Soccer

Soccer team makes final four

On December 8, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Scott

goznalez

Buenos dias. I have some beautiful news to share with you this morning, beautiful readers. And it has to do with the Maryland Soccer Team. Most Americans call it soccer, but to me, it is simply The Beautiful Game. That is what I like to call it. Because of the beauty, the passion, the artistry, the beauty, the majesty, and of course, the great great passion of its players and fans. So many congratulations, many bouquets both verbal and physical, are due now to the Maryland men’s The Beautiful Game team, who on Saturday made the Final Four (called the College Cup in soccer) with a 1-0 win over Creighton.

The Creighton coach said it was “probably the most we have been outplayed in any match in the last decade or longer.” Ah, yes. The game’s only goal came from Omar Gonzalez, who has a very very beautiful future in the professional ranks. I hope that a certain local pro team, who has fallen on hard times recently and may be in need of fresh blood, is paying attention.

The Terrapins join ACC mates North Carolina and the big juggernaut, top-ranked Wake Forest, in the cup. St. John’s, who will be Maryland’s next opponent this Saturday, rounds out the group. Dios mio, but I hope that Maryland continues to play The Beautiful Game with passion! I now kiss them, man to man, for good luck.

(Photo credit: One Game at a Time)

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Tagged with: Big Wins • Soccer

terps soccer slays the golden bears with wit and good looks, advances to elite 8

On December 2, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Ian

Although field hockey is getting all the attention these days, there is another Maryland athletic program making its way through the post-season. The Terps avenged an early-season loss to Cal by beating the Bears 2-1 this Saturday. They will face Creighton this Saturday at 1PM in College Park.

Junior forward Jeremy Hall.

The press has a made a big deal out of the fact that the team is coached by Matt LeBlanc, but coaches don’t win soccer games, goal scorers do. I am copyrighting that phrase so don’t even think about using it. Junior Jeremy Hall scored the game-winner with his 14th goal and 34th point in 23 games. If I had to pick someone that Jeremy Hall resembled I’d have to go with field hockey player Katie O’Donnell because he, too, has such a nice smile. Damn it, I can’t control these urges to write about the field hockey team! I love your smile Katie! Back to soccer…

The ACC is the dominant conference for mens’ soccer, but there are some solid mid-major programs out there and Creighton is one of them. Maryland came into the tournament with the #4 RPI ranking, but the top 3 – Wake, St. Johns, and Indiana, are still in it. It’s great that we’re in the Elite 8, but the real test is yet to come.

Tagged with: field hockey • Jeremy Hall • Katie O'Donnell • smile • Soccer • the ladies

Thank God for field hockey

On December 1, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Without field hockey, and men’s soccer, Terp fans wouldn’t have much to be proud of right now.

First, on Saturday the football team lost to BC to wrap up its season the way the mobsters wrapped up that dead fish in “The Godfather.” Meow Mix Bowl, here we come. Despite the crazy ups and downs, the team ended exactly where most people (including us) thought they would — smack in the middle of Mediocre Town. Maybe they can celebrate the season with mashed potato sandwiches and Miller Lite drafts at the Medicore Town Diner, followed by a lecture from Friedgen on the Jimmy Carter presidency. I can already hear the polite applause.

It’s a Sicilian message. It means
“welcome to the Meineke Car Care Bowl.”

So after that, the hoops team follows up a bad loss to Gonzaga with an even worse loss to Georgetown. The Hoyas took a scalpel to the Terps — it was clinical, it was ruthless, and it was humiliating. Outplayed, outcoached, outhustled, outeverythinged. When the Terps were on defense, the Hoyas slashed the interior to ribbons until the Terps packed the middle with a zone, at which point Georgetown simply knocked down open perimeter shots. When the Terps were on offense, the Hoyas screwed down on Vasquez, perhaps figuring that not only is Vasquez the team’s only consistent offensive threat, but that intense pressure was likely to force Vasquez into sloppy mistakes. The final Vasquez line: 2 points, 4 assists, 4 turnovers. But that wasn’t even the worst line of the night. For that, of course, we must go to the frontcourt, where, in 21 minutes of play, Braxton Dupree finished with 6 points, 1 turnover, zero blocks, and zero rebounds. Again, he got 21 minutes. Just FYI, Jerome Burney and Dino Gregory each got 4 rebounds in 8 minutes of play. Draw your own conclusions.

Bottom line: the football season ended with a whimper, and if the basketball team doesn’t treat this weekend as a wake-up call, they may not even get a whimper out before their cold dead carcass hits the hardwood. Better moments could be in store for the hoops team, but if the football team and previous basketball seasons are any indication, another up-and-down campaign will just mean more mashed potato sandwiches real soon. If they’re lucky. Gulp.

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Basketball • bowl games • Braxton Dupree • field hockey • Football • Jerome Burney • Soccer • the Maryland program • Vasquez

Men's soccer team, hilarious coach capture ACC tourney, ladies, ratings in key ad demographic

On November 17, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Doth my senses deceive me? Or is there actually reason to be happy about the Terps?

In the past few days, the men’s hoops team won its opener over Bucknell (although apparently it was closer than the 81-52 score suggests), the lady ballers crushed Delware State after a horrendous opening loss, the football team beat Carolina, and the field hockey team made the Final Four.

But perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the weekend was the men’s soccer team, led by head coach Joseph Tribbiani, winning the ACC Tournament yesterday, outlasting Virginia 1-0 in the soccer hotbed of Cary, North Carolina.

Hats off, coach. Who’s up for Central Perk???

After the game, the team’s head coach, who is known for his, shall we say, appetites, had this to say:

“We knew the best defense would win this tournament. I challenged this team to define their identity and we made this a program goal.”

