Aug. 19, 1998
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Head coach Alan Kirkup welcomes nine returning starters among 18 letterwinners Wednesday as the Maryland womens soccer team begins preparations for the 1998 season. The Terps are ranked No. 18 the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. The Terps have played in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and two of the last three ACC Tournament championship games.
CURRENT TERPS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Maryland begins its preparations for the 1998 season looking to play in a school-record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Terps were the No. 8 seed in the 1997 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals of both the 1995 and 1996 tournaments. The team has played in the NCAA Tournament in both of Kirkups two years in College Park. Every returning player on Marylands roster has played on at least one NCAA Tournament team during her career at Maryland. The Terps seniors have participated in the tournament in each of their first three collegiate seasons.
TERPS RETURN AS MUCH FIRE POWER AS ANY TEAM IN THE NATION
Included among Marylands nine returning starters are All-America candidates Emmy Harbo and Keri Sarver, the top two scorers in the history of the program. Harbo begins her senior season as the Terps all-time leading goal scorer (44) while Sarver begins her senior season as the all-time leader in total points (104).
TERPS SCHEDULE WILL AGAIN BE AMONG NATIONS TOUGHEST
Marylands schedule, which last season was ranked as the toughest in the nation by the Sagarin Ratings, should again be considered among the most difficult in the nation. The Terps will play no less than 11 games against NCAA Tournament teams from last season and play the national champion (North Carolina, Oct. 23) and the national runner-up (Connecticut, Oct. 11). The Terps also play two teams (Virginia, Oct. 9) and William & Mary (Oct. 16) which advanced to the tournament quarterfinals.
The schedule includes three teams which won at least 20 games, three teams which finished in first place in their respective league standings, and 13 teams which finished in third place or higher in their leagues. Maryland is scheduled to play the Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 13, 14, 21, and 25th ranked teams in the NSCAA pre-season poll.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Maryland is one of five ACC teams ranked in the NSCAA pre-season top 25. The Terps are ranked 18th in the nation. It marks the school-record fourth consecutive season that Maryland is ranked in the NSCAA pre-season poll. The Terps finished the season ranked No. 16 by the NSCAA in earning their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth last season.
PRESEASON ACC POLL
Maryland was selected to finish fifth in the regular season ACC standings, according to a poll of the leagues eight head coaches. The Terps received one vote for second place, five for fifth place and one for sixth for a total of 30 points. North Carolina, the defendig NCAA and ACC champion was unanimously selected to repeat as conference champion. The Tar Heels were followed by Virginia (43 points), Duke (42), Clemson (37), Maryland (30), Wake Forest (19), NC State (13) and Florida State (11).
