Well it's the regular season finale and it should be senior night at Maryland but they don't have any this year. Academically five players should be handing roses to mom but redshirt injuries during their careers have given them an extra year in College Park. On the surface it doesn't look like there is too much to play for with these two. UMD has alreay wrapped up a strong seed in the NCAA's and Mt. St. Mary's stands at 5-9-4 and will be on the outside looking in when the tournaments starts. UMD has 13 victory on the season and one more win would tie the school record for wins in the regular season. The overall victory record is 16 and that seems destine to fall doing the post season. UMD is hoping this will be a game that can be over early and allow family and friends to see the players who haven't seen too much action this season. That was also the thought with Bucknell on Wednesday but they didn't cooperate, we'll see this time. Keep it rollin' Terps!
Easy game? This was supposed to be one of those easy games that didn't turn out that way. Sasho began the game with only two starters (Goodson & Stammler) and that seemed to give Mt. St. Mary's confidence. After only getting two shots in the first 30 minutes Sash started treating the game like a real match put in the regulars. UMD generated a 27-2 shot advantage but took 103 minutes to get one in. Defender Clarence Goodson won a ball on a set piece and shot it at the GK then rebounder miss and pushed it across the goal face where Dom Mediate slid in and put it a away. Once again poor finishing made this a game. The high powered offense UMD is supposed to have hasn't surfaced in the last four games, accounting only 3 goals. Let's hope things pick up the ACC Tourny next week. The defense is carrying the team now and actually creating the little bit of goal scoring they are getting led by the two centerbacks Goodson & Stammler. Okay Terps let's go win the ACC Tournament next week. GO TERPS!
I was at the game. Why don't they pass the ball to Thompson more? The few times they did he got some shots off, with one nailing the crossbar. On one play, Marcantonio had two defenders on him and Thompson wide open to his left, with no defenders within 15 yards of him. Could've been the game right there. I couldn't believe he shot it instead of passing to Thompson. It amazes me that they don't try and get the ball to their leading scorer more often. Why wasn't Sumed Ibrahim playing? Will he be OK for the postseason run? --Mich
Good question I think UMD would like to get the ball to Thompson more as concept but they don't play with much pattern or method. It seems the ball is passed/wacked forward without regard as to who the receiver is or even if one is in the area. The result of this one dimensional play is three goals in the past 4 games. Two of the three goals were created by their centerback Goodson off set pieces, they are getting nothing out of the normal run of play. I'm hoping it will all change next week in the tournament but I haven't seen those signs over the past four games. I think moving away from the 4-3-3 formation would help greatly and structions to possess the ball a little bit. I think a 3-4-3 would work well given the personnel available. We don't need the hold four defenders in the back to mark two forwards in most cases. It's easy to undersatnd why the midfield is being bypassed, they are badly out numbered and are under constant pressure. Having said this, Sasho isn't going to change at this late date so we will continue to dance with what brought us here I guess. The 14-4 record screams about the level of talent on this team becasue the tactics suck. But......I'm still their biggest fan so GO TERPS! Ps. Sumed had a bloody nose and a mild concussion from the Wednesday game and was held out of the second half of that one and all of this one. He will be fine for the ACC Tourny.
Easy game, After only getting two shots in the first 30 minutes Sash started treating the game like a real match put in the regulars. UMD generated a 27-2 shot advantage but took 103 minutes to get one in. Considering MSM's talented striker Kurt Borral went down and out due to injury fifteen minutes into the game, and then a two yellow card ejection on MSM Steve Novak at around the thirty five minute mark of the first half leaving them a man down, its no wonder UMD looked like they were doing something in the second half. I give a lot of credit to MSM's packing it in and making a go of it. I would hope UMD uses this game as a wake-up call. Or was MSM's just better than expected?
