November 12, 1998

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - No. 5 seeded Maryland defeated No. 4 seeded North Carolina 2-0 in the first quarterfinal match of the Atlantic Coast Conference Mens Soccer Tournament at W. Dennie Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Terrapin midfielder Jason Cropley knocked in a 15-yarder off the pass from Pierre Venditti to put the team up 1-0 at the 66:49 mark. Venditti added the insurance goal with just under four minutes remaining in the match after beating the goalkeeper and delivering the ball into the open net.

Maryland, ranked as high as No. 15 in the national polls, avenged a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tar Heels during the regular season. The Terrapins will face the top-seeded Clemson Tigers, ranked No. 1 in the nation, Friday at 5:30 PM in the semifinals. The two teams have faced each other twice in the ACC Tournament with each picking up a win, including Marylands 4-2 victory in the 1997 first round.

No. 5 Maryland         0   2 - 2 (record: 13-6-0)
No. 4 North Carolina   0   0 - 0 (record: 11-6-2)

Shots: Maryland 17, North Carolina 14
Corner Kicks: Maryland 6, North Carolina 6
Goalie Saves: Maryland 7 (Lewis 7), North Carolina 5 (Woodroffe 5)
Fouls: Maryland 12, North Carolina 14

QUOTES FROM MARYLAND HEAD COACH SASHO CIROVSKI:
I thought it was a very good and entertaining game. I thought the first half was fairly even. We played reasonably well, but we didnt possess the ball as well as we are capable. We played a great second half. I thought we were in complete control. Our goalkeeper Christian Lewis came up with two big saves and when you do that you need to win the game.

We were dangerous throughout the game, including the first half. There were a couple of times in the first half where we couldve pulled the trigger and didnt. Guys were playing a little too selfless, which is nice some times and not so nice others. We shut the door down on them.

QUOTES FROM NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH ELMAR BOLOWICH:
Maryland had the better of the plays in the first half. They dictated the pace and spread us out over the field. We did a good job of tryimg to stay organized as much as Maryland tried to disorganize us. It certainly looked like a lopsided game because we couldnt generate anything on offense.

We lacked the depth that we needed in a game like this and had to juggle our lineup. We had to play players where they are not best suited.