Aug. 31, 2000

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Fresh off the biggest upset in school history, a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Penn State, the undefeated Terps host arch-rival Duke in the ACC season opener on Friday at Ludwig Field. The No. 23 Terps are very confident heading into the Duke game after the huge win over Penn State in which junior Sara Gustafson (Reisterstown, Md.) recorded her first career hat trick.

"The win was a real confidence builder for our team," said head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski. "To get a win early in the year of this magnitude will really help us this season as we move on and face Duke this Friday."

Duke and Maryland have a heated rivalry which saw the Terps top the Blue Devils twice last season. Unranked Maryland shocked then-No. 9 Duke, 4-3 in overtime in the regular-season meeting on Sept. 19 in Durham, N.C. Maryland then came back to knock Duke out of the ACC Tournament, 2-1 on Nov. 4 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Game Facts and Coverage

Game 3: No. 22 Duke at No. 23 Maryland
Date: Friday, Sept. 1, 2000
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Ludwig Field (4,500), College Park, Md.

2000 Records:
Maryland: 2-0-0 (0-0-0 ACC), Duke: 1-0-0 (0-0-0 ACC)

Series History:
Duke leads 9-7-2. Last Meeting: Nov. 4, 1999 - Maryland 2, Duke 1 in ACC Quarterfinals at Durham, N.C.

The Coaches:
Maryland: Shannon Higgins-Cirovski (82-69-12/.540 overall/9th yr., 13-10-1/.563 at Maryland/2nd yr.) Duke: Bill Hempen(149-92-15/.611 overall/13th yr., all at Duke)

Radio Coverage:
Maryland: WMUC (88.1 FM) or on the Internet at www.wmuc.umd.edu. (talent: Jonathan Miller and Rishi Barran)

Records & Rankings
Friday's game with Duke pits two ranked teams for the first time in the series in three years. Maryland is 2-0 in 2000 after winning at Rutgers (1-0) and upsetting No. 4 Penn State (3-1). Last season, Maryland was 11-10-1 and 4-2-1 in the ACC as it finished the season ranked No. 23 in the final NSCAA poll. The Terps advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year before losing to national semifinalists Penn State, 3-2 in the second round.

In the 2000 preseason NSCAA poll, the Terps are also ranked No. 23. In the other polls, Maryland is ranked No. 22 by Soccer Buzz and No. 24 in the SoccerTimes.com and American Soccer Writers polls of Aug. 28.

Duke is 1-0 after defeating Division II Catawba last Saturday, 6-0 in Salisbury, N.C. The Blue Devils finished the 1999 season 13-10-0 overall and 2-5 in the ACC.

Duke is ranked No. 22 in the preseason NSCAA poll. They are also ranked No. 21 in the Soccer Buzz and American Soccer Writers polls of Aug. 28 and No. 22 according to Soccer Times.com.

Maryland-Duke Series History
Maryland has won four in a row in the series against Duke and has a 5-1-1 record in the last seven contests, but Duke leads the all-time series 9-7-2. Maryland picked up two of its biggest wins against Duke last season. The Terps defeated the-then No. 9 Blue Devils in the regular season meeting on Sept. 19, 4-3 in overtime as Sara Gustafson notched the game winner 7:14 into the first overtime. Maryland also knocked the Blue Devils out of the ACC Tournament with a 2-1 win as Gustafson scored for the third time against Duke in 1999. Jackie Mynarski tallied the game-winner with 13:48 left in regulation.

Maryland's last four wins over Duke have come when the Blue Devils were ranked: No. 21 (on Nov. 4, 1999 in the ACC Tournament), No. 9 (on Sept. 19, 1999), No. 8 (on Sept. 18, 1998) and No. 9 (Nov. 7, 1997 in ACC Tournament).

Prior to beating No. 4 Penn State on Tuesday, Maryland's win over a highest ranked team came against then-No. 7 Duke on Oct. 1, 1995 when the Terps topped the Blue Devils, 2-1 in Durham.

