The Terrapin men’s soccer team kicked off its impressive spring schedule Sunday at Ludwig field with a largely inconsequential 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace FC.
The main storylines from Sunday, though, weren’t who the Terps played, but rather with whom they played.
Coach Sasho Cirovski learned early last week that the NCAA had awarded sixth-year midfielder Doug Rodkey another year of eligibility. The slick midfielder, who started regularly last season before breaking the metatarsal bone in his right foot in September, looked like his old self Sunday, slicing up the right flank and nutmegging defenders with regularity.
On the flip side, the Terps were without the services of defensive midfielder Matt Kassel and defenders Ethan White and Alex Lee.
Kassel is recovering from hip surgery and will likely miss the spring, while White is nursing an ankle injury and may also sit out the spring.
Cirovski said Lee hopes to be cleared by early April, but he likely won’t see action in the team’s scrimmages. Lee, who missed the season’s final 10 games after he was struck by a car last October, should be fully cleared for action this summer.
