Cirovski Picks Up 200th Career Win

Three different players recorded their first career goals to give coach Sasho Cirovski his 200th career victory for No. 6 Maryland which downed Bucknell 4-1 in a non-conference match before 1,010 at Ludwig Field tonight .

Junior midfielder Spencer Allen, freshman forward Omar Gonzalez and senior midfielder Pat Wilson all found net for the first time as collegians, while freshman midfielder Jeremy Hall struck for the sixth time this season for the Terrapins.

With Maryland holding a 25-3 shots advantage, Cirovski became the second Terps coach to reach the 200-win milestone, improving his mark to 200-89-15 (.661) in his 14th season with the defending NCAA Division I champion. Doyle Royal, Maryland's first and longest tenured head coach was 217-58-18 (771.) in 28 years and led the school to the 1968 NCAA co-championship.

"It's not that big of a deal," Cirovski said. "It doesn't compare to the big wins, the championships wins. To me, this is a program achievement, not a Sasho Cirovski achievement. I've had lots of assistant coaches and players over the years. I think the program is in great shape and I'm really proud of that."

The Terps (13-3-1) went ahead in less than two minutes and led 3-0 before 11 minutes had expired. Sophomore midfielder Graham Zusi's free kick was cleared by Bucknell from its penalty area, but the ball went to Allen, who found the right side of the net for a 1-0 lead with 1:53 gone.

In the ninth minute, Gonzalez intercepted a bad Bucknell pass and carried down the right flank. From the end-line, he delivered a cross into the box to an unmarked Hall, who headed the ball into the far side of the net to make it 2-0.

Two minutes later, junior midfielder Maurice Edu fired a shot that was deflected to Gonzalez, who knocked home the rebound from in the box and the Terps' margin grew to 3-0.

The Terps had two more dangerous chances late in the first half, but Bisons junior goalkeeper Joey Kuterbach made two spectacular saves. He finished the game with 10 stops, while Terps sophomore keeper Chris Seitz made two saves.

"The theme all week has been to bring back the energy, the enthusiasm, the spark from preseason and that is typically what we do this time of year," said Cirovski, whose team has won three straight after dropping two in a row. "Over the last couple of games, we brought that. The team has played with a little more bounce in their step."

Maryland Wins National Championship

CARY, N.C. -- Finally, the Maryland men's program and coach Sasho Cirovski grabbed the biggest prize.

Cirovski entered a post-game press conference on Dec. 11 carrying the championship trophy awarded to the winner of the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Tournament.

After falling short in the three previous national semifinals, the top-seeded Terrapins are the kingpins of their sport after beating second-seeded New Mexico 1-0 in the nationally televised NCAA final before 6,922 spectators at SAS Stadium.

"I said (a day before the final) that if we won I would have a warm, fuzzy feeling," Cirovski said. "Now, I will feel pretty good for the next nine months.

"I want to share this with all (the past and current) players. I know some of them had tears of sorrow and now they have tears of joy."

The Terrapins (19-4-2) competed a five-game NCAA sweep.including a dominating 4-1 victory over Southern Methodist in the semifinals, to win the ACC's 10th national championship in the last 21 years.

"I think we are the best team in the nation and we proved that," said Maryland senior Jason Garey, who was named the College Cup's most outstanding offensive player. "We play attractive soccer. It is fun to play, fun to watch.

"To be with my friends and to win (the NCAA title), I wouldn't give that up to play for Manchester United."

Marc Burch, who played his first three college seasons at Evansville before joining the Terrapins, scored the biggest goal of his life at 30:33.

"It is exactly what I wanted to do. ... I don't know if I will play again," Burch said. "When we wake up tomorrow, we can say we are the national champions. It is amazing. We made it happen.

"Now, we will be on (ESPN's) Sports Center and meet the President."

After a New Mexico foul, Burch lined up on the left side and blasted a left-footed 25-yard free-kick grounder, which deflected off a Lobo defender. Goalkeeper Mike Graczyk was moving to his left when the ball was redirected. He dove back to his right but the ball cleanly went inside the near post.
"I was just rying to get the ball on the frame with a lot of power behind it," said Burch of his fourth goal in his 20 games this season.

