bond from the 2008 season. Midfielder Matt Kassel, also a starter on the 2008 team, has been a force on the attack, leading the team with nine assists and tallying eight goals.

"We're taking it game by game, but we're in a good place right now," Townsend said. "It reminds me a lot of 2008. It's almost the same thing that's happened, and hopefully, it ends the same way."

The defense has also continued to improve since its season-opening four-goal debacle against Michigan State. Goalkeeper Zac MacMath made a career-high seven saves against Colgate on Oct. 19 while posting a combined 10 against Virginia and North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.

"If you get a hot goalie — and you look at Maryland's championships, they always have a good goalie — it proves to be a turning point," Mauceri said.

But while the streak has been impressive, the Terps aren't getting ahead of themselves.

"The important thing is not to focus on the win streak," Cirovski said. "Right now, you have to be very process-oriented and detail-oriented on the next game. That's what's allowed us to be so successful."

ceckard@umdbk.com