The Last Seven Maryland-Duke Matches
Nov. 4, 1999 Maryland 2, No. 21 Duke 1 Chapel Hill, N.C. (ACC
Tournament)
Sept. 19, 1999 Maryland 4, No. 9 Duke 3 (OT) Durham, N.C.
Sept. 18, 1998 Maryland 3, No. 9 Duke 1 College Park, Md.
Nov. 7, 1997 No. 18 Maryland 2, No. 8 Duke 1 Winston-Salem, N.C. (ACC
Tournament)
Oct. 17, 1997 No. 12 Duke 3, No. 4 Maryland 2 Durham, N.C.
Oct. 25, 1996 No. 7 Maryland 3, Duke 3 (OT) College Park, Md.
Oct. 1, 1995 No. 12 Maryland 2, No. 7 Duke 1 Durham, N.C.

Wins Against Ranked Teams
The Terps picked up their first-ever win against a team ranked in the top five when they beat No. 4 Penn State on Tuesday, 3-1. Previously, Maryland's only favorable result against a top-five team was a tie against then-No. 4 Connecticut when it battled to a 2-2 tie on Oct. 11, 1998.

All-time, Maryland has recorded 27 wins in program history against teams ranked in the Top 25, including four last season. In 1999, then-unranked Maryland upset No. 9 Duke on Sept. 18 (4-3 in OT), No. 9 Clemson on Oct. 17 (2-1 in OT), No. 11 Wake Forest on Oct. 22 (1-0) and No. 21 Duke in the ACC Quarterfinals on Nov. 4 (2-1). Over the past five years, dating to 1995, Maryland has picked up 23 wins against top 25 teams.

Prior to the win over Penn State, the highest ranked team that Maryland has ever upset was then-No. 7 Duke, when the Terps topped the Blue Devils, 2-1 in College Park on Oct. 1, 1995. Maryland has picked up seven other wins against top-10 teams and that tie against UConn in 1998.

Wins/Ties Against Top 10 Teams
Oct. 8, 1993 Maryland 2, No. 8 William & Mary 1
Oct. 1, 1995 No. 12 Maryland 2, No. 7 Duke 1
Oct. 12, 1997 No. 19 Maryland 2, No. 9 Clemson 0
Nov. 7, 1997 No. 18 Maryland 2, No. 8 Duke 1
Sept. 18, 1998 Maryland 3, No. 9 Duke 1
Oct. 11, 1998 No. 24 Maryland 2, No. 4 Connecticut 2
Sept. 19, 1999 Maryland 4, No. 9 Duke, 3 (OT)
Oct. 17, 1999 Maryland 2, No. 9 Clemson 1 (OT)
Aug. 29, 2000 No. 23 Maryland 3, No. 4 Penn State 1

Opening Undefeated
Maryland has won its first two games of the season for the second year in a row. Last season, the Terps topped George Washington and UMBC to open the season 2-0.

With a win against Duke, Maryland would move to 3-0, which would be the Terps' best start since they started 14-0 in 1996. Maryland went 15-0-1 that season before losing to NC State on Oct. 19, 1996.

Gus Gets Revenge Vs. Penn State
After four losses, Sara Gustafson was finally victorious against Penn State. She put an exclamation point on the victory with her first career hat trick.

Gustafson, who transferred to Maryland from Indiana prior to the 1999 season, had lost to the Nittany Lions by one goal on four occasions. And, all four matches took place at Penn State. As a member of the Hooisers in 1998, Gustafson lost to Penn State in a regular-season meeting, a Big Ten Tournament game and in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Last season with the Terps, Gustafson and Maryland were defeated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 3-2 in University Park.

Gus Likes Facing Duke
On the heels of her best collegiate game with the hat trick against Penn State, Sara Gustafson gets to face the other college team she has three goals against -- Duke.

Last season, Gustafson scored two goals, including the game-winner as Maryland upset Duke in Durham on Sept. 19. She then came back for her third goal against the Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament.

In her career, Gustafson has six of her seven goals against Duke and Penn State. The only other goal she has scored came against Navy on Oct. 10, 1999.