I saw the first half of this game, and I thought Maryland did a good job of knocking the ball around, using their midfielders, and building their attack. A few times in the half, they had decent chances in the box but couldn't finish....one shot I know hit the post late in the half. Is Gormley the tall skinny kid with long hair and the headband who plays center back? If so, I was unimpressed with him. Actually, I wasn't really impressed with Maryland at all. They were constantly trying to dribble through several defenders in the center of the park, and almost never used the flanks to attack. Some of these players have skill, but IMO, they don't play very smart. Personally, I thought #17 who was playing left back was the best player on the pitch for MD that night.
i was also at the game on friday and Maryland played okay. Their forwards were unable to score in regulation. Tompson played to wide for most of the time that he was in the game. He still had shots but was unable to help out that much. Maryland's stongest link in the back Goodson was begining to look like a normal back instead of what he had been doing during most of the season. He almost gave up a goal near the end of the first half on a terrible header. My question is will the Maryland backs hold ther on during the ACC and NCAA tournys?
If Goodson is the tall skinny kid with the long hair, then I agree, he was not good. A good target forward like Kneipper will make him look terrible. Maybe Maryland was going through the motions because they were playing Mt. St. Mary's, but they didn't look very good to me.
Uh.... Not so fast. When UNC played Maryland earlier this year and got their a$ses handed to them by the Terps, your bou Kneipper didn't do a damn thing, primarily because Goodson marked him out of the match. Now, I like Kneipper as a player and he has gotten much better over his four years in Chapel Hill, going from a big, one-dimensional AJ Wood clone to a very solid and dangerous all around striker. But, against Maryland he got dominated by Goodson, who has been playing defender since late August. I wasn't at the Mt. St. Mary's game so I don't know how Goodson played. But in the games I have seen Maryland play - which is about 5 this year - Goodson has yet to have a bad game and has been very solid. As for the Terps, they better get their collective act together because the way they are playing, they're gonna have a short run in the post-season. They only beat Clemson because of an atrocious officiating call, Virginia made them look impotent, and then they barely got past 2 teams they should have easily beaten.
Goodson I too attend the game and I would agree that Goodson didn't have one of his better games. The entire team was listless. Having said that, the defense held Mt St mary's to 2 shots, shut them out for 103 minutes, Goodson had 3 shots and assisted on the game winner along with winning every head ball. That's pretty good for a bad game. I think it demostrates Sandon's point that Goodson is becoming a more and more dominating player as the season goes along.
I know Godson is a good back since he has been starting for Maryland, but his inexperence could hurt the team. I think if Maryland has a chance of winning the tourny they need to get some backs to help Goodson out.
May be... The teams that have had success against UMd have gone at the outside backs. Goodson and Stammler have done a good job providing cover from the centerback position. Chris Lancos had started coming into his own but now he is with the U-20's. Having said that, defending has not been a major problem during the second half of the season, scoring goals has been. UMD will go as far as Abe Thompson and Sumed Ibraham take them on attack I believe. The defending will be fine.
Re: May be... This might be true, but from the games that i have seen- about 7- Stammler and Lancos have been having truble knocking the ball out of the back with some accruacy. They might be getting better, but if they play like they have been playing then Maryland playoff hopes are gone. Also, with no help in the back, hopefully Goodson wont make a mistake to kill Maryland's chance. If, that chance does happen i don't think that goalie, Noah Palmer, is able to make a game winning save.
Well, maybe I saw the Terps on an off night, but I was not impressed with Goodson. Of course, everyone has an opinion, right? I didn't see the UNC game, so I have no clue how Kneipper did against him in that match. Personally, I don't think Kneipper is a great soccer player, but he's a very effective player, if you know what I mean. He makes the most of his chances, which makes him dangerous. Sandon, you are obviously very high on the Goodson kid, but he didn't look like a baller to me on that night...but...everyone is entitled to an off night. I think Maryland overall was off that night...as Terp fan said.
No, great teams are not intitled to have bad games. The play their best in order to become champions. Champions are are always ready to play. Even if the team they play are good or bad, they play the same. They always play to win.
Confused I'm confused, was the Mt St Mary's game for some championship? It wasn't announced. Anyone who thinks a team gets up for every opponent regardless that opponents track record hasn't played team sports at a very high level. Admittedly UMD was listless in the game but guess what, THEY WON. If you saw any of UMD's ACC games this year you saw an emotional team ready to play. That doesn't mean they always played well but the effort and enthusiasm was obvious. I don't mean to sound disrespectful to anyone but Maryland has been in the top 10 all year and they had trouble getting up for Manhattan, Bucknell and Mt St Mary's. Starting Thursday there are no more little games, they will be playing for two championships and think they will be ready.