#3 Maryland vs. #2 Creighton – Top Five Matchup Preview

It’s an age-old question: what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Mathematics and science be damned!

Tomorrow night in College Park, Md., the #2 team in the country, the Creighton Blue Jays, will finally meet the #3 Maryland Terrapins.

The immovable object in this equation is defined as the defense of the Blue Jays (8-0-0), the only squad in D1 who have yet to have a goal scored on them. Not one single goal. The unit is anchored by redshirt senior Brain Holt, an unsuspecting keeper at 5 foot 8 inches, who is indeed immovable with 34 career shutouts (Mountain Valley Conference record) and has gone 739 straight minutes without allowing a goal.

Maryland (9-0-1) (3-0-0 ACC) is no slouch on the defensive side either, boasting a goal against average of 0.70, but it just seems so high compared to 0.00. The Blue Jays’ offense is not as dominating as the defense but they are formidable, having scored 17 times this season. The biggest threat to Will Swaim will be Ethan Finlay, the MVC’s Player of the Year in 2011 and a two-time MAC Hermann Trophy candidate, who leads the team with six goals and four assist. Bruno Castro, a transfer from UNC, can be dangerous as the team’s second leading scorer with three.

Just as the Terps D does not impress compared to the Jays, the unstoppable force that is the Maryland attack trumps Creighton’s offense. Maryland leads the nation in total goals with 28 and is No.2 in scoring offense with 2.80 goals per game. If there was ever a team to finally crack Holt and the Blue Jays, it’s the Terps.

The Terrapins are still being led by the three-headed monster up front in Casey Townsend (10), John Stertzer (7) and Patrick Mullins (5). The trio has accounted for 22 of the team’s 28 goals.

It would be easy to dismiss Creighton because they play in the Mountain Valley Conference, but Blue Jays have already shutdown a high powered offense in  #21 Kentucky (26 goals) . The Jays are legit, no way around it.

But Creighton will be up against another opponent on Friday, a foe that could possibly be the key in this Top-5 matchup: The Crew. Yes, the rowdy Maryland faithful that trudge their way from all corners of the campus to give visiting goalies headaches. Brain Holt will not only have to deal with Maryland’s three-headed monster but the constant heckling of a Maryland crowd, that just might set the Ludwig Field record, all while dealing with the pressure of staying unscored upon.  Yikes.

So Friday night, two soccer giants will meet on Ludwig Field. The unstoppable offense charging head on into the immovable defense. Who will win? Who will falter? Draw? Well that’s the beauty of sports, you’ll just have to wait and see.

Opponent’s Record: 8-0-0

Terps Record: 9-0-1 (3-0-0 ACC)

Where: Ludwig Field (College Park, Md.)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Media: Listen Live @ wmucsports.com

Prediction: Unfortunately for me I have to answer the whole unstoppable force, immovable object question before the game. Despite the impressive defense and keeper in Brian Holt, I have to go with the unstoppable force in Maryland’s attack. But I think the Crew is the difference. The Terps win 1-0, behind senior Casey Townsend’s eleventh goal of the year.