Powers Collide As No. 17 UW Visits No. 20 Maryland
October 20, 2015 | Men's Soccer
What To Look For
Two of the top programs in the nation collide this weekend when No. 17 Washington travels to face No. 20 Maryland. The non-conference matchup will kickoff at 4:30 p.m., PT in College Park and will be broadcast on the Big-10 Networks Online Webcast at the link above.
Previous Matchups
This will be the first matchup between Washington and Maryland all-time. Maryland has won two national titles, coming in 2005 and 2008 and has played in seven College Cups.
On The Offensive
Washington has scored just 13 goals in 13 games this season and ranks just 153rd in the country at a goal per game. James Moberg leads the Huskies with three goals, while Ian Lange, Beau Blanchard and Quentin Pearson each have two. Blanchard scored the only goal in last week's victory over Oregon State on an assist from Josh Heard. Heard and Blanchard each have two assists this season to lead the Dawgs. Young attacking players Kyle Coffee, David Coly and Henry Wingo have been dangerous up top, but still looking for their first goal. UW is still looking to find consistent scoring with Darwin Jones and Cristian Roldan now playing with the Sounders in MLS and Mason Robertson having played just 158 minutes so far this season as he's battled a calf injury.
Defensive Efforts
The Huskies have been excellent so far defensively with 10 shutouts in 13 games. The 10 shutouts are second in the country behind only St. Francis Brooklyn who has 11. The Washington record for shutouts is 14 set by the 1982 squad. The Dawgs are allowing just 0.49 goals per game, which ranks sixth in the nation. Justin Schmidt leads a young group with freshman Quentin Pearson joining him at center back as that duo has played almost every minute of the year. Redshirt freshman Luke Hauswirth and sophomore Justin Fiddes have been the outside backs and also performed well. Last year's starter Michael Gallagher has moved up the field from center back to a holding midfield role, while Andy Thoma is gone, having graduated and drafted by the Portland Timbers of MLS.
In Net
Ryan Herman has nine shutouts already this season, which is second in the nation. The UW single-season record is 14 by Mark Schuur back in 1982. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Week following a weekend of consecutive shutouts of No. 3 Stanford and Cal two weeks ago and is beginning to receive some Hermann Trophy buzz. The fifth-year senior has 56 saves on the year and a 88.9 percent save percentage that ranks second in the country. For his career, the redshirt senior now has 17 shutouts and a 20-4-8 record. Auden Schilder has also seen time this season, starting at Drexel and earning the shutout and win.
Scouting Maryland
Maryland comes into Friday's game with a record of 6-4-4, including 2-1-3 in the Big-10. The Terrapins are a perennial power, having won two national championships under current head coach Sasho Cirovski. Maryland is led by Sebastian Elney who has scored six goals, while Mael Corboz leads the team with eight assists. As a team, the Terrapins have scored 22 goals in 14 games, but also allowed 14.
Player Of The Week
Ryan Herman was the Pac-12 Player of the Week and National Player of the Week as selected by TopDrawerSoccer.com for the week of October 5-11. The senior goalkeeper had 16 saves in a pair of shutouts over No. 3 Stanford and California. In both matches, Herman made critical, late game-savers to help the Dawgs earn at least a point on the road.
Record Watch
Ryan Herman is beginning to threaten the Washington record for shutouts. Herman has nine shutouts, while the record is 14 by Mark Schuur in 1982. Midfielder James Moberg is already on the Husky top-10 list for assists with 21. He is currently tied for 10th and looks to ascend the list, which is led by Jason Boyce (1994-97) who hold the all-time Washington lead with 34 assists. Mason Robertson and Josh Heard are the active leaders for Washington in goals with 13.
Returning All-Pac-12 Players
Washington has three players returning from the All-Pac-12 teams last season. James Moberg and Justin Schmidt were Second Team players, while Ian Lange was honorable mention. Before the year, the Pac-12 named a Preseason All-Pac-12 squad with Moberg and Mason Robertson being included.
Conference Of Champions
Washington has some ground to make up in the Pac-12 Conference standings through the first round of games. Stanford leads with 13 points, having gone 4-0-1 in Pac-12 play so far. UCLA (9), Washington (8) and Oregon State (7) are still alive, but will have to be nearly flawless the second half of the season. The Dawgs do have the advantage of playing the second match with Stanford at home and having been the only team to pick up a point against the Cardinal so far. Washington looks to win its second Pac-12 title in three years, also claiming the crown in 2013. That was their first Pac-12 Championship since 2000 and second overall.
NCAA Tournament History
Washington has played in three-straight NCAA Tournaments under Jamie Clark. The Dawgs defeated Air Force in the first round in 2012, before falling at Creighton as the Blue Jays went on to advance to the College Cup. In 2013, Washington defeated Seattle U. in the second round and Stanford in the third round after a first-round bye. The Dawgs fell 1-0 to New Mexico in the Elite 8. Last season, the Dawgs earned a bye and then knocked out Furman in the second round in penalty kicks. The Dawgs tied the Paladins 0-0 in regulation and then came from behind in the shootout to win 5-4 on the eighth shooter. The following week, Washington earned a 2-2 draw with Michigan State in East Lansing, but fell in penalty kicks. Overall, Washington is 11-20-4 in the NCAA Tournament after back-to-back Sweet 16 seasons. The Dawgs have now advanced to the Sweet 16 three times in program history with the other coming in 2003. The Elite 8 appearance in 2013 was the first ever for the Dawgs. Washington's first NCAA appearance came in 1968, a first round loss to San Francisco. The Dawgs had seven-straight first round exits, before earning their first NCAA victory in 1992 with a 2-1 victory over Portland in the opening round. 2013 also marked the first year Washington won multiple games in the NCAA Tournament.
Jamie Clark
Jamie Clark took over reins of the Husky men's soccer program on Jan. 26, 2011. Now in his fifth season, Clark has led the Dawgs to a 56-16-12 record. Last season, Clark led the Dawgs back to the NCAA Tournament and a second-straight Sweet 16 run. In 2013, Clark led the Dawgs to the best season in program history. Washington finished 16-2-4, won the Pac-12 title and advanced to the first-ever Elite 8 after earning the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. In 2012, he guided Washington back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, hosting Air Force in the NCAA First Round picking up a 1-0 win. The Dawgs would be eliminated the second round when Clark returned to face his former school, Creighton Clark came to Seattle after a very successful season at Creighton. The Blue Jays went 13-5-2 in 2010, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Clark began his head coaching career with instant success at Harvard, posting a 26-10-1 overall record during the 2008 and 2009 seasons while leading the Crimson to the NCAA Tournament both years. Prior to his time at Harvard, Clark was an assistant coach at Notre Dame for two seasons, working under his father, head coach Bobby Clark. Before going to Notre Dame, Clark was an assistant coach at New Mexico for four seasons (2002-05). Clark was a two-time All-American at Stanford, graduating in 1999. He played for his father, Bobby, from 1996 to 1998. As a senior in '98, he became the first first-team NCAA All-American in Cardinal men's soccer history.
