September 28, 1998
COLLEGE PARK, Md.-- After splitting a pair of games last week, No. 10 Maryland faces its toughest week of competition so far this season. On Wednesday, the Terps travel to Princeton for a matchup against the fifth-ranked Tigers. Maryland then concludes its week by heading to Virginia for an ACC showdown against the fourth-ranked Cavaliers.
PRINCETON PROFILE
Princeton (5-0) enters the week ranked fifth in the STX/NFHCA poll and seeking a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Final Four. The Tigers recorded a pair of shutout victories last week, having blanked No. 15 Syracuse 7-0 on Wednesday, and defeating Dartmouth 2-0 on Sunday. Senior forward Kirsty Hale became Princeton's all-time leading goal scorer by registering two goals against Syracuse and one against Dartmouth. Hale now has 61 goals for her collegiate career. The Tigers got a tough break when junior goalie Gia Fruscione suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason. Senior Meg Dejong, however, is the new starting netminder and through three weeks, she leads the nation with a 0.25 goals against average and a .950 save percentage.
THE SERIES WITH PRINCETON
Maryland trails the all-time series against Princeton 3-2. Last year, the Terps defeated the Tigers 7-2 in a regular season matchup on October 16. In the NCAA Tournament, however, Princeton came into College Park and pulled off a 4-0 second round upset on Nov. 16. The victory enabled the Tigers to reach their second consecutive NCAA Final Four.
VIRGINIA PROFILE
Virginia enters the week ranked No. 4 in the STX/NFHCA poll and seeking a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Final Four. The Cavaliers are coming off of a tough week, in which they lost both of their games. On Wednesday, they were upset by James Madison 2-1 and on Sunday, they were defeated by top-ranked Old Dominion 4-2. Virginia is led by senior midfielder Michelle Vizzuso, who has four goals and 11 assists this season. Vizzuso, who was named the ACC Player of the Week two weeks ago, recently became just the third player in ACC history to record at least 40 goals and assists during her career.
THE SERIES WITH VIRGINIA
Maryland leads the all-time series with Virginia 17-16-2. The Cavaliers, however, won last year's meeting 3-2 on Oct. 5. Maryland's last victory over Virginia was a 2-1 decision in the ACC Tournament on Nov. 9, 1996. The last tie between the two schools was a 1-1 deadlock on September 19, 1986.
KELLY LEADS MARYLAND TO 1-0 WIN AT WAKE FOREST
Freshman midfielder Megan Kelly (Gaithersburg, Md.) scored with 5:45 remaining in the second half, leading Maryland to a 1-0 win over Wake Forest on Saturday in Winston-Salem. Freshman midfielder Caroline Walter (Reilingen, Germany) assisted on Kelly's goal. Sophomore Angela Platt (Coleraine, Northern Ireland) made nine saves and recorded her second solo shutout of the season. With the win, the Terps have now shut out four of their last five opponents and in the process, have gone on a 10-1 scoring spree. Maryland also ended its two-game road skid with the win over the Deacons.
TERPS NIPPED BY DELAWARE 2-1
Despite holding a 26-4 shot advantage, the Terps were defeated 2-1 by No. 14 Delaware last Tuesday in Newark. Sophomore back Sarah Rappolt (West Chester, Pa.) scored her first collegiate goal, but it was not enough. Blue Hen goalie Kelli Adams made 22 saves to preserve the victory.
MARYLAND SCHEDULE & RESULTS
(7-2 OVERALL, 1-0 ACC)
S2 RICHMOND W 8-0
S5 ACC-Big Ten Challenge @ St. Louis
Michigan W 2-1, 2 OT
S7 ACC-Big Ten Challenge @ St. Louis
Michigan State W 4-1
S13 At Rutgers L 4-3
S16 Towson W 3-0
S19 TERRAPIN INVITATIONAL
American W 2-0
S20 TERRAPIN INVITATIONAL
Massachusetts W 3-0
S22 At Delaware W 2-1
S26 At Wake Forest W 1-0
S30 At Princeton 7:00 p.m.
O4 At Virginia 1:00 p.m.
O8 At Old Dominion 6:00 p.m.
O11 NORTH CAROLINA Noon
O13 BUCKNELL 7:30 p.m.
O17 DUKE Noon
O18 BOSTON 2:00 p.m.
O20 PENNSYLVANIA 7:30 p.m.
O23 TEMPLE 6:00 p.m.
O25 JAMES MADISON 1:00 p.m.
N6-8 ACC Tournament @ Virginia TBA
