By: Wesley Schnell
Maryland men’s soccer needs a comeback season after a four-win 2023 campaign, which saw the Terps miss the NCAA tournament for the first time in 21 seasons. Head coach Sasho Cirovski has retooled his squad in hopes of bouncing back from a rather disappointing season.
It’s a new look schedule for the Terps in the first season of the newly expanded Big Ten conference.
Maryland will head to Washington for the second time ever on October 11. The match in Seattle is Maryland’s only west-coast trip of the season, but a week and a half later the Terps will also host No. 21 UCLA for the first time since 2019.
As for vital early-season matchups, Maryland travels to Bloomington to take on the No. 7 ranked Indiana Hoosiers on September 20. That will likely be their third game of the season against a ranked opponent, as they also face No. 16 Georgetown and No. 13 Virginia in the first two weeks of the campaign.
It definitely won’t be an easy run to try and get back into the NCAA tournament against such stiff competition, so the Terps will need individuals to step up along the way.
When looking at the squad, three names stand out immediately due to their on-field impact. Graduate midfielder Alex Nitzl, senior William Kulvik and centerback Bjarne Thiesen were all named Big Ten players to watch this season. Nitzl is also entering his second season as captain and his final one in College Park.
Another player to keep an eye on this season is junior forward Max Riley who was joint second on the team in goals last season. Riley’s 10 total points were also the fourth-highest amongst Terps in 2023.
This season Maryland has a total of 12 freshmen and transfer students who will look to impress in their College Park debuts. Transfer student Sadam Masereka from Lindsey Wilson College will be key for the Terps attack as he has 22 goals and seven assists to his name in two collegiate seasons thus far.
Yale transfer Max Rodgers should also be a key addition to the Terps’ attack as he was named to the All-Ivy League first team last season.
Freshmen forwards Mikkel Lejbowicz, Travis Thompson, Jameson Michel and Aidan Sheppela all come into College Park looking to make an immediate impact by getting the Maryland attack back to what fans are used to seeing.
After drawing even in the season opener at UMBC, Maryland will aim to get things going in the home opener Sunday against No. 16 Georgetown. The Terps will have five more non-conference games before their match against Wisconsin to start Big Ten play.
It won’t be an easy road back to the NCAA tournament but the Terps will feature several experienced returners and transfer students as they look to rebuild the attack that’s been so dominant in previous years.
