Maryland wins regular season, earns top seed in next week’s ACC Tournament

Maryland Athletics Press Release 

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 1 Maryland men’s soccer team clinched its first ACC regular season championship since 2005 with a 2-2 draw against Clemson on Senior Night at Ludwig Field Saturday.

Maryland’s (14-0-2, 6-0-1 ACC) 2-0 lead off tallies from Patrick Mullins and Schillo Tshumawere offset by two Clemson goals in the second half.

Senior John Stertzer started off the special occasion in style when his pass in the second minute was blasted in by Mullins from 20 yards away. It was Mullins’ team leading 11th goal of the season.

After Maryland’s fast start, the teams traded possession in the midfield for the rest of the half, with neither team able to gain control of game.

The Terrapins repeated their first half feat when freshman Schillo Tshuma nodded in aSunny Jane cross just after the halftime break. Freshman defender Mikey Ambrose put Jane in with a measured one-time ball down the left side, which Jane was able to corral and lob into the path of Tshuma.

It was the rookie’s seventh goal of the season and Jane’s third assist on the year.

Clemson scored two goals in a matter of six minutes to push the game into overtime.

The Tigers began their comeback when Alex Stockinger poked in a Paul Crowes cross into the right side of the net for his first goal of the season then knotted up the match in the 59th minute when Amadou Dia capitalized off a Clemson effort off the post to score from close range.

The draw snapped Maryland’s 13-game winning streak. Its other tie was a 2-2 decision against UCLA in late August. The regular season title is Maryland’s third under head coach Sasho Cirovski.The two teams battled for the remaining 30 minutes of regulation and two overtime periods, with neither able to muster the game-winner.

“I’m delighted that we ended up getting a result that allows us to achieve our first goal this year which was to be ACC regular season champions,” Cirovski said. “I thought we played well in the first half again, came out strong in the second half and then I think what you saw was a team that was very mentally and physically tired.

“Credit to Clemson. They are an extremely hard-working team and very direct and we didn’t deal very well with their counters and direct play. I think physically we were exhausted and we are going to correct that.”

Maryland seniors Stertzer, London Woodberry and Taylor Kemp were honored in a ceremony before the game. The senior class has combined for a 62-13-8 record during their time at Maryland.

Maryland caps off the regular season next Thursday with a road contest at Wake Forest on ESPN3.