#12 Men's Soccer
"It's a cruel way to not advance but I couldn't be more proud of the incredible effort that our players put forth," said head coach Sasho Cirovski after the game. That about sums up the Terrapins' Elite Eight loss to Clemson on penalty kicks. Maryland left it all out on the field against the second-seeded Tigers. Cody Niedermeier made two stops for Maryland in the shootout but it just wasn't enough to advance to the College Cup.
In a season where Maryland won their fourth consecutive conference tournament championship and made the Elite Eight for the third time in four years, something still feels missing. This was supposed to be the year that Maryland put it together. They started hot but struggled to score early on in Big Ten play. They lost at home to Akron, Northwestern and Delaware.
In the Big Ten tournament, they started to look like a team on a mission. This team was supposed to erase the demons of last year's one and done performance. This team was supposed to erase the heartache that came from losing to Notre Dame in the national championship game two years ago. Now this team has to grapple with yet another devastating, tough-to-swallow loss. Corboz, Endoh and Kabelik are all done and will not be easy to replace.
Record this week: 0-1 (1-1 tie but lost to Clemson 3-1 on PKs)
Record this season: (12-5-6)
Grade for the week: A-. A run to the Elite Eight would normally be great for any men's soccer progam. However, Maryland isn't just any men's soccer program. They harbor national championship aspirations every year. This team played some of their best soccer at the end of the year, just like they normally do. They were poised to crash the College Cup and win the national title that eluded them for the past three seasons.
Title chances: Maryland's season ended in the Elite Eight with a loss to second-seeded Clemson in penalty kicks.
#5 Women's Basketball
Maryland turned the ball over more than 20 times in their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at Syracuse. They still won by almost 20 points. With No. 3 Notre Dame's loss at UConn, the Terps should move up slightly in the rankings, perhaps to No.4. Their biggest test of the season to date will be later this month against No. 1 UConn.
Record this week: 2-0 (82-64 win over ranked Syracuse and an 86-43 win over Central Connecticut State)
Record this season: 8-0
Grade for the week: A+. Maryland won big in both of their games this week.
Title Chances: 5. Maryland has a great shot to repeat as Big Ten champs.
Wrestling
Drexel knocked off a ranked Northwestern team at the Grapple at the Garden and their coach came out publicly and said that they had what it took to beat Maryland. The Terps let their wrestling do the talking as they took seven out of ten matches from the Dragons in College Park.
Record this week: 1-0 (24-10 win over Drexel)
Record this season: (3-4, 0-1)
Grade for the week: B+. Maryland had a good win against a pretty decent Drexel team.
Title Chances: 0. Maryland has no shot at winning the Big Ten.