UMd v St. Johns [R] Respective pre-game comments: Maryland: http://umterps.collegesports.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/120204aab.html St. John's: http://redstormsports.collegesports.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/120304aaa.html Live audio of game should be available from Maryland website. I'll do abbreviated PbP, if I'm not at the library. Hopefully Terps will make it nine straight NCAA tourney victories at Ludwig.
The mighty Terps try to book their third straight trip to the College Cup Final Four today when they meet St. John's at Ludwig Feild with Kickoff at 1pm. Maryland has won 9 straight NCAA games at home but St. John's seems to have their number after knocking the Terps out of the tournament the last two times they met. It should be a great game is a super atmosphere with probably only a one goal difference between these two. I'll go with my Terps 2-1 in a battle worthy of a final.
I think the Terps are the better team but St. John's is no stranger to quarterfinals, either, as they are going for their third FF in four years. I have a nasty suspicion that this game will look much like last year's game in Columbus: A Noah Palmer mistake costs the team and then despite getting far more chances, they can't covert. I like Dave Masur, but I hope I'm wrong. It would be nice to see all that offensive talent of the Terps make it to a national showcase. It would be good for college soccer.
Looks like 2 threads - maybe a mod can merge. Anyone find internet radio - seems like wmucsports.com is not working - or am I in the wrong place?
It doesn't even seem like the NCAA site has a livestats update even going? Does anyone know what is going on?
Re: UMd v St. Johns [R] It doesn't even seem like the NCAA site has a livestats update even going? Does anyone know what is going on?
Re: UMd v St. Johns [R] You are correct. Nothing is working. I know that on some of the games, the NCAA retains the broadcast rights--although I know last year I listened to the Md v SLU quarterfinal. So I don't know if it's just the radio station. The NCAA site isn't working either. I checked the St John's site and it also directs you to NCAA. I guess we'll have to wait for a recap from someone at the game
Why does the stupid scoreboard on ncaasports.com always seem to take most of the first 1/2 to get goin'? Anybody have an update?
All that offensive Terp talent sure came up empty in the Creighton game. Too bad that game had to end in a shootout. Disgusting way to end a game.
It was a very tight game with very few good chances for either side. First half was highly unspectacular, with St. John's never truly threatening, and Maryland having trouble breaking down the Johnnie defense. Best chance came when Abe Thompson got the ball wide in the box about 15 yards out, but Gaudette handled it easily. At one point AJ Godbolt got behind the defense about parallel with the 6 yard box and appeared to be pulled down, but the ref called play-on. Couldn't see what happened next, but the result of all that was Godbolt getting cautioned for shoving Gaudette to the ground. Scariest moment in the half as a Terp fan was on a cross. The ball was sent in from the left flank, but no one was there. Palmer went to catch the ball, but fumbled it, and the ball squirted quickly toward the goal line. Thankfully Noah got to it and it was going wide anyway, but not a good moment for the nerves. Second half was really a lot more of the same. Groenwald had one good semi-break, but Noah got down to smother the shot. I'm really not sure if he had to make any other saves. The goal sequence started on the right side where Lancos hit a driven cross into the middle. It was too tall for everyone though, and ran to the sideline. Either King or Mediate got over to the ball before it went out and swung the ball back across the face of the goal. Gaudette was never going to be able to get to it, and Godbolt was able to stretch backward and get his head on the ball, driving it down and between the legs of a sliding Gaudette for the only score of the game. St. John's had a couple good rushes in the dying minutes, but the ref called diving in the box on one of their players with about 30 seconds to go, and that effectively ended the game. Great crowd today too. They brought in two big temporary stands that they placed in the corners on the bench side. Every seat was filled and there were people sitting on the grass hill and standing all around the field. Not sure what the attendance was announced at since the sound system is not up to par. St. John's had a lot of representation at the game too. It looked like their cheerleaders were there, some of the pep band, and a good bloc of students as well. I was impressed how many of them made the trip. Now its off to LA to try to finish this tournament off right finally.
Thanks for the game summary, gs. Apparently Westwood One owns the rights to the NCAA championships and the campus station didn't broadcast it--at least it wasn't available in streaming audio.
Re: UMd v St. Johns [R] http://redstormsports.collegesports.com/sports/m-soccer/recaps/120404aaa.html UMD 1 SJU 0
Re: UMd v St. Johns [R] A great game. Back and forth, end to end. MD dominated possession, but the chances at goal were pretty even. Gaudette didn't miss saving the goal by much. It was just a great effort by Mediate and Godbolt. Stephen King, #7 for MD, is a fine player and just a freshman. St. John's has nothing to be ashamed of. They played well. MD was just a little better.
Congrats to Sasho and the Terps. After losing two MLS first round draft picks and two second rounders from a team that made two straight Final Fours, it is a very special and impressive accomplishment for the Terps to be back. At the beginning of the season, I figured they'd have a lot of firepower but questioned whether the defense, which lost two from the backline plus their starting D-mid, would be good enough to get them through the NCAAs. And, through the first 12 games, it appeared they might not be as they had given up 17 goals, a rate which wasn't going to get them very far in the NCAAs. But, in the 12 games since, including the three in the NCAA Tournament, they've only allowed six goals, none in the NCAAs, and are 10-1-1. So, hats off to the Terps and to Cirovski, who did a nice job of coaching and making some mid-season adjustments to get Maryland from being a leaky defensive team to a very solid one.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/05/sports/soccer/05storm.html COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec. 4 - A year ago, St. John's kicked Maryland out of the men's College Cup, soccer's version of the basketball Final Four. On Saturday, Maryland exacted its revenge. Maryland midfielder A. J. Godbolt scored on a header in the 73rd minute as the Terrapins beat St. John's, 1-0, and ended the Red Storm's N.C.A.A. run in the quarterfinals. The crowd of 4,404, the second largest in Ludwig Field history, included a boisterous group of St. John's fans who traveled nearly five hours by bus from New York. Maryland will play in the College Cup semifinals on Friday in Carson, Calif., against the winner of the Indiana-Tulsa game, set for Sunday.
Very intense game and most of my fellow posters covered it pretty well. This morning my thoughts are that we've been to this stage of the party three straight times now and it time to go all the way and not just make the Final Four. I think the team and staff feels the same way because there was no great celebration like the last two years yesterday because there's still business to do. GO TERPS!
Good luck to Maryland out in LA! Its still a bitter pill to swallow after my Jays lost the PK thriller last week, but thats unfortunately how the draw worked out. I think you guys have a good chance of pulling it off, the X-factor is this UCSB team that sounds unlike most college teams we're used to seeing with their physical presence and expertise on set pieces. The winner of the IU-Tulsa game won't lay down either, should make for a great semi-final match.
IU beats Tulsa 4-0 so it should be great game next Friday between two of the best programs in the country when the Hoosiers and Terps meet.