New Mexico, the more physical team, was outshot 19-11, and Maryland led 10-5 in corner kicks. The Lobos (18-2-3) were limited to three shots on goal.

"I think luck was more on their side," said New Mexico's leading scorer, Jeff Rowland. "They scored on a freaking deflection. They didn't dominate us. We could have won the game."

In clear, cold and windy weather, New Mexico was shut out for only the second time this season.

"It was an unfortunate goal," said coach Jeremy Fishbein, describing Burch's game winner. "Sometimes in a big game like that, against a quality team, the bounce on the ball didn't go our way."

For the first time since 1992, a freshman goalkeeper started for the national champion, and Chris Seitz was named the College Cup's most outstanding defensive player.

Seitz, a native of California who watched the Terrapins lose to Indiana in the 2004 College Cup semifinals near Los Angeles, made a key play in the fifth minute of the second half.

He alertly blocked a penalty kick by New Mexico's Andrew Boyens, who scored the game-winning goal on Dec. 9 when the Lobos eliminated Clemson 2-1 in the semis.

"Chris made a split-second decision and came up with a big save," Cirovski. "It is deflating (for New Mexico). When a goalkeeper makes a save like that, the other team begins to feel today is not our day.
"Chris is special. He can make big plays in big games. We are lucky to have him."

Seitz said he had a definite idea of what to expect when Boyens lined up and kicked a low drive to the goalkeeper's left. Seitz made a clean save and then Boyens mishit the rebound.

"You have the weight of the team on your shoulders. ... It is horrible," Boyens said.

Cirovski, with the NCAA trophy perched in front of him, also told more than 40 people at the post-game press conference about his "good luck charms.''

Before he left home to travel to Cary, his three daughters -- ages 11, 9 and 3 -- each wrote him a note predicting success for the Terrapins. The 2005 ACC coach of the year said he carried the notes in his pocket during the Final Four.

Cirovski, who was instrumental in working to create a televised Game of the Week this season, said he hopes the NCAA title will also help him achieve another dream -- a new soccer stadium on the Maryland campus in College Park.

The Terrapins, who lost only once in their last 17 games, played 14 ranked opponents this season and scored an ACC-high 65 goals.

Garey, who appears the favorite to win the Hermann Trophy, scored a NCAA-best 22 goals this season. Garey, who's from Louisiana, finished as the leading scorer in Maryland history with 60 goals.

The four-year Maryland seniors built a combined 76-18-5 record, Including 12-2-3 in the NCAA Tournament.

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Maryland Goes For Title Against Lobos

It will be Maryland and New Mexico in the championship game of the 2005 Division I College Cup at SAS Stadium in Cary, NC, on Sunday.

Junior defender Andrew Boyens' goal midway through the first half proved to be the winner as #1 New Mexico downed Clemson 2-1 in the semifinals before 8,645.

The Lobos' victory, however, was not complete until a header from inside the penalty area by Clemson senior midfielder Randy Albright clanged off the bottom of the crossbar and came back into the field of play.

New Mexico (18-1-3) faces Maryland (18-4-2) in the Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET) to decide the NCAA Division I champion. Maryland defeated 17th-ranked Southern Methodist 4-1 in today's opener.

"We are ecstatic to be where we are," UNM coach Jeremy Fishbein said. "We played a great Clemson team tonight. We feel real fortunate. We feel the game could have gone either way, especially in the first half. I think in the second half we were a little bit more dangerous and maybe had some more opportunities and maybe took some away. I just have so much respect for that Clemson team. They battled. This game was everything we could have hoped for that's for sure."

New Mexico "did what the had to do to win the game tonight, but I am extremely proud of the way our kids played tonight in terms of the effort that they gave," Clemson coach Trevor Adair. "It is difficult to lose the game, because I felt like we dominated a lot of the possession. I'm particularly proud of what we accomplished this year and I couldn't be more proud of the kids."

