View source for Sasho Cirovski

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name          = Sasho Cirovski
| image         = 
| fullname      = 
| birth_date    =  {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1962|10|14}}
| birth_place   = [[Vratnica]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]
| position      = [[Midfielder]]
| collegeyears1   = 1981–1984
| college1   = [[Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer|Milwaukee Panthers]]
| years1        = 
| clubs1        = Windsor Wheels
| caps1         = 
| goals1        = 
| years2        = 
| clubs2        = [[London City Soccer Club|London City]]
| caps2         = 
| goals2        = 
| years3        = 1986–1987
| clubs3        = [[Milwaukee Wave]] ''(indoor)''
| caps3         = 26
| goals3        = 4
| years4=1987
| clubs4        = [[North York Rockets]]|caps4=16|goals4=0
| manageryears1 = 
| managerclubs1 = [[North York Rockets]]
| manageryears2 = –1991
| managerclubs2 = [[Milwaukee Wave]] ''(assistant)''
| manageryears3 = 1988–1990
| managerclubs3 = [[Milwaukee Panthers]] ''(assistant)''
| manageryears4 = 1991–1992
| managerclubs4 = [[Hartford Hawks]]
| manageryears5 = 1993–
| managerclubs5 = [[Maryland Terrapins men's soccer|Maryland Terrapins]]
}}
'''Sasho Cirovski''' (born 14 October 1962) is a Macedonian-Canadian [[soccer]] coach of the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]]. Born in Macedonia and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Cirovski led his [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]] team to the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] championship in 2005, 2008, and 2018.

==Early life and career==
Born in [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]], he grew up in [[Vratnica]], a small village. Cirovski immigrated to [[Canada]] at the age of eight and became an outstanding all-around athlete in Ontario schools. A stand-out college soccer player for the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]] he was selected the school's outstanding athlete upon his graduation in 1985. He earned a master's degree there in 1989.  He played for the [[Milwaukee Wave]] of the [[American Indoor Soccer Association]] during the 1986–1987 season and later played and coached the [[North York Rockets]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.statscrew.com/minorsoccer/stats/p-cirovsas001| title = Sasho Cirovski soccer statistics on StatsCrew.com}}</ref>  His subsequent coaching career included stints at both his alma mater and at the [[University of Hartford]], where he led his team to two consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.

==Cirovski at Maryland==

In February 1993 Cirovski was recruited by then Assistant Athletic Director [[Gothard Lane]] to come to the University of Maryland, College Park, where the soccer program had enjoyed limited success for years.<ref>[https://www.courant.com/1993/02/02/cirovski-leaves-hartford-to-coach-at-maryland/ Cirovski Leaves Hartford To Coach At Maryland]</ref> Upon his arrival in College Park, Cirovski startled the local soccer community when he announced that his goal was to "win the national championship." Starting with holdover players and two transfer students from Hartford who came to join their charismatic coach, his teams began to turn out winning records within two years. In 2002, the [[Maryland Terrapins|Terrapins]] began a remarkable streak of four consecutive appearances in the NCAA [[NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship|College Cup]], the final four of American college soccer. In 2005, they captured the national title with a 1–0 win over top-ranked [[University of New Mexico]].  In 2008, he led the Terps to an ACC championship win over Virginia, the team's first since 2002, and also guided his team to the 2008 National Championship over North Carolina by a score of 1–0 in [[Frisco, Texas]].

In October 2017, Cirovski achieved his 400th win in Division I versus the [[Wisconsin Badgers men's soccer|Wisconsin Badgers]], becoming the ninth Division I coach to achieve the feat.<ref name="400 wins">{{cite news|title=Cirovski wins 400th game in 5–4 win|url=http://www.umterps.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=29700&ATCLID=211672957|accessdate=October 15, 2017|work=umterps|date=October 13, 2017}}</ref> In 2018, the Terrapins won their third national title under Cirovski with a 1–0 win over the [[University of Akron]], not allowing a goal in any game of the NCAA Tournament.

==Personal information==
A vocal and demonstrative coach, Cirovski cultivated a "family" atmosphere on his close-knit teams. He also earned the respect of his colleagues, who selected him as the chairman of the national collegiate coaches association in 2004, and the national coach of the year in 2005. He lived in the Maryland suburbs with his wife [[Shannon Higgins-Cirovski]], herself a former soccer All-American and member of the [[National Soccer Hall of Fame]], and their three daughters.<ref>[https://umterps.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/coaches/sasho-cirovski/504 THE WINNINGEST COACH IN MARYLAND SOCCER HISTORY (Profile)] – UM Terps</ref>

A young Cirovski can be seen performing his soccer skills in the 1987 [[ESPN]] Home Video, "Teaching Kids Soccer with [[Bob Gansler]]."

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060901053833/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_34/b3998437.htm Game Plan: First Find The Leaders]
* [http://www.soccersite.com/coaches/sasho.html Sasho Cirovski – Head Coach]
* [https://umterps.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/coaches/sasho-cirovski/2035 Maryland bio]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cirovski, Sasho}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Jegunovce Municipality]]
[[Category:Canadian soccer coaches]]
[[Category:Canadian men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Macedonian football managers]]
[[Category:Yugoslav men's footballers]]
[[Category:National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Canadian National Soccer League players]]
[[Category:Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players]]
[[Category:Hartford Hawks men's soccer coaches]]
[[Category:London City Soccer Club players]]
[[Category:Maryland Terrapins men's soccer coaches]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer coaches]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Wave players]]
[[Category:North York Rockets players]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]