Maryland men’s soccer enters its 33rd season under head coach Sasho Cirovski with plenty of experience contending for college soccer’s greatest prizes.. Cirovski is one of the most decorated coaches in the sport, having won three national titles and 17 conference titles to cement the Terps as one of the premier programs in college soccer. The Terps enter the 2026 season hoping to add their fourth championship come December.
Last season, the Terps began with a gritty 1-0 victory over No. 25 Georgetown and carried the momentum throughout the regular season. Maryland finished it with a 12-0-3 record, including five ranked victories, and briefly reached the No. 1 ranking in college soccer.
However, the Terps didn’t find the same success in the postseason, falling to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament and eventual NCAA Tournament champion Washington Huskies in the quarterfinals.
The season’s end was abrupt for a team with MLS Draft-level talent on the roster and national hype entering the postseason. This season, Cirovski has built another highly talented roster with a balance of returning key contributors and new additions possessing global experience and all-conference honors.
Key losses
One of the Terps’ biggest strengths last season was the formidable defensive trio of Lasse Kelp, Luca Costabile and Tristen Rose, all of whom have departed.
Kelp was a strong vocal leader for the Terps all season, earning All-Big Ten first-team honors and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Despite playing just one year at Maryland, Rose made an immediate impact for the Terps, leading with his intensity and high IQ play. Costabile played his entire four-year career for Maryland and started in 71 of his 74 games played.
Kelp and Rose both played every single minute of the 2025 season and, with Costabile, combined for 5,092 minutes.
In the midfield, lineup fixture Chris Steinleitner will be missed. He started in all but one game last season along with UMBC transfer Joseph Umberto Picotto, who set the program’s single-game assists record with four against Michigan State.
On the attacking front, Maryland will be without two All-Big Ten offensive threats from 2025 in Sadam Masereka and Stephane Njike. Masereka and Njike were key components in the Terps’ attack on the wings. Their well-rounded and dynamic play challenged defenses and combined for 16 goals and 12 assists.
Masereka was drafted 34th overall in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft by Sporting Kansas SC and Njike was drafted 61st overall by D.C. United before transferring to Indiana.
Key returners
Despite the high-impact departures, Maryland is returning serious firepower across the pitch, including one of the best goalkeepers in the country in Laurin Mack.
In just two years with the Terps, Mack has terrorized the Big Ten, posting a .715 save percentage and conceding just over a goal per game. Last season, he was an All-Big Ten first-teamer and the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. Entering his junior year, the experienced netminder will be a key cog in Maryland’s backline.
Jace Clark returns as the most experienced defender in Cirovski’s system — he was a 17-game starter last season for the Terps. Clark is expected to take a big step forward for the Terps along with sophomore Farouk Cisse, who is coming off a standout freshman season.
Maryland’s attack will likely run through Rocket Ritarita. He had an outstanding freshman campaign, contributing four goals and six assists while primarily working off the bench. Ritarita is the second-highest scoring returner this season.
The senior midfield duo of Leon Koehl and Albi Ndrenika should provide a savvy veteran presence for the Terps on both sides of the ball. The two combined for 33 starts last season and have 76 starts overall in their careers. Ndrenika is the top returning scorer for the Terps while Koehl is a consistent and hardworking player that provides leadership and covers lots of ground.
Key additions
Cirovski added 13 players to the roster this offseason, combining some experienced transfer players with substantial international talent. Cirovski’s eye for talent overseas has often contributed to Maryland’s success in recent seasons.
Among the 13 additions are a transfer duo from Campbell, Lilian Fichelle and Marco Wright. Fichelle and Wright were both All-CAA first-team recipients and were top players in their former squad. Fichelle is a defender with experience against high-level talent, and Wright is a proven attacker on the front line.
Zack Harris is another experienced incoming transfer from Cal State Northridge. The midfielder appeared in 50 games over three years and joins an already stacked midfield for the Terps.
Among the freshman class is the highly talented forward Rodrigo Neri and defender Franklin Affanyi.
Neri is described as a natural goalscorer, most recently playing with Atlanta United 2, where he scored nine goals in 37 games. Neri has also developed in Atletico Madrid’s youth program and appeared on multiple U.S. men’s youth national teams.
Affanyi comes from Montverde Academy, where he played in the nationally recognized SIMA Gold program. Affanyi is a tenacious defender — the exact type of talent Cirovski enjoys having on his backline.
Looking ahead
Maryland enters this season with national recognition as the preseason No. 7 team in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
The Terps’ nonconference schedule features some serious opponents. They open the season on the road against Pitt before facing two ranked opponents in No. 16 High Point and DMV rival No. 5 Georgetown at Ludwig Field.
Per usual, it will be a difficult run through the Big Ten, including ranked road games against No. 22 Indiana in Bloomington and a trip to Seattle to take on the defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Huskies.
Maryland men’s soccer enters the 2026 season with an elite roster, experienced coaching and all the tools they need to contend with the upper echelon of collegiate men’s soccer.