Aug. 12, 1999

"I believe that a team's style of play is going to be a product of the players and personalities on the field. Maryland will defend with the ability to win the ball quickly and efficiently and attack with a similarly efficient and attractive style. We will be a team which possess the ball but knows when to go in for the kill." -- Head Coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski.

The University of Maryland women's soccer team has established itself among the top teams in the nation. It has appeared in a school-record four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, played in the ACC championship game in two of the last four seasons, and returns six starters to this year's team. The Terps have averaged 15 wins in each of the last four seasons and defeated three ranked teams a year ago.

Graduated from last year's NCAA Tournament team are the three highest-scoring players in school history. The Terps will have to replace Keri Sarver, Emmy Harbo and Robin McCullough, who combined for 138 goals and 356 points in the last four years.

For first-year head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski, though, the glass is half-full rather than half empty. Higgins-Cirovski welcomes back four of the top seven scorers, three of the top four scoring midfielders and the two goalkeepers who have combined to play every minute of every game in the past two seasons.

Among Higgins-Cirovski's first objectives will to be replace the offensive output the Terps lost to graduation. She will then have to tighten the midfield and allow the defense to continue to mature into a solid unit.

Leading the charges will be senior tri-captains Jackie Mynarski, Emily Janss and Ali Wolff. An experienced core of returning players and a talented recruiting class will join that trio.

Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper position is one that Higgins-Cirovski feels will be a strength of the team. The Terps have a pair of tested players at the position in juniors Riki-Ann Serrins and Ali Wolff. The pair has split all of the playing time in each of the past two years and have combined for 12 shutouts and a cumulative goals-against average of 1.67. The duo has played in a combined four ACC Tournament and three NCAA Tournament games. They helped Maryland advance to the championship game of the 1997 ACC Tournament.

Serrins, who was an All-ACC second-team selection as a sophomore, became the first goalkeeper in Maryland women's soccer history to earn All-ACC honors. She ranks third all-time in career goals-against average (1.48), and sixth all-time in shutouts with six. She recorded a career high nine victories last season while earning three wins against ranked teams. She recorded a career-high 13 saves against No. 14 Wake Forest as a sophomore.

A native of Mission Viejo, Calif., Serrins was the starter in Maryland's 1998 NCAA Tournament victory over Fairfield. Ali Wolff started a career-high 13 games as a sophomore and will serve as a team co-captain this season. She has played an average of more than 1,200 minutes in each of her first two years and won eight games as a freshman. She started Maryland's ACC Tournament game against Wake Forest and the Terps' NCAA Tournament game against William & Mary last season. Wolff ranks fourth all-time in career saves (132) and career shutouts (6.5) and will look to add to both of those totals as a junior.

The Richmond, Va., native, Wolff is a veteran of three NCAA Tournament games, one as a freshman and two as a sophomore.

Defenders
Maryland's starting lineup could feature three returning starters on defense from what proved to be one of the most consistent positions for the Terps last season. Junior Emily Janss, redshirt senior Tiffany Keyes and junior Vita McKenna are all solid players who have played quality minutes during their careers.

Janss, from Brandon, Fla., is an All-America candidate who has been one of the top defenders in the ACC during her career. She earned All-ACC second team in both 1997 and 1998 and is one of one of only five players in school history to earn all-conference honors multiple times during her career. Janss enters the 1999 season having started 54 consecutive games and has played in all 73 Terp games during her career.

In addition to her defensive prowess that helped Maryland post five shutout victories in 1998, Janss is the second leading returning scorer from a year ago. She scored four goals and accounted for eight total points.

Keyes is looking forward to her redshirt senior season as one of the top defenders in the conference. She has recovered from knee surgery that sidelined her for the better part of the past three seasons. She is the Terps' elder statesman, who when healthy during her career has been a full-time starter. Keyes has been a starter for the Terps' two all-time winningest teams in school history and is among the most experienced postseason players. She has started four ACC Tournament games and four NCAA Tournament games.

As a starter during her sophomore season, the Harrisburg, Pa., native started the first 11 games of the season before injuring her left knee. Maryland was undefeated (11-0) at the time of her injury. The Terps' 11-game winning streak developed into a school-record 16-game unbeaten streak before Maryland was defeated. Keyes was leading the defensive charge that had allowed three goals in the first 11 games and held its opponents to 0.26 goals per game.