Senior midfielder Lance Watson's left-side corner kick led to the Lobos' decisive tally. The ball went to Boyens for a header at the far post, but Clemson junior goalkeeper Phil Marfuggi made a diving save.

The rebound trickled to the end-lone, but stayed in play. Freshman striker Brandon Barklage collected the loose ball and played it back to sophomore midfielder David Gualdarama who chipped it back into the box. Boyens was there again and this time the 6-foot-4 defender headed it into the left side of the net to make it 2-1.

"I got the first header off the corner and I was blind-sided a little bit," Boyens said. "By the time I got back into the play, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

It was Boyens' seventh goal of the year and the third assist for Gualdarama.

As both teams felt each other out early before Watson earned a throw-in on the right side in the 20th minute. Watson put all of his 5-6 stature behind a toss that made its way into the box. Boyens headed the ball to the far post where Barklage was waiting patiently. Barklage sent a first-timer past Tiger keeper Phil Marfuggi for the 1-0 lead.

"All three coaches kept telling me how important it was to be on the far post, especially on those long throw-ins," Barklage said. "I felt like I hadn't been there as much as I needed to during the year. The ball rolled to me and I put it in. It felt great."

It was Barklage's second goal of the season and Watson's team-leading ninth assist of the year. Boyens was also credited with his third assist of the year on the play.

Clemson (15-6-3) picked up its pressure for the rest of the half, outshooting UNM 4-2 and earning three corners. The Tigers' equalizer came in the 40th minute after senior midfielder Bradley Gibson sent a ball from the right flank into the box. Lobox senior keeper Mike Graczyk made a play, but could not control the ball. Clemson junior forward Dane Richards found the ball at his feet on the left end line and tucked his shot into the open net.
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No. 2 Maryland 4, No. 17 Southern Methodist 1

Reserve freshman striker Grahama Zusi staked Maryland to a lead in the closing moments of the first half, then senior forward Jason Garey exploded for a pair of goals within a 15-seconds span shortly after intermission to power # 2 Maryland to a 4-1 triumph over 17th-ranked Southern Methodist in the first semifinal game.

Sophomore midfielder Stephen King made it three Terrapins tallies in a period of 2:20 and Maryland (18-4-2) rolled into Sunday's championship game. Maryland had lost the last three seasons in the national semifinals.

The Lobos slipped by Clemson 2-1 on junior defender Andrew Boyens' strike midway through the second half of the second match of the day.

"I was very proud of our performance," Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski said. "I thought we were sharp from the opening whistle. At halftime, I told the team that we rightfully deserved a lead. In the second half, we came out on fire. I thought we put a very good show today and it was a complete performance."

With time winding down in the first half, junior defender Glaudemans controlled the ball and worked to the end-line where he sent a cross through the box. Zusi cleanly half-volleyed the ball past junior goalkeeper Matt Wideman for a 1-0 advantage at 43:15.

Garey's goals were the fastest in NCAA tournament history. Freshman midfielder Robbie Rogers worked along the end-line and his cross was flicked across the goal-mouth to the far post where Garey blasted it home from close range to make it 2-0 after 46:41. Fifteen 15 seconds later, sophomore midfielder Maurice Edu stole a ball in the midfield and fed a streaking Garey who beat Wideman to make it 3-0.

Advancing, "feels good," said Garey, who moved into the Division I lead with 22 goals. "In the last few years, we've been disappointed at this moment and packing up the bus to go home. It feels good to be able to stay here and play on Sunday."

King increased the margin to 4-0 with a penalty kick at 49:01.

Making it to the final "is an unbelievable feeling," Terps junior midfielder A.J. Godbolt said. "We've been talking the entire year about giving ourselves a chance to win it. And now we're 36 hours or so from getting that chance and our entire team is really excited about it."

SMU (14-6-3) countered on with freshman striker Paulo da Silva's eighth goal of the season in the 55th minute. His shot defected off the inside of a Maryland defender's leg.

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Five ACC Teams Left In Men’s NCAAs

An unprecedented eight Atlantic Coast Conference men’s teams earned berths into the 2006 NCAA Division I soccer playoffs, and five of those are still alive in the round of 16.

