Pace’s pair enough for men's soccer to take down Adelphi, 2-0

With three minutes left in the Terrapins men's soccer team's 2-0 win over Adelphi last night, the two dozen or so remaining members of "The Crew" behind the Panthers' goal broke into an unusual chant.

"We want a hat trick," they yelled. "We want a hat trick."

It wasn't the words that were unusual, however. It was to whom they were targeted: Jake Pace.

The redshirt sophomore forward had played just 31 total minutes this season before last night's matchup against a scrappy Adelphi squad. That meant he'd seen the second-least amount of action on a team replete with MLS-caliber talent.

To call his emergence last night unlikely would be a gross understatement.

But playing in front of a sparse crowd of 1,527 at Ludwig Field, Pace proved that even players buried on the Terps' bench can perform when presented the opportunity. The Columbia native netted both of the No. 3 Terps' goals to help his team rebound from its first loss of the season, a heartbreaker at ACC rival Virginia on Friday.

"I knew eventually I'd get a chance, and I'd have to make that count," Pace said. "So today, when I got that chance, I did make it count."

After his scoring bid in the 44th minute clanked off the crossbar, Pace had to wait a while for his next opportunity on goal.

But when it came, he made the most of it. After midfielder Jordan Cyrus had his header blocked by Adelphi goalkeeper Chris Herrera in the 73rd minute, Pace emerged from a scramble inside the 6-yard box to drill home his first career goal.

About 50 seconds later, Pace was there again. The former high school wrestling standout took a cross from midfielder Kaoru Forbess and tapped it past Herrera for a score from just yards out.

Pace's surprising offensive explosion came at an ideal time for the Terps (12-1-1), who had been struggling to find the net for one of the first times this season.

Playing their sixth game in 18 days, the Terps appeared out of sync throughout the first half. Their passes were uncharacteristically sloppy, and they struggled to find clear looks at the goal.

Coach Sasho Cirovski's team, which is tied for the most goals scored in Division I this year, had launched just three shot attempts as it entered halftime. Adelphi (4-6-1), which averages little more than a goal a game, had four. It was only the second time this season the Terps had been outshot in a half.

Frustrated with his team's lack of focus, Cirovski's message at halftime was simple.

"I said that wasn't Maryland soccer," Cirovski said. "Can you please get back into the Maryland clothes and get out here and play like Maryland soccer players? That was pretty much it."

The Terps found whatever they'd been missing in the opening minutes of the second half, picking up the pace offensively and beginning to find openings.

They had four shots in the half's opening 12 minutes while simultaneously squelching the Panthers' attack. After outperforming the Terps for the first 45 minutes, Adelphi didn't notch a single shot attempt in the second.

"We refocused," Kemp said. "We knew they outshot us in the first half, so we knew we had to come out with a much stronger front. We were much more connected in the second half, and it showed dividends."

With his defense finally humming and the offense back to form, Pace stepped up in the latter part of the second half and did what his more highly touted teammates couldn't: He scored.

But even after scoring two goals within a minute to secure the Terps' 12th win, Pace wasn't exactly content.

"I should've had that hat trick," Pace said. "I wanted it bad, and I could hear the Crew."

letourneau@umdbk.com