McKenna, a two-time letterwinner, has been a member of two NCAA Tournament teams. She is, however, recovering from a season-ending knee injury which ended her 1998 season prematurely. McKenna earned a starter's role at midfield in preseason camp last season and was in the lineup for the first 15 games of the season before suffering the knee injury. It is hoped that her experience and versatility will allow her to adapt her game to the back line and help make that position one of the Terps' strongest on the field.

McKenna, from Ontario, Canada, has gained valuable experience while playing in 22 games and started 10 as a freshman and 15 games last season. She has played in three ACC Tournament games and one NCAA Tournament game.

A pair of sophomores, Carrie Klotz and Debbie Lieberman, will add depth and experience to the Terps' defense. Klotz has been moved to the back line from the forward position she played last season to make use of her ballhandling skills while Lieberman played in eight games as a defender in 1998.

Klotz, from Commack, N.Y., has the ability to challenge for a starter's position. She played in all 23 games while starting eight during her inaugural collegiate season. Klotz was a starter or first-half substitution in all 23 games as a freshman and totaled two goals and one assist for five points. Her first career goal was a game-winner against Southern California in the opening round of the Maryland/PUMA Invitational.

Lieberman will also add depth to the position. She saw her playing time increase as the season went on as she played in six of the last nine games of the season. She was a defensive help in Maryland's 2-0 loss to North Carolina as the Terps held the Tar Heels nearly two goals below their scoring average for the entire season. She was also a substitute defender in her first ACC Tournament game against Wake Forest and earned playing time in Maryland's first-round NCAA Tournament game against Fairfield.

Four members of Higgins-Cirovski's first recruiting class at Maryland are expected to mature quickly and add depth on defense. Lindsay Givens (Downingtown, Pa.), Sally Harrison (Virginia Beach, Va.), Katie Kruse (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and Carly Viher (Mentor, Ohio) are talented players with impressive resumes.

Givens, Maryland's tallest player, will lend versatility at the center back and defensive midfield positions. She was a four-time defensive Most Valuable Player for her high school team.

Harrison is an experienced defender who possesses the most speed of the incoming freshmen. She was the starting sweeper and was an all-state first-team selection as a high school senior.

Kruse, who can play anywhere in the back, may possess the most versatility of the defenders in the freshman class. She led her high school team to four consecutive state championship semifinals appearances and was an all-state first-team selection as a senior.

Viher will also add versatility to the Terps' defense as she, too, can play any of the positions on defense. She was the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Ohio and a Midwest Region All-American as a senior.

Midfielders
Maryland will field an experienced and talented midfield led by seniors Jackie Mynarski and Lyndsay Basalyga. Mynarski is the Terps' leading returning scorer as she totaled five goals and five assists for 15 points as a junior. Basalyga also returns among the team's scoring leaders, having totaled five career goals and 14 career points.

Mynarski is a team co-captain who has played in 71 career games. She returns as a starter in the midfield after spending the first three seasons of her career on both offense and defense. An obvious team leader, she is a veteran of five ACC Tournament games and five NCAA Tournament games.

The Somers, N.Y., native played in and started all 23 games and scored a career-high two game-winning goals. She also assisted on All-American Keri Sarver's game-winning goal against Fairfield in the NCAA Tournament. Mynarski's assist came with 21 seconds remaining in regulation time and gave the Terps a 4-3 victory.

Basalyga, who has played in 63 career games, was a starter as both a sophomore and junior and looks to earn a starting role for a third consecutive season in 1999. She was credited with one of the most important assists of the 1998 season against George Washington. Her assist on a Jackie Mynarski goal in the 89th minute sent the Terps' game against George Washington into overtime. The Terps scored late in the first overtime period to win the match. She scored goals against both Florida State and Louisiana State as a junior.

Basalyga, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, brings experience to the lineup as she has played in four of Maryland's eight all-time NCAA Tournament games.

Sophomore Courtney Beirne, a Maryland native from Westminster, was a pleasant surprise last season who played in 23 games and was credited with a freshman-class high three assists. She gained confidence throughout the season and looks to be a major contributor as a starter in the midfield this season. She will play one of the wide midfield positions and may also see time at the forward position.

Beirne ranked second among freshmen in scoring with three total points and was a starter in three postseason games - one in the ACC Tournament and two in the NCAA Tournament. She played in all 23 games while starting 11. She made an immediate impact as she earned her first career start in her first career game against Penn State. Beirne became the first freshman to start a game since Emily Janss won a starting assignment in the 1996 season opener against St. Mary's of California.