Top-seeded Maryland will meet St. John’s in the third round after edging Brown 1-0 on Marc Burch’s goal in the 26th minute of play.

UNC Chapel Hill, seeded #2, will host Virginia in the next round. The Tar Heels shutdown Providence 2-0 in the second round on a pair of goals from junior forward Ben Hunter, who has scored his team’s last five goals. It marked the eighth straight shutout for UNC, which has now gone 817:22 minutes without allowing a goal.

Virginia advanced with a shootout win over the University of Central Florida after those teams tied 4-4 through regulation and overtime. The Cavaliers won the shootout 7-6.

Virginia Tech, playing at home and behind a first-round bye, lost a 4-3 shutout to UNC Greensboro, Those two teams played 0-0 through overtime. It marks the second year the Spartans have reached the round of 16.

Wake Forest upset #10 seeded Old Dominion 2-1, getting the goals from Wells Thompson and Justin Moose in the second half.

Duke, which reached the semifinals of the College Cup a year ago, will not repeat as the Blue Devils were edged by Creighton 2-1 on a pair of second-half goals. Spencer Wadsworth scored his seventh goal of the season to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 halftime lead.

In the first head-to-head playoff match between ACC teams, Clemson blanked N.C. State 3-0 and will host Notre Dame in the third round. The Irish knocked out two-time defending national champion Indiana 2-0 in the second round.

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Terps Hire Pensky As Women's Coach

The University of Maryland has hired Brian Pensky as its new head coach for its women¹s soccer program, Athletics Director Deborah A. Yow announced today. Pensky, who helped the men¹s soccer team to College Cup appearances in each of his three seasons with the program, succeeds Shannon Higgins-Cirovski who resigned in March.

"Coach Pensky is an experienced and successful coach who has worked with women¹s teams, as well as men," said Yow. "His passion for Maryland women's soccer was evident to the entire search committee. Our program¹s future is bright
under his leadership."

Pensky, who has served as a men's and women's assistant coach at the collegiate level, helped the Terrapin men's soccer team to 57 wins over the past three seasons, including the ACC Tournament title in 2002 and regular season crown in 2003.

"I am grateful to Debbie Yow and and the entire University of Maryland athletic department for giving me this opportunity," said Pensky. "The tradition of excellence within this department speaks for itself. I am honored to have a chance to be a part of that tradition as a head coach.

" We have student-athletes here that are committed to winning - this team had some terrific results last fall. If we can build on those great moments, our future will be very bright."

Prior to working under Sasho Cirovski for the past three seasons, where he was involved in all facets of the program, Pensky was an assistant at Loyola (Md.) College where he helped a Greyhound women¹s team win the 2001 MAAC Conference Tournament and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament in his one
season with the program. He came to Loyola after spending three years as an assistant coach in George Washington's women's soccer program.

Pensky has also been involved with the Maryland girls' Olympic Development Program team since 1997. He served as an assistant coach for the Under-15 team from 1999-2000, helping that squad to the 1999 Region I championship and a
national runner-up finish in 2000.

In the spring of 2000, he took over as head coach of the U- 16 team and led the team to a regional championship. In 2001, he worked with the U-16 ODP team and finished as the regional runner-up. Pensky spent the summer of 2001 coaching
the W-League's Maryland Pride, which reached the Final Four and won the Eastern Conference championship.

He began his coaching career at the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., where he later went on to teach and eventually piloted the boys' soccer team from 1996-98. While at the Bullis School, he was named 1997 High School Coach of the
Year by the Maryland Ledger and paced the 18-1-1 IAC champions to a No. 13 ranking in the nation.

In addition to his college and high school coaching experience, Pensky coached the Bethesda Soccer Club from 1991-99.

Pensky holds a bachelor of economics degree from Emory University, as well as an "A" license from the United States Soccer Federation, an NSCAA Premier and NSCAA goalkeeping diploma.

Pensky and his wife, Abby, have three children, twins Will and Alex who turned three in January, and Ben who turned one in March. The Pensky family resides in Kensington, Md.

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