Viher Scores First, Assists First
Sophomore Carly Viher registered her first college goal in the win over Rutgers on Aug. 25. Viher had played and started in 22 games as a freshman, but did not score as she took six shots.

She is expected to play a more offensive role from the defense in 2000, which was demonstrated in the season-opener at Rutgers.

Viher continued the offense in her second game of 2000, as she picked up her first college assist on Sara Gustafson's first goal of the 3-1 win over Penn State. Viher fed a soft cross to Gustafson, who beat Penn State keeper Emily Oleksiuk in the low right corner.

Jarzyniecki Posts Two Assists
Sophomore Dana Jarzyniecki (Rochester, N.Y.) is also playing a more important part of the offense this season, as she has recorded assists in both Maryland wins.

She assisted on Carly Viher's goal in the Rutgers win and on the first goal in the victory over Penn State.

Serrins On The All-Time Lists
With a shutout in the season opener at Rutgers, Riki-Ann Serrins (Mission Viejo, Calif.) raised her career total to nine in three-plus seasons. That total ranked fifth all-time on the Maryland career shutout list.

Teammate Ali Wolff (Richmond, Va.), who is redshirting in the 2000 season, ranks third all-time in career shutouts with 11.5.

Opening In August
Maryland opened its season on the earliest date in school history when it defeated Rutgers 1-0 on Aug. 25. Maryland had previously opened its seasons in August in 1996 with a 1-0 victory against St. Mary's in Honolulu, Hawaii on Aug. 30, 1996 and a 2-0 win at George Washington on Aug. 29, 1999 to open last season.

With the win over Penn State, the Terps are 5-0 in August, outscoring their opponents 8-1 in those wins.

New Faces Get Playing Time
Maryland's freshman class features two of the Baltimore-Washington area's biggest high school stars in 1999 Baltimore Sun Player of the Year Jen Biscoe (Baltimore, Md.) and Washington Post Player of the Year Audra Poulin (Silver Spring, Md.). Both players made their collegiate debuts against Rutgers. Biscoe started and took four shots -- all on goal. Poulin came off the bench to gain valuable minutes.

Joining Biscoe in the starting lineup against Rutgers, was fellow freshman midfielder Katie Ludwig (Mt. Laurel, N.J.), who was a 1999 NSCAA high school All-American.

Other new faces on the 2000 roster are freshman back Jennifer Lovecchio (Vineland, N.J.), freshmen keepers Kristen Barnhill (Charlottesville, Va.) and Lynn Scharf (Woodstock, Va.). Ludwig teamed with Lovecchio in club soccer with the Medford Strikers, which won the New Jersey state titles in 1997 and 1998. Barnhill was named Central Virginia Player of the Year as a junior and senior.

Also joining the team as a walk-on is sophomore midfielder Sarah McClellan (Bowie, Md.). Playing at Division III Bridgewater College in Virginia last season, McClellan played and started in 17 games. She finished second on the team scoring with eight goals and five assists for 21 points.

Winning The Home Openers
Maryland has won seven straight home openers, including the last six at Ludwig Field after defeating Penn State, 3-1 last Tuesday. Last season, they trounced UMBC, 6-1 on Sept. 1, 1999. This year's home opener on Aug. 29, was the earliest home opener in school history.

All time, Maryland is 9-5 in home openers dating to its first varsity game against Catholic on Sept. 16, 1987, an 8-0 victory.

Maryland Home Openers In The 1990s
Sept. 2, 1990 George Washington 2, Maryland 0
Sept. 8, 1991 UNC Greensboro 3, Maryland 0
Sept. 5, 1992 Duke 2, Maryland 0
Sept. 4, 1993 North Carolina 7, Maryland 0
Sept. 5, 1994 Maryland 4, UNC Greensboro 0
Sept. 3, 1995 Maryland 6, Virginia Tech 0
Sept. 7, 1996 Maryland 6, New Hampshire 1
Sept. 1, 1997 Maryland 3, Wright State 1
Sept. 11, 1998 Maryland 3, USC 0
Sept. 1, 1999 Maryland 6, UMBC 1
Aug. 29, 2000 Maryland 3, Penn State 1

Home Sweet Home
Maryland has made a habit of winning at Ludwig Field. The Terps hold a 44-13-3 record all-time in games played at Ludwig, dating to its construction in 1995. They have won 75.8 percent of the games in College Park.

