Townsend, men's soccer thrash West Virginia, 4-0

So much for a late-season collapse.

Forward Casey Townsend notched his third career hat trick as the Terrapins men's soccer team routed West Virginia, 4-0, in the second round of the NCAA tournament last night, halting its winless streak at four games. The blowout win secured the No. 5 seed Terps' 10th straight appearance in the Sweet 16, where they will face No. 12 seed Louisville on Sunday.

Townsend's scoring outburst could not have been any more timely. After notching 38 goals in their first 15 games, the Terps' once-explosive offense had amassed just one in each of their previous four outings.

Those numbers were a distant memory on a night that saw Townsend move into fourth place on the Terps' all-time scoring list.

"The previous four games, maybe we didn't score as much as we should've," said Townsend, who leads the Terps with 16 goals this season. "But we were all confident. We knew we could score. It was just a matter of time before they went in."

The Terps' fresh start began on the field before it became obvious on the scoreboard. Coach Sasho Cirovski opted for goalkeeper Keith Cardona in place of season-long starter Will Swaim, explaining the Terps needed "to make a little change for the psyche of the team."

It worked beginning in the 20th minute, when midfielder Helge Leikvang — filling in on the backline after defender Alex Lee aggravated a nagging thigh injury during the game's opening moments — played a chip into the penalty box. Townsend chased down the loose ball in front of Mountaineers goalkeeper Pat Eavenson and launched it into an empty net for the opening score.

The Terps (14-3-3) dominated possession for the remainder of the first half, entering the break with a 9-2 shot advantage.

They continued to attack the net in the opening minutes of the second half, getting three bids in the first three minutes. Their efforts paid off again in the 60th minute when midfielder Sunny Jane found midfielder Jereme Raley along the flank. Raley sent an arching cross to Townsend, who knocked in his second goal from in close.

"I think that changed the game," said West Virginia coach Marlon LeBlanc, whose team was playing its second match in four days after grabbing an overtime win over Xavier in the first round Thursday. "The second goal is the one that pretty much broke our backs."

Just 62 seconds later, the Terps were on the board again. Jane sent a cross to forward Jordan Cyrus, who converted a shot from short range for his first career goal. That gave the Terps a 3-0 lead with 29 minutes to play.

"This was certainly one of our most complete performances of the season," Cirovski said. "Tonight, we did all the little things right. I'm really proud of Casey."

And he should be. After connecting on less than 14 percent of his attempts this season, the senior finished 3-for-4 last night. His final score, which came off a lob in the 76th minute, capped the Terps' second win over West Virginia this season and their first victory since Oct. 14.

Afterward, Townsend wasn't too concerned with the Terps' past struggles or his personal stat sheet. His mind was already focused on their next game: a third-round matchup against the Cardinals on Sunday at Ludwig Field.

"We hadn't played well, and you want to learn from those things," Townsend said. "But for us, we just move on. We're looking to the next game. We're ready."

letourneau@umdbk.com