ACC Seedings At Stake As No. 23 Terps Close Regular-Season At No. 2 UNC - Maryland Terrapins
1/1/1970 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 31, 2002
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No. 23 MARYLAND (11-6-0, 3-3-0)
at No. 2 NORTH CAROLINA (14-1-3, 4-1-1)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2002 * 7:00 p.m.
FETZER FIELD (5,025/Grass), CHAPEL HILL, N.C.
ACC Seedings At Stake As Terps Close Regular-Season At No. 2 UNC
* The No. 23 Maryland women's soccer team heads to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Terps (11-6 overall and 3-3 in the ACC) are playing for a chance to finish as high as No. 2 in the conference behind only North Carolina, which clinched the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament with a 3-2 win at Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels are 14-1-3 overall and 4-1-1 in the ACC.
* A Maryland win over North Carolina on Friday, coupled with a Florida State loss or tie to Virginia on Saturday would give the Terps second place in the ACC. That would equal the Terps' best finish in the league, equalling their second place finish in 1999, which came in Shannon Higgins-Cirovski's first year as the Terps' head coach. That year the Terps went 4-2-1 overall and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
* A Maryland win over North Carolina, along with a win by Florida State on Saturday would give the Terps a third place finish behind the Tar Heels and Seminoles. Maryland would be tied with Clemson at 4-3, but would get the advantage due to the 3-2 victory over the Tigers on Oct. 20.
* A tie between the Terps and Tar Heels would give Maryland a 3-3-1 record. At that point they could finish anywhere from fourth through sixth, as the Terps lose tiebreakers to Florida State, Wake Forest and NC State should they all tie at 3-3-1.
* A Maryland loss at North Carolina would mean the Terps would be 3-4 in the ACC and finish either fifth or sixth as North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson and NC State would all have .500 or better records in the league. For the Terps to finish fifth with a loss at UNC, Wake Forest would have to lose or tie against Duke on Saturday. Should Maryland lose and Wake Forest win against Duke, the Terps would finish sixth in the league.
Hall of Famer Higgins-Cirovski Returns To Chapel Hill
* For the sixth time this Friday night, Maryland head coach and 2002 Hall of Fame inductee Shannon Higgins-Cirovski goes head-to-head with her college coach Anson Dorrance, North Carolina's legendary mentor. Higgins-Cirovski was a four-year star for the Tar Heels from 1986-89, when North Carolina compiled an astonishing 89-0-6 record on its way to four consecutive national championships. Higgins-Cirovski was also named national Player of the Year by Soccer America in 1988 and 1989. Higgins-Cirovski's jersey, No. 3, is one of nine numbers retired at North Carolina.
* Earlier this season, Dorrance was the man who introduced Higgins-Cirovski when she was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Oneonta, N.Y., on Oct. 14, 2002. Dorrance listed off Shannon's many accomplishments mixing in some humor with seriousness in his touching introduction.
* As a coach, she has faced her alma mater twice as the coach of George Washington. In 1993, the Tar Heels topped the Colonials, 4-0 and in 1994, UNC defeated George Washington, 2-0.
* At Maryland, Higgins-Cirovski and the Terps fell to North Carolina, 3-0 on Oct. 24, 1999 in College Park, 6-0 at Fetzer Field on Oct. 29, 2000 and 3-1 last season at Ludwig Field on Oct. 5, 2001.
* Friday's game will be just the second time Higgins-Cirovski coached against North Carolina in Chapel Hill following the 2000 game.
* The 1999 ACC Tournament marked the first time Higgins-Cirovski coached a collegiate game at Fetzer Field, where she played many memorable games. The Terps defeated Duke in the first round but fell to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament.
* Dorrance speaks very highly of Higgins-Cirovski, as a player and a coach. "Of all the players I have coached, no one is more suited to be a coach," said Dorrance. "She is a brilliant field organizer and tactical genius. The clich