The Terps have won six of the last seven games at Ludwig dating to midway through the 1999 season.

Captains For 2000
Maryland features a trio of senior captains for the 2000 season. Senior keeper Ali Wolff returns for her second season as a captain, but Wolff is expected to redshirt the 2000 season and allow fellow senior keeper Riki-Ann Serrins to handle the bulk of playing time. Both Wolff and Serrins rank on the top five of Maryland all-time goalkeeping lists in every category.

"We have two great keepers and we were going to lose both of them in the same year, which would put us in a desperate situation," said Higgins-Cirovski. "With Ali redshirting, we will have a great leader around for another year and that's a coach's heaven."

Seniors Vita McKenna and Julie Nelson will also serve as captains in 2000. McKenna will play a key role for the Terps in 2000 in Higgins-Cirovski's newly created position of defensive midfielder. "Vita has really come along during the spring and summer seasons," said Higgins-Cirovski. "Her confidence is really soaring and she will be a leader for us on the field at all times as a captain."

Nelson returns to the field after missing the spring season following reconstructive ankle surgery. Nelson scored three goals and handed out three assists for nine points in 1999. "I'm looking forward to having Julie as part of our offense" said Higgins-Cirovski. "She is such a fighter and an emotional leader. Others follow her because of her intensity."

Playing The Tough Schedule
In 2000, Maryland will face one of the nation's most difficult schedules in 2000. Shannon Higgins-Cirovski has scheduled 10 teams that are ranked in the NSCAA preseason top 25, including five that were ranked in the top seven. Included in that group is a meeting with No. 1 North Carolina, the defending 1999 NCAA Champion on Oct. 29 in Chapel Hill.

Maryland will take on three of the four NCAA Tournament semifinalists from 1999 in North Carolina (ranked No. 1), Santa Clara (No. 3) and Penn State (No. 4). Other ranked teams in the final poll which Maryland will play are Clemson (No. 6), Stanford (No. 7t), Wake Forest (No. 12), William & Mary (No. 13), Virginia (No. 16), Duke (No. 22) and James Madison (No. 25).

Also highlighting Maryland's 2000 schedule is a trip to Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., where the Terps will take on the host Cardinal and national semifinalist Santa Clara on Sept. 15 and 17. The ACC Tournament will take place at Duke from Nov. 2 through Nov. 5.

"What's Up With Women's Soccer"
Maryland junior Debbie Lieberman (Commack, N.Y.) has been keeping a weekly journal about the women's soccer team called "What's Up With Women's Soccer." It is posted on Maryland's website www.umterps.com under the features section on the home page and on the women's soccer page.

In her most recent entry, Lieberman wrote about the Terps stunning win over Penn State.

WMUC Broadcast Information
Maryland's student radio station WMUC (88.1 FM) will broadcast eight Maryland women's soccer games in 2000. A pregame show will air approximately 30 minutes prior to kickoff. WMUC's broadcasts can be heard live on the Internet at wmuc.umd.edu.

2000 WMUC Broadcast Schedule
Fri., Sept. 1 Duke 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 6 Towson 7:00 p.m.
Tue., Sept. 12 George Washington 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 27 George Mason 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 1 NC State 1:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 6 Virginia 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 20 Florida State 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 22 William & Mary Noon

Mediateamlink.com
Releases, statistics and other sports information from all ACC schools as well as other conferences and institutions around the country are available by accessing www.mediateamlink.com. You can have updated documents delivered directly to your email and/or fax machine the moment they are updated. You can also view documents on-line. MediaTeamlink is FREE to all accredited media. Log on to www. mediateamlink.com if you do not already have an account, and click the "Sign Up Here" button and complete the short form.