Terri Greer will move into the midfield after spending the first two years of her career on defense. A junior, she has played in 36 career games but missed 11 games last season because of a broken leg. The Woodbridge, Va., native had started 16 consecutive and 18 of 19 games over a two-year period before her injury.

She was one of Maryland's top defenders prior to her injury. She had started the first 14 games of the season before her injury. The Terps were 8-4-1, ranked 14th in the nation and had won four games by shutout prior to her injury.

The newcomers in the midfield include Dana Jarzyneicki (Rochester, N.Y.), Valerie Lawrence (Silver Spring, Md.) and Kim King (Media, Pa.).

Jarzyneicki will compete for playing time at both the forward and midfield positions. She is very quick with the ball at her feet and has an incredible ability to find the back of the net. Jarzyneicki was an all-state first team selection as a senior who scored 40 goals and totaled 41 assists during her four-year high school career.

The Washington Post named Lawrence, a local player from Silver Spring, Md., the All-Met Player of the Year at Good Counsel High School last season. She will play either a wide midfield position or on the forward line.

King is an offensive-minded player who will fit right into Maryland's attacking style of play. She will earn playing time at wide midfield or forward and has a great goal-scoring mentality.

Forwards
Higgins-Cirovski must replace the three highest-scoring forwards in school-history after Keri Sarver, Emmy Harbo and Robin McCullough finished their careers at the end of the 1998 season. Replacing or even filling the shoes of those three players will be very difficult for the Terps this season. Higgins-Cirovski will implement a combination of returning veterans and exciting newcomers on the front line for the 1999 season.

Senior Julie Nelson, who returns after missing the 1998 season while recovering from back surgery, will challenge for a starting assignment from the first day of preseason camp. She has played in 33 career games and on two NCAA Tournament teams.

The Mclean, Va., native played in a career-high 22 games while starting eight during her sophomore season.

A trio of freshmen - King, Lawrence and Jarzyneicki - and transfer Sara Gustafson will bolster the team of forwards.

King, Lawrence and Jarzneicki will display their versatility in playing both the midfield and forward positions.

Gustafson played at Indiana University in 1998 and is the only newcomer who brings collegiate experience to the Terps this season. She played in 15 games as a Hoosier and will have three years of eligibility remaining at the beginning of the 1999 season.

The Resiterstown, Md., native was a three-time all-state selection and earned four varsity letters while a member of the varsity at Franklin High School. She was the leading scorer in Baltimore County in 1997 with 30 goals and 10 assists for 70 total points.

Outlook
Maryland returns 12 field players and two goalies who saw action in 1998. The Terps' upperclassmen will lead with a talented defense. The Terps will mature in the midfield with each game and will rely on many of the underclassmen to handle the scoring load up front.

"I want to build on [former coach] Alan Kirkup's success and bring it to a new level. I'd like to see this program contend for a national title, and that means win it," says Higgins-Cirovski.

Higgins-Cirovski's penchant for building winning programs already has the Terps moving in the right direction. She will continue to deliver exciting soccer and exciting players intent on maintaining the high level of Maryland soccer that has become the rule rather than the exception in College Park.

1999 University of Maryland
Women's Soccer Schedule

Month
Date/Day(s)       Opponent                  Time

August
 29 Sun.          at George Washington      1:00 p.m.

September
 1 Wed.           UMBC                      7:00 p.m.
 4 Sat.           at USC                    1:00 p.m.
 6 Mon.           at UCLA                   1:00 p.m.

 10/12 Fri.-Sun. Maryland FILA Tourney
 10 Fri.         Pittsburgh vs. Penn        4:30 p.m.
                 Maryland vs. Baylor        7:00 p.m.
 12 Sun.         Baylor vs. Pittsburgh      Noon
                 Maryland vs. Penn          2:30 p.m.
 17 Fri.         at NC State                4:00 p.m.
 19 Sun.         at Duke                    1:00 p.m.
 26 Sun.         James Madison              2:00 p.m.
 29 Wed.         at Virginia                7:30 p.m.

October
  2 Sat.         at William & Mary          4:00 p.m.
  6 Wed.         at George Mason            4:00 p.m.
  8 Fri.         Rutgers                    7:00 p.m.
 10 Sun.         Navy                       7:00 p.m.
 17 Sun.         Clemson                    2:00 p.m.
 22 Fri.         Wake Forest                7:00 p.m.
 24 Sun.         North Carolina             1:00 p.m.

 31 Sun.         at Florida State           2:00 p.m.

November
 4-7 Thur.-Sun. at ACC Tournament           TBA
                at Chapel Hill, N.C.