OK, any thoughts on the upset win over Denver, which was ranked #7 at the time while Maryland was so far out of the rankings they couldn't see the sunshine. Maryland desperately needed this one, to the point where I am not sure it guarantees anything, but without a win like it they would be staying home in November and not to host a tournament game. They still have a lot of work to do,, so we will see how this goes. They got a clean sheet in this game, indicating their defense continues as their greatest strength. Offense still a big question mark.
First thought: perhaps Denver was over-rated. Next thought: If MD makes the NCAA tournament, they will be the sort of team you don't want to face. They won't be overconfident, as they have no reason to be. They will be difficult to score on (based upon results so far). Hope the entire roster is practicing PKs ...
IIRC, a team needs to be no worse than .500 to be eligible for the NCAA tournament (not counting AQs), so if Maryland can beat Penn State tomorrow, they'll hit that mark. A win would put them at 7-5-3, so even losing to Michigan and their first Big Ten tournament match would leave them at 7-7-3. I think they'll be alright, though, and with a strong RPI (currently calculated at #19), they should get in as an at-large squad, probably given a home game but maybe having to hit the road. Nice pair of wins last week.
Denver may be overrated as I doubt they face the kind of schedule that an ACC, PAC12, or B1G would. I suppose I am being a Power 5 snob on that, but that's what I suspect. That said, the College Soccer News still has them at #9 so they are impressing somebody. I wish I could agree with you on Maryland as intimidating 1st round opponent, but the fact is they have scored just 16 goals in 14 games and 5 of those were against Ohio State, the last place team in the B1G. Take the result vs. OSU plus the 3-1 win over Coastal Carolina = 8 of 16 goals in two games. This game tonight against Penn State is crucial and so is the final regular season game at Michigan. At 6-5-3 the road to the tournament is narrowing and they really cannot absorb more slip-ups. One thing ironic about all this: the fans have really stayed with the program. According to umterps.com Maryland is 2nd in the nation in per game attendance at 3,316. The site says "Maryland boasts two of the top five single game attendances in the country this season, drawing 5,875 against Wisconsin and 5,802 against Stanford." OK, if they somehow make it into the tournament the fans may have earned them a chance to host. That is something to hope for.
https://onwardstate.com/2018/10/23/...te-mens-soccer-3-2-with-overtime-golden-goal/ "Penn State men’s soccer (5-8-2, 2-3-2 Big Ten) came back from a two-goal deficit to force overtime against Maryland (7-5-3, 4-3-0 Big Ten) Tuesday evening on the road, but were beaten by a 107th-minute golden goal. The teams were competing for fourth-place in the Big Ten regular season table and a home playoff match. Impressive volleyed goals from Aaron Molloy and Noah Pilato canceled strikes from Vinicius Lansade and Amar Sejdic before Paul Bin’s overtime rocket won the match for the Terrapins."
I think if (current RPI #16) Maryland wins either of its next two games - their B1G regular season finale at Michigan (on Sunday), or their first-round B1G tournament game (a week from Sunday), they are locks for the NCAA tournament. If they win both games, they are locks to get in and host at least one game (no matter how far they progress in the B1G). I am confident that a draw at Michigan and/or a draw in the B1G tournament (losing on PKs) would also be enough to get them into the NCAA tournament. Trickier is if they lose @ Michigan and crash out of the B1G tournament with a loss in the first round, which would leave Maryland at 7-7-3 and barely qualified. [I will discount the chance that they lose either game (or both ) 'badly,' however that is defined, so imagine two losses each by one goal.] Maryland's lowered RPI will presumably still keep the team afloat, but I would argue they merit inclusion. As an academic exercise ... The case in favor: Strength of schedule (particularly non-conference) Three good wins: (H) #20 West Virginia (1-0) (H) #21 Denver (1-0) (A) #23 Coastal Carolina (3-1) Three 0-0 draws against strong opponents: (H) #11 Stanford, (N) #3 Virginia, (A) #25 Georgetown A single 'good' loss: (A) #2 Indiana (1-2) No losses to 'bad' teams Strong defense (if still intact); improving offense (if not goalless in last two) Additional factors: Home (and/or road?) attendance Tradition (gives some team the satisfaction of knocking out Maryland (even if MD is experiencing a down year). The case against: Mediocre record overall [7-5-3 actual, 7-7-3 hypothesized] Mediocre record in a mediocre conference [4-3 actual, 4-5 hypothesized], with losses to the top teams and wins only over the bottom teams. Offense goalless 6 times (already, but perhaps 7, or worse, 8!) Weak offense in losses that can't be ignored (against decent opposition): (H) #19 UCLA (0-1), (H) #41 Wisconsin (1-2), (H) #30 Michigan State (0-2); (A) #39 Washington (0-2), (A) #52 Michigan (?-?) (A) B1G QF (?-?) 4 of 7 Wins over very weak/noticeably weaker opponents (H) #182 Ohio State (5-0), #81 Penn State (3-2) (A) #138 Northwestern (2-1), #174 Rutgers (2-0) Additional factors: Loss of late-season momentum (again, assuming two season-ending losses) Selection Committee's antipathy to Sasho ++++++++++++++++++++ RPI data from: http://rpiupdatemenssoccer.blogspot.com/2018/08/maryland.html
Decision day kicking off in about 30 minutes. Maryland can finish 3rd in conference with a win and a Michigan State loss at Indiana. Maryland will finish 4th with a win and a Michigan State draw or win, or a draw in today's game. Maryland will finish 5th with a loss at Michigan.