Brilliant…it works on so many levels. How that show is no longer on the air I have no idea.

Next up for the team is the big tournament — the seedings will be announced this evening on ESPNews. Go Terps!

Tagged with: Big Wins • championships • Soccer

The real Maryland sports accomplishments from this weekend

On October 20, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Yeah, yeah, the football team beat Wake. They continue to beat good teams but falter against bad ones, it’s one big roller coaster ride, will the real Terp football team please stand up, blah blah blah.

Now for the weekend’s real Maryland sports news. The men’s soccer team won its fourth straight game Friday night and the top-ranked women’s field hockey team continued to roll like a freight train by woman-handling ODU 7-0. The men’s soccer team is ranked sixth after this streak, which included two clutch wins in OT. The field hockey team, led by Katie O’Donnell, just can’t be stopped. If there was a pro women’s field hockey league, O’Donnell would be the first draft pick.

It’s just refreshing to see some Maryland teams give consistent effort out there and actually meet or even — >gasp< — EXCEED expectations. Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen.

(Photo credit: UMTerps.com)

Tagged with: field hockey • Football • Katie O'Donnell • Soccer • the ladies

Men's soccer loses to defending champs, coach all like "how YOU doin'?"

On September 30, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Scott

The Terp men’s soccer team is no joke, but Wake is a juggernaut. They’re like the Megan Fox to the rest of the actresses. Utter domination. So that’s why it was so huge when they came to the CP last weekend to clash with the #2 Terps. Maryland made it close, but the Deeks were too much,.

Maryland soccer coach Joey Tribbiani attempts to seduce another opponent.

The game was even on TV (Fox Soccer Net), so that’s exciting. Is there a serious market for college soccer? In any case, imagine the ratings bonanza if these two hooked up again in the postseason…upon the pitch of battle. Goterps.

Tagged with: Soccer

Women's soccer team puts up touchdown, field goal in win

On September 23, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Scott

So as chronicled before, the Terp ladies soccer team was supposed to have scoring issues this season. At least, that’s what all the haters said. (I said it, too, but I’m no hater…I’m just a guy who’s not afraid to ask honest questions. HUGE difference.) But in any case, where are all the haters now? Surely they are weeping in the bushes, is where they are, after the Terps set a new scoring record over the weekend by beating Mount St. Mary’s 10-0. The haters may ask if it was against a tough opponent. I shake my head at them. Some people will never get it. I just hope God forgives them. Sometimes that’s all you can hope for. ACC schedule starts now…goterps.

Tagged with: Soccer • the ladies

Terp women's soccer, ehhhh, not looking so good

On September 4, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Scott

If I have to read or write anything else about a certain uninspiring quarterback controversy for a certain medicore-if-lovable football team, I’m going to seize up. Simple as that. I will suffer a seizure.

So instead, let’s take a look at the Terp women’s soccer team, whose season is just underway. The team seems to have high hopes, although they may be in the minority, as they don’t seem to appear in the national rankings.

In the official season preview, there are quotes along the lines of “we can be really good if we play to our potential” and “last year we lost some games we should have won.” Sorry, but that sounds like underacheiver talk to me. I bet after a loss, they “stay positive,” and “trust the people inside this locker room.” Super.

More specifically, the big problem seems to be a lack of scoring. In their one W thus far, they won 5-0. But in their two losses, they were outscored 4-2. So maybe it’s a feast-or-famine kind of thing, which is another telltale sign of the underachiever. Still, they’ve got 11 new players this year, so I suppose some of this is to be expected. (That last link includes photos…I’ll let you click through and find the hottest player…aaaand, welcome back. Did you find her? I know, easy, right?)

So good luck to the women’s soccer team. In the monstrous shadow of the North Carolina program (arguably the most famous non-basketball women’s college sports program, except maybe Arizona softball), they have their work cut out for them every year. Here’s hoping they find their stride and strang some thangs together. Goterps.

Tagged with: Soccer • the ladies

the terp men's soccer team is pretty good

On August 22, 2008, In Maryland sports, By Scott

We love football and hoops as much as anyone, but seeing as how this is a Maryland sports blog, we’re going to strive to bring you periodic primers and updates on all the Maryland teams. Today, it’s the Terp men’s soccer team, ranked in the top 10 (and as high as 3) in most preseason rankings. There is nothing like the passion, the glory, the artistry, the passion, the beauty, and, of course, the great great passion of college soccer. At least, that is my understanding via those who have been to a game. Maybe I should go to one this year. Or at least Tivo one. It might mean losing a few episodes of Good Eats, but hey, these are the lengths I’m willing to go to, I guess. Please don’t try to talk me out of it.

The Terps won the whole thing back in 2005, and are used to making deep postseason runs. Their big shortcoming last year was depth, but bolstered by a strong incoming class, combined with nine returning starters including Hermann Trophy (college soccer’s MVP) contender Omar Gonzalez, it could be another “banner” year (see what I did there? “Banner”? Ahhhhhh, yes.) for the squad.

The Terps, led by head coach Matt
LeBlanc, won it all three years ago.

They’ve got a final tune-up tonight with South Florida, which follows last Saturday’s scrimmage tie with VCU. Doesn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things, although it presumably kept VCU’s double-nipple-ringed, exhibitionist pep band leader from getting all hot and bothered, which, don’t kid yourself, is a small victory of very real proportions. The regular schedule begins August 29 against #14 UCLA. The Terps seem to have a good shot this year, but the ACC is tough…Wake is defending champion and consensus choice to repeat, Virginia Tech reached last season’s Final Four (or “College Cup,” whatever), and BC and North Carolina are nationally ranked. Goterps.

(Photo credit: Umterps.com)