Sept. 18, 2000

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 1 ranked Maryland Terrapins (7-0) hit the road this weekend for the first ACC field hockey match of the 2000 season. The showdown takes place on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. at Kentner Stadium as the reigning national champs take on the also undefeated Waket Forest Demon Deacons, ranked No. 6 in the Sept. 12 NFHCA coaches poll. The Deacs boast a 7-0 record to date but will face Duke on Spet. 20 in a contest that will not count toward ACC records.

With three victories in the last week, the Terrapins extended their school-record win streak to 29 games. Maryland shelled Towson 7-1 before grinding out a 2-0 victory over No. 12 UMass and stomping Radford 11-2. The Terps were ranked No. 1 nationally in the Sept. 12 NFHCA poll. The next official poll will be released Sept. 19.

Match Facts and Coverage
at Wake Forest
Date, Time: Saturday, Sept. 23, 1:00 p.m.
Location: Kentner Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Win Streak Going Strong At 29 Games
With Maryland's three victories in the last week, the Terps' current school-record win streak now stands at 29 games. The streak began on Sept. 10, 1999, with a 6-3 victory over local rival UMBC. The Terps have not been beaten since Sept. 6 of last season in a 5-3 decision vs. Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. The previous record win streak, and now second-longest, came during a 13-game tear in the Terrapins' 1993 national championship season.

Scouting Wake Forest: The Deal With The Deacons
Maryland faces its first ACC opponent on Sept. 23 on the road at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons currently own a 7-0 record but meet Duke on Sept. 20 in a game not included on the conference schedule. Wake was the sixth-ranked team in the nation according to the most recent NFHCA Poll, released Sept. 12. The new rankings come out on Sept. 19.

The Deacons began 2000 where they left off in 1999, posting an 18-4 record and competing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in history. The Demons were ranked as high as third in the nation a season ago and finished fifth in the final poll. They also reached the ACC final game for the first time ever where their run was halted by Maryland's 2-1 overtime victory.

1999 ACC coach of the year Jennifer Averill is in her ninth season at the helm of the Demon Deacons. Wake's mentor has a 87-72 career record through the Deacons' last victory, a 7-0 home win over Davidson.

First-team All-American Jenny Everett leads the Deacons with 11 goals and 10 assists for 32 points. The senior was ranked second in the nation in points per game and third in goals scored according to Sept. 11's count. Senior goalie Jamie Tressler, who played behind second-team All-America goalie Meaghan Nitka last season, boasts a .829 goals against average and was the top-rated keeper in last week's national stats.

The Terrapins posess an 11-1 record agains Wake Forest in the all-time series. The last meeting was on Nov. 7, 1999, as the Terps outlasted the Deacons in overtime to claim their second consecutive ACC tournament title.

Tagliente Approaching Points Record
Maryland's three-time All-American and Honda award hopeful Carla Tagliente (Cortland, N.Y.) has opened the 2000 field hockey season in fine style, displaying the on and off-field leadership for which she has come to be known. Described in the fall preview issue of Sports Illustrated For Women as "the dominant player for the dominant team in the country," the senior is poised to take her place atop the Maryland all-time scoring charts.

Entering her final campaign in fourth place with 139 career points, Tagliente has amassed 11 goals and three assists for 25 points in 2000. The two-time GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American now has 164 career points, just one shy of Lisa Buente's (1997-90) record mark of 165. With a career total of 65 goals scored, the senior is also only five short of Buente's all-time record of 70.

As a part of the 2000 Terps, the tri-captain is second on the team in points (25), second in goals scored (11), tied for first with a pair of game-winning goals and tied for fourth with three assists.

Terps At A Glance
Maryland's combination of the top scoring offense in the nation and a top-20 defense (according to Sept. 11's national statistics release) has helped the Terrapins to its dominating 7-0 record. The Terp offense, led by All-Americans Carla Tagliente, Rachel Hiskins (Victoria, Australia), Caroline Walter (Reilingen, Germany) and Keli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.) has overwhelmed opponents with 51 goals on 229 shot attempts, while Maryland's defense anchored by seniors Molly Kauffman (West Lawn, Pa.), Lindsay Gorewitz (Rockville, Md.) and junior Autumn Welsh (Macungie, Pa.) has limited foes to nine goals on 36 attempts.

Meanwhile, Maryland's junior stalwart goalkeeper Ashley Hohnstine (Oak Hill, Va.) has protected the Terp cage with a 0.98 goals against average and a .727 save percentage. Maryland's savior was rated in the top-20 in GAA last week and should rocket up the charts, not allowing a goal in her last 232:55 minutes played.

International Appeal, Part III
Maryland's international All-Americans, junior Caroline Walter and senior Rachel Hiskins (Victoria, Australia), have continued to terrorize opponent defenses through the Terps' first seven games.

Hiskins paces the 2000 Terps with 32 points, 13 goals scored and a .520 shot percentage. She also ranks second with six assists. The senior has posted three hat trick performances on the season -- a four goal, one assist match vs. Ohio, a three goal effort that helped the Terps beat Old Dominion in double-overtime and a four goal, three assist performance vs. Radford for a career-high 11 single-game points. The midfielder from "down under" set the single season point scoring record a season ago with 67 in 25 games.

Walter lists third in each of the points (24), goals (10) and assists (4) categories and is tied for the lead with two game-winning scores. The junior, affectionately referred to by her teammates as "Arnie," has scored at least two points in all but one of the 2000 Terrapins' seven matches. Walter scored a goal and tallied an assist against UConn, posted a pair of goals vs. Ohio, dished out two assists in the Terps' double-overtime victory over Old Dominion and scored two and assisted on a goal vs. Delaware before her four-score flurry to help the Terps over Towson. The 1999 ACC Player of the Year led the Terps with 24 goals and five game-winners.

Meharg Approaching Milestone
Maryland added three victories to Terp head coach Missy Meharg's career record as the Terps beat local rival Towson, No. 12 UMass and Radford. With a career slate of 195-68-9, Meharg is only five victories away from the 200 win plateau. The Terps' mentor is currently 17th all-time in collegiate field hockey in wins, and would move into 16th place with two more victories, passing her college coach at Delaware, Mary Ann Hitchens, who amassed a 196-76-33 career record. The Terps have won more than 15 games each season since 1990.

TERPS BY THE NUMBERS
0
Shot attempts allowed Delaware by Maryland's defense on Sept. 8.

No. 1
Maryland's ranking according to the first official NFHCA coaches poll of the 2000 season, released Sept. 12. SI For Women also picked the Terps as the top team in the nation in its fall preview issue.

0.98
Goals against average of Terp junior keeper Ashley Hohnstine after two games. Opposing goalies possess a 7.05 GAA.

3
National championships won by the University of Maryland's field hockey program (1987, 1993, 1999).

3
ACC Tournament titles won by the University of Maryland's field hockey program (1992, 1998, 1999).

5
Victories needed by Missy Meharg to reach 200 career wins.

7
Number of helpers dished out by 2000 season assist leader, All-American Keli Smith.

"Top 5"
Maryland is among the "Top Five Field Hockey Teams to Watch" in 2000, according to ESPN.com.

8
Career hat-trick performances by senior captain and three-time All-American Carla Tagliente. Tagliente began the 2000 season with a pair of three-goal efforts.

13 and 32
Goals and assists recorded by team leeader, Rachel Hiskins.

29
The current school-record win streak established by the Terrapins, begun Sept. 10, 1999.

51-9
Goal margin put forth by the Terps in the seven matches of the 2000 season.

229-36
Shot advantage enjoyed by the Terps in their seven matches.

                          2000 ACC Standings
	             Overall	               ACC
Team	        W	L	T	W	L	T
Maryland	7	0	0	0	0	0
Wake Forest	7	0	0	0	0	0
North Carolina	6	1	0	0	0	0
Virginia	3	2	0	0	0	0
Duke	        3	4	0	0	0	0

Contact: Mark Fratto
301-314-7064 (Phone)
301-314-9094 (FAX)
301-314-TERP (Fan Phone)
fratto@wam.umd.edu