Oct. 13, 2000

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland heads down I-95 to Richmond to meet Virginia Commonwealth in what looks to be the most pivotal battle of the five-game non conference stretch for the Terps. Maryland is 6-6 right now, and unranked in the South Atlantic Region. A win against VCU Saturday would put the Terps back in the regional picture after beating George Mason, ranked eighth in the region this week, 4-0. The Rams are the region's fourth-ranked team

The Maryland/Virginia Commonwealth Series
Maryland travels to Virginia Commonwealth for what will be the second match-up in series history. Aside from last year's shocking 2-1 overtime victory by the Rams, the only other game was in 1982. That year, the Terps downed VCU 2-1 under head coach Joe Grimaldi.

The Rams in 2000
Virginia Commonwealth is 6-5-1 overall, and is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to James Madison. Matthew Delicate and Matt O'Connor leads the Rams with four goals and an assist. Adam Mead is the Rams' goalkeeper, and carries a 0.86 goals against average through 12 starts, and has a .771 save percentage.

Cirovski Four Away From 100
Entering his eighth year at Maryland, head coach Sasho Cirovski has compiled a 96-56-14 (.608) record. A 1985 graduate of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Cirovski owns a 122-68-14 (.632) through his first nine years of head coaching. Cirovski sits just four wins away from the 100-win plateau at Maryland, and would be only the second coach in Maryland history to reach the milestone. Doyle Royal (1946-73), who coached at Maryland for the first 28 years of the program, is the only other Terrapin head coach with 100 or more. Cirovski has 14 or more wins in each of his last six seasons, and has six more regular season games, plus the postseason to achieve the milestone. The Terps' 3-0 win against American on Sept. 27 marked the 200th game Cirovski has coached in his career.

Thompson Bursts Onto The Scene With Nine Points in Last Three Games
Freshman striker Abe Thompson (Fairfax Station, Va.) netted his first career hat trick in the Terps' 5-1 victory over Monmouth on Oct. 4, and added two more goals against George Mason on Oct. 11. The talented freshman also assisted the Terps' lone goal against North Carolina on Oct. 7 to cap off an eight-day nine-point stretch. Thompson now leads maryland in scoring with eight goals and three assists.

Thompson's Hat Trick First Since 1994
Thompson's three-goal performance against Monmouth was the first-ever hat trick at Ludwig Field, and is the Terps' first hat trick since 1994 when Shane Dougherty (1995-96) hit for three at Denton Field in Maryland's 5-0 defeat of Butler. Thompson scored all three of his goals in the second half, which is also a Ludwig Field record for goals in a half by an individual.

Salyer Shines At Both Ends of the Field For Terrapins
Freshman Philip Salyer (Dallas, Texas) has been an asset in both the defensive and offensive halves of the field all season. At the beginning of the year, Salyer immediately stepped into a starting role on Maryland's defensive, further complimenting the veteran unit of Nick Downing (Redmond, Wash.), Beckett Hollenbach (Havertown, Pa.), and Mike Shebuski (Bloomington, Ind.) and spelling the loss of Danny Califf (1998-99) in the back.

After the Terps were bitten by the injury bug, Salyer was moved into the midfield to give the team a lift, and showed why he is one of next big stars on Under-20 national team when he scored four goals in a four-game stretch between Sept. 27 and Oct. 7. Salyer scored twice in Maryland's 3-0 win over American on Sept. 27, notching Maryland's first and last goals of the day. He also tied the game at three for the Terrapins on Oct.1 against Wake Forest. Against North Carolina on Oct. 7, he scored the Terps' only goal of the day to move him into the No. 3 spot on the Terps' scoring chart this season.

Against George Mason on Oct. 11, Salyer was moved back to the defense, accepting the assignment to mark Eduardo Lima, the nation's third-leading goal scorer. Entering Wednesday's game, Lima was 1.2 goals per game and 2.60 points per game. Salyer held the striker scoreless through 90 minutes, breaking Lima's string of seven-straight games with a goal, displaying once again that he is another one of the bright stars of college soccer.

Freshmen Trio Lead Scoring
The top four Terrapin scorers this season new faces on the Maryland roster. Freshman Abe Thompson leads the Terps with eight goals and two assists, with classmate Bryan Vitagliano (Scottsdale, Ariz.) second with four goals and three assists. Freshman Clarence Goodson (Springfield, Va.) has moved into the No. 3 spot after scoring two against George Mason Wednesday. Freshman Philip Salyer (Springfield, Va.) rounds out the Terps' top four scorers heading into the Virginia Commonwaelth game, with four goals and an assist.