Written by Trevor Gomes for The Diamondback. Photo by Elan Amienyi/The Diamondback

The Diamondback - the University of Maryland's independent student newspaper



Maryland men’s soccer had several candidates in mind for its final roster spot, but adding another midfielder seemed crucial.

Joseph Umberto Piccotto, one of the Terps’ starting midfielders last season, was among other recruiting class of 2022 athletes with pending cases for a fifth year of eligibility. Piccotto practiced with the team in preseason, but the Terps remained in contact with other players.

Then two familiar faces reached out to coach Sasho Cirovski.

Patrice Gheisar, head coach of Scrosoppi Football Club, a club in the semi-professional Ontario Premier League, previously sent goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and midfielder Malcolm Johnston to Maryland. St. Clair and Johnston became two of the more accomplished players in recent program history.

Former Terp Luca Costabile also contacted Maryland. Both of them recommended the same player to fill Cirovski’s final roster spot: Luka Juricic.

In less than two weeks, Juricic went from his Georgetown, Ontario, home to hearing his name announced as a starter at Ludwig Field against a top-10 Big Ten opponent.

Juricic’s time to prepare for last Friday’s game against Wisconsin was extremely limited, but he had the impact of a multi-year veteran.

“You immediately see his technical ability; you see his focus,” Cirovski said. “He’s got a very high soccer IQ. He’s a guy that doesn’t require a lot of coaching.”

Gheisar reached out to Juricic to gauge his interest in coming to Maryland – it was high.

But after several days passed, Juricic didn’t think much of it. Then Gheisar called again, letting him know he set up a meeting with Maryland associate head coach Brian Rowland later that day.

Rowland gave Juricic what he called an “online tour.” Despite Juricic never visiting Maryland, he joined the team in College Park just days later.

Juricic arrived during a timely period of the Terps’ nonconference slate. The freshman set foot on campus for the first time a few hours before Maryland’s 3-2 win over then-No. 5 Georgetown on Sept. 7. Maryland garnered a crowd of 6,110, its highest attendance since 2017.

“I was able to experience that, and it was a big wow,” Juricic said. “Something really special that night.”

But that peak in momentum was followed by a series of crushing disappointments. Starting midfielders Albi Ndrenika and Henry Bernstein were inactive against Northwestern on Sept. 11. Leon Koehl, the Terps’ third usual starting midfielder, exited that game with an injury just 11 minutes after opening kickoff.

A depleted unit was one of Maryland’s most damning issues in a 4-0 loss to the unranked Wildcats. Maryland largely failed to advance the ball into the attacking third and didn’t attempt a shot in the first half. The Terps’ midfield also struggled to support its backline, leading to a season-high in goals conceded.

But the Terps had reinforcements on the way.

Juricic’s first week on campus mostly involved sorting out his academics and being cleared to play. He didn’t practice until Sept. 14, four days before he started against the Badgers, and practiced just three times that week.

But the experienced 21-year-old proved to be a seamless addition.

“I don’t think we were surprised because he trained very well,” Koehl said. “That’s why he earned the starting job.”

Juricic found out he’d be starting in Maryland’s pregame meeting, though he anticipated as much in practice. Koehl and Bernstein remained out, leaving open spots for Juricic and senior Kenny Quist-Therson. Their additions did wonders for the defense.

The duo helped the Terps record their second clean sheet this season, silencing a Badgers attack that had tallied 17 goals in six games until that point. Juricic and the midfield supported the backline with recovery runs, Cirovski said, something the unit had failed to do against Northwestern.

The Terps’ coach likened Juricic’s impact to one of Maryland’s unsung heroes last season: Chris Steinleitner.

“We haven’t really replaced Chris Steinleitner yet from last year,” Cirovski said. “Luka’s probably the closest we have to filling that role right now.”

Like Steinleitner, Juricic can play central midfielder and defensive midfielder. That versatility will be beneficial for the Terps moving forward — paired with his high level of maturity.

“He’s just very composed,” Koehl said. “He doesn’t [make] mistakes.”

After weeks of consideration, Maryland seems to have landed on the right player to round out its roster.