Terrapin Fan Phone
For up-to-date reports, comments from coaches, and other Maryland athletic department information, phone the Terrapin Fan Phone at (301) 314-TERP.

Terps on the Web
For the latest game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please locate www. umterps.com on the Internet.

Email Straight To You
If you would like the latest Maryland women's soccer news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email women's soccer contact Jason Yellin at jyellin@wam.umd.edu with the message "Women's Soccer Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed about the team.

2000 ACC STANDINGS

Last Week's Action
Aug. 25 Wake Forest 3, UNC Greensboro 0
Maryland 1, Rutgers 0
Florida State 3, Florida 1
Clemson Nike Kickoff Classic
Clemson 1, UCLA 0
North Carolina 5, Texas 1

Aug. 26 East Carolina 1, NC State 0
Virginia 3, William & Mary 0
Duke 6, Catawba 0

Aug. 27 Florida State 2, South Florida 1
Clemson Nike Kickoff Classic
Clemson 3, Old Dominion 1
North Carolina 4, Texas A&M 1

This Week's Action
Aug. 29 Wake Forest 4, East Carolina 1
Maryland 3, Penn State 1

Aug. 30 Florida State 3, Jacksonville 0

Sept. 1 Missouri Nike Tournament
Wake Forest at Ohio State, 1:30 p.m.
Florida State at Missouri, 5 p.m.
Clemson Nike Invitational
Dayton at Clemson, 7 p.m.
Duke at Maryland, 7 p.m.
NC State at Charleston, 7 p.m.
Virginia at North Carolina, 7 p.m.

Sept. 3 Missouri Nike Tournament
Florida State at Ohio State, 11 a.m.
Wake Forest at Missoui, 1 p.m.
Duke at Richmond, 1 p.m.
Tennessee at North Carolina, 1 p.m.
Clemson Nike Invitational
UNC Charlotte at Clemson, 5 p.m.
NC State at South Carolina, 7 p.m.

TERPS IN THE POLLS
2000 Soccer Buzz Poll (Aug. 28)
No. Team Rec. LW
1. North Carolina 2-0-0 1
2. Penn State 1-0-0 2
3. Nebraska 2-0-0 3
4. Notre Dame 1-0-0 4
5. Santa Clara 1-0-0 5
6. Connecticut 0-0-0 6
7. Clemson 2-0-0 9
8. Stanford 1-0-0 10
9. Southern Methodist 2-0-0 13
10. UCLA 1-1-0 8
11. Wake Forest 1-0-0 12
13. USC 1-0-0 11
14. Texas A&M 1-1-0 11
15. Kentucky 2-0-0 15
16. Virginia 1-0-0 22
17. Hartford 1-0-0 24
18. Harvard 0-0-0 18
19. Michigan 0-0-0 19
20. Boston College 1-1-0 20
21. Duke 1-0-0 23
22. Maryland 1-0-0 RV
23. Florida 1-1-0 7
24. California 1-0-0 RV
25. William & Mary 0-1-0 17

Others rec. votes: Baylor, Dartmouth, Florida State, Illinois, Marquette, Saint Louis

Terps By The Numbers

1
Maryland won its first game against a top-five team, when it upset No. 4 Penn State on Aug. 29.

1
Carly Viher scored her first college goal in the season opening win at Rutgers and recorded her first college assist on Maryland's first goal against Penn State.

4
The number of wins Maryland had in the ACC last season, tying the school record set in 1995 and 1997.

5
The number of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the Terps.

6
The number of goals Sara Gustafson has combined against Penn State and Duke in her career, three against each. She has scored just one other goal -- against Navy.

9
Riki-Ann Serrins' career shutout total to rank fifth all-time at Maryland.

14
This is Maryland's 14th season of college soccer.

23
The Terps are ranked No. 23 in the NSCAA preseason poll.

29
Maryland had not defeated a top-five ranked team in 29 previous games (0-28-1) before upsetting Penn State.

44
Maryland has a 44-13-3 record all-time in games played at Ludwig Field for a 75.8 win percentage.

82
Shannon Higgins-Cirovski's all-time coaching win total at Maryland and George Washington.