SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Heading into the College Cup semifinals on Friday night, Maryland was playing its best soccer of the year. Following a midseason loss to Indiana on Oct. 12, the Terrapins had won seven of its last nine matches. That included three victories to kick off their NCAA Tournament run, and the Terps outscored their opponents by a 5-0 margin during that stretch. The last win, a 1-0 shutout of No. 3 Kentucky in the quarterfinal round, sent Maryland out west to California.
Awaiting the streaking Terrapins was Indiana once again, the highest remaining seed in the tournament and the favorite to win the national championship.