Good fightback in the second half at Michigan is for naught with a Wolverines winner in the 91st minute. With this result and Indiana's overtime win against Michigan State, the Terps will visit the Spartans in a 4-5 matchup next weekend.
Terps pick up the overtime winner in East Lansing to improve to 8-6-3 on the year. Even if Maryland loses to Indiana in the semifinals, their current RPI (which will get better with another game against Indiana) plus the semifinal appearance, I feel, *should* be enough to get the Terps to the tournament.
Oh yeah, they're safe. Full credit to Sasho and the Terps for a really nice turnaround to the season after stumbling out of the gate. And dealing with all the football-related chaos in College Park can't be ignored, either.
At this point (Wed. 11/7) they have won four of their last five games and seem to have eased into the safe zone -- I think. May depend on what the selection committee thinks of the conference, but my sense is they will get in. Also, the umterps.com site mentioned Maryland has the second highest average attendance in the country this year. I don't know what source they are quoting, but that is accurate it should be enough that they host early rounds again. And yes, it has been quite a mess around here with the football program. Hard to say if the Athletic Director will keep his job, how long the university president stays -- he has announced he will retire next June. Some want him to stay longer and others want him fired yesterday. Protest marches on campus, alumni and students in an uproar, faculty circulating petitions, the state governor speaking out. With all that the non-revenue sports are a welcome relief.
Maryland's RPI is 12, they're two games over .500, they've played the 4th toughest schedule in the country, have a pair of top 20 wins and their next game is against the No. 2 team in the country. They could lose 10-0 Friday and still have a good enough resume to get a home game - and maybe a bye - in the NCAA Tournament.
We're fine at this point, and the ultra tough schedule is paying off. I can't believe I'm saying this given how rough September went, but stealing one from an Indiana team missing two players due to U-20s and then winning the final could even lead to a top 8 seed.
It will be interesting to see if they are back. If I'm Yeagley, I'm on the phone to Tab and am like "yo, it's Suriname. If you need my two guys to advance you have bigger problems than this. Meanwhile, I gotta take on a Maryland team with a point to prove."
hmmmm. Of the 3 of 4 game televised, Dorsey has come off the bench once (though the one match not televised USVI, Dorsey started and scored a goal. Rennicks seems to the starter and much more crucial for U20. Suriname can win the group with a win by 8 goals over USA. Not very likely. However, the next group is probably going to be Honduras and Costa Rica with one of these missing out of the U20 WC. But, Tab is going to want to advance to the final. I wouldn't be surprised if Dorsey is replaced and Rennicks isn't.
Yep, 1-1 through reg & OT, Indiana 4-3 on penalties. And forward they both go. It is just interesting how quickly the tone of the discussion has changed from two weeks ago when Maryland was at risk of not making the tournament, suggestions of a program in decline, etc. Now everyone is just so confidant. We'll see what happens next....
It was a well-played game by both sides under, shall we say, less than ideal conditions. I've always admired St. Clair - he's a very good GK.
Field looked good on TV. A10 tournament (SLU) was played on a pasture. Pathetic for a conference tournament. I get that is where it is scheduled, but really impacted the play.
In the NCAA tournament as the 11th seed, will play on Sunday, November 18 v Campbell or NC State (with the next round game likely @ Duke). Not too bad, all things considered ...
Well, the 11 seed is definitely a pleasant surprise. Now it's just a matter of getting past NC State or Campbell and shedding the demons of the last two years.
I'm rooting for Campbell to upset NC State just so we can have the Camels vs. Turtles matchup all of us have secretly yearned for.
Of all the possible quadrants, I feel like this one is the best draw for Maryland? A potential Sunday matchup with NC State isn't ideal, but certainly winnable. Then most likely a trip to Duke, also winnable, but another home game with a cross-country-flying Pacific or Riverside would be a dream. Then, I'd honestly prefer visiting Kentucky as compared to Washington for an elite eight game - shorter trip to face a team without as much major tournament experience. In summation go Terps.