COLLEGE PARK, MD – The Iona College men's soccer program is going dancing for the first time, and they will get introduced to the NCAA Tournament in grand style. The 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champions play the defending national champion Maryland Terrapins on Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 p.m at Ludwig Field.
 
Iona went through some tremendous battles to earn its first ever ticket to the big dance. The road through the MAAC championship saw the Gaels slay the defending champion Rider Broncs, the 2018 runner-up Quinnipiac Bobcats, and 2019 regular-season champion Saint Peter's Peacocks. The constant for the Maroon & Gold in their playoff run was junior forward Josh Plimpton, who scored in each of the Gaels' three postseason wins, including the game-winning goal against Rider and the game-tying header against Saint Peter's on Sunday.
 
Plimpton, who was named the MAAC Championship's Most Outstanding Player, was one of four Gaels to make the All-Tournament team, alongside sophomore forward Mauro Bravo, senior captain defender Malcolm Moreno and junior forward Najim Romero. The Gaels will need big contributions from their entire roster when they travel to College Park, MD for their opening round match against the Terrapins.
 
The Terps received an at-large bid to the tournament after falling to Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Maryland went 10-7-2 on the year, including an 8-4-0 mark at Ludwig Field. This is the 19^th consecutive season the Terrapins have appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Maryland has four national championships in school history.
 
The two sides did face one common opponent in 2019: St. John's. The Terrapins prevailed at home against the Red Storm, 1-0, on September 23. The Gaels suffered a 3-2 defeat in Queens, NY back on September 10. 
 
The first round contest will be streamed on BTN+ and fans can also follow along via live stats. Fans interested in attending can purchase tickets; for those who cannot make the trip, the Maroon Maniacs will be hosting a watch party in the Hegarty Room at 7:00 p.m.
 
The winner of this game will advance to face fourth-seeded Wake Forest on Sunday in North Carolina.

Stay tuned to ICGaels and be sure to follow Iona College athletics and men's soccer on all social media platforms:  
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates)  
Iona Men's Soccer: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates)