Two years ago, Maryland men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski held a somber tone despite the Terps’ 3-0 win over Navy in their penultimate match.

“I’ve never had a season end in October,” Cirovski said, as results elsewhere had eliminated the Terps from Big Ten tournament contention. A dismal 4-1 loss to Ohio State five days later left Maryland winless in conference play, the first time under Cirovski’s coaching.

But two seasons removed from rock bottom, the No. 2 Terps are one win away from a regular-season Big Ten title and will likely be dubbed the No. 1 team in the nation when the rankings are updatedTuesday. It’s a seismic turnaround that’s been fueled by a complete roster overhaul.

As has often been the case this year, Maryland’s starting lineup from Friday’s 1-0 win over No. 14 Washington featured just two significant contributors from the 2023 team:Leon Koehl and Luca Costabile.

The latter — a multi-faceted left back — has donned the captain’s armband this year, having never missed a game in his career.

“He’s a very good player and that’s what earns him respect on the team,” Koehl said. “He might be not the loudest and flashiest player on the pitch, but people just look up to him.”

While Costabile is technically Maryland’s only captain, the Terps spread leadership responsibilities throughout the team. Koehl has been a vital piece of that leadership group for the past two seasons.

[Albi Ndrenika’s heroics give No. 2 Maryland men’s soccer 1-0 win over No. 14 Washington]

The 0-for-4 team record on penalties was one of many glaring issues during the program’s tumultuous 2023 season. Koehl has since gone 10-for-11 on spot kicks — a beacon of consistency in a nichely important element of the sport.

The third piece in the Terps’ developed leadership core is senior Albi Ndrenika. Medical impediments hindered his impact during his first two years, but the Maryland native has broken out during a fully healthy campaign.

Ndrenika has tallied a team-leading seven assists while scoring threegoals — none more timely than his score against Washington.

UMBC transfer Joseph Umberto Picotto — a 6-foot-2 attacking midfielder — won a header off a corner kick. He knocked the ball down to Ndrenika, who finished the goal.

Sadam Masereka supplied the initial cross into the box for that score. He and Stephane Njike make up the winger duo that flanks Ndrenika and Picotto.

Masereka transferred from Lindsey Wilson College ahead of the 2024 campaign, while Njike arrived from LIU this past offseason. Together, they’ve blossomed into Maryland’s primary scorers.

“I’ve got two of the fastest guys in the country in front of me, so whenever I get the ball, finding them is obviously always the first option,” Ndrenika said in reference to the wingers.

[No. 4 Maryland men’s soccer earns marquee win over No. 14 Indiana, 3-2]

Maryland’s 20 goals in 2023 were its fewest-ever by a Cirovski-led side. Attacking reinforcements have helped reverse that narrative, with the Terps scoring 33 last year and 36 through 14 matches in 2025.

A partially revamped defensive unit has been equally critically, holding opponents to 0.64 goals per game, after conceding 31 times a year ago.

It’s a testament to Maryland’s backline, which featured three new starters in transfers Lasse Kelp and Tristen Rose, and sophomore Jace Clark. Defensive midfielder Chris Steinleitner — now in his second year with the Terps — provides additional defensive cover. But goalkeeper Laurin Mack has rightfully earned ample credit for the turnaround as well.

Mack’s eight clean sheets are more than double the count he had last year. His save clip of 83.3 percent is 17.5 percentage points higher than the mark he set in 2024.

He only needed to make two stops against Washington, though one was a sprawling dive in the 58th minute to keep the match scoreless.

“Plays like that are momentum shifters,” Ndrenika said. “When you have that insurance policy in goal … it’s like having a brick wall in front of there.”

But amid the vast personnel turnover of the previous two years, Cirovski remains the constant — preaching the same principles of excellence that have kept Maryland a preeminent power for more than three decades.