No. 1 Terps Host Virginia Commonwealth, No. 3 Old Dominion

Oct. 10, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Now entering the second half of the season, the top-ranked Terrapin field hockey squad (10-2, 2-1 ACC) welcomes Virginia Commonwealth and No. 3 Old Dominion to College Park as part of "PUMA Weekend." Maryland field hockey fans will have the opportunity to win PUMA gear as the Terps meet the VCU Rams on Saurday, Oct. 13, and the Monarchs on Sunday, Oct. 14. Both matches are scheduled for 1 p.m.

The Terrapins face the Rams for only the fourth time in school history on Saturday, but renew their largest non-conference rivalry when Old Dominion visits on Sunday. Maryland and ODU square off for the 28th time in school history on Sunday and the second time this season. The Terrapins will attempt to exact revenge from a 1-2 loss in Norfolk, Va., on Sept. 1.

Maryland comes off an emotional weekend of hockey, romping over Rutgers, 10-0, only 24 hours after rallying to down Duke, 6-5 in OT. The Terps found themselves facing a 4-0 deficit within the first 20 minutes of the Duke game, and clawed all the way back to tie it in the second half. Down 5-4 in the waning moments, redshirt-freshman Sara Silvetti (Wapwallopen, Pa.) fired in a goal with no time on the clock to send the game into overtime. Just 40 seconds into the extra session Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass.) sent home the game-winner to cap the Terps' comeback and her first career hat trick.

Maryland remains the top-ranked team in the country after the victories over Rutgers and Duke. The Terrapins own a 5-2 record against NFHCA Top 20 opponents and have outscored ranked foes 25-13.

PUMA Weekend Promotions And Giveaways

PUMA T-Shirt Launch: For every Terp goal scored against Virginia Commonwealth at Saturday's game, a PUMA t-shirt will be tossed into the crowd. Come out on Saturday and cheer for Terp goals!

PUMA Jacket Giveaway: Register at the marketing table by the main gate on both Saturday and Sunday for your chance to win a PUMA jacket! A drawing for the jacket will be held at halftime during Sunday's Old Dominion game.

Team Autographs: Be sure to stop by the Maryland Sports Marketing table to pick up the 2001 Maryland Field Hockey poster. After Sunday's match the Terps will be on hand to meet their fans and sign their posters. The autograph session will be held in the picnic area behind the press tent a few moments after the match.

Terp Halftime Dribble N' Shoot: The wild halftime contest from the 2000 season is back for 2001, with a few new twists and surprises. Show off your field hockey skills at halftime and walk away a winner! Sign up to be a Dribble N' Shoot contestant at the marketing table and then listen for your name to be called during the first half.

Still The One

With a pair of victories in the past week, the Maryland field hockey squad held onto the top spot in the 2001 STX/NFHCA Poll for the third consecutive week. The Terrapins spent one week ranked third in the first vote of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (Sept. 11).

The Terrapins longest streak as the No. 1 team in the country spanned 11 votes across the two seasons. Maryland was on top from Oct. 26, 1999 to Oct. 17, 2000.

All five ACC field hockey schools rank in the top 15, with 2000 national semifinalist Wake Forest (8-3) listed No. 4. Joining the top-ranked Terps and Demon Deacons in the top 10 are No. 5 North Carolina (8-3) and No. 8 Virginia, which owns an 8-3 record as well. Duke (7-4) is ranked 11th according to this week's vote.

Including the Oct. 6 overtime win against Duke, Maryland plays a total of 10 regular season matches against teams listed in this week's top 20. Maryland meets No. 3 Old Dominion for the second time this season on Sunday.


STX/NFHCA Coaches Poll * Oct. 9, 2001

Rnk.  Institution (record)    Points	Prev.
1.    Maryland (10-2)	      597 (27)	1	
2.    Michigan (10-2)	      549 (3)	3
3.    Old Dominion (9-3)      522	4
4.    Wake Forest (7-3)       517	6
5.    North Carolina (8-3)    483	2
6.    Michigan State (10-4)   433	7
7.    Princeton (7-2)         394	5
8.    Virginia (8-3)          391	8
9.    Louisville (11-2)	      357	9
10.   Ohio State (9-2)	      336	10
11.   William & Mary (10-2)   305	12
12.   Ohio (10-2)             274	11
13.   Duke (7-4)              245	13
14.   Kent State (6-5)        199	14
15.   James Madison (8-4)     197	16
16.   Northeastern (9-2)      132	15
17.   Iowa (7-3)              129	18
18.   Penn State (5-6)        122	17
19.   Syracuse (8-2)	       62	19
20.   Dartmouth (6-3)	       14	NR


Also Receiving Votes: Villanova (12), Holy Cross (11), Harvard (6),
Delaware (5), Richmond (3), Cal-Berkeley (2), Connecticut (2), Hofstra (1).


Terrapin opponents are bolded.

Rizzo Named Maryland Student-Athlete Of The Week

Senior midfielder Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass.) was named Maryland Student-Athlete of the Week, along with Terp quarterback Shaun Hill, after her first career hat trick in Maryland's 6-5 OT win at Duke.

With Maryland trailing 4-0 in the first half, Rizzo scored the Terps' first goal, the game-tying goal (at 4-4) and the game-winner 40 seconds into the first extra period to complete the Terrapin comeback and the hat trick.

Her six points against Duke is a new single-game career-high.

Rizzo did not figure statistically against Rutgers but had an exceptional game in the midfield as the Terps romped, 10-0.

Awesome Autumn And The "D"

One of the more diminutive Terps at 5'4", Autumn Welsh (Macungie, Pa.) is used to being underestimated. But if you ask anyone in the field hockey world about the two-time All-American, coaches and athletes are quick with praise.

As the anchor of the Terrapins' talented but inexperienced backfield, Welsh's contributions are reflected in Maryland's defensive statistics. The Terps boast the fourth-rated scoring defense in the nation, holding the opposition to 0.96 goals per game and 5.8 shots per game. Conversely the Terps' top-ranked offense scores 4.66 goals on 26.4 shots per game.

The Maryland defense has combined for six shutout victories in 12 games this season. Against ranked teams, the squad has outscored opponents 25-13.

Strong Island Off To Strong Start

Long Island native Colleen Barbieri (Centereach, N.Y.) exploded onto the college field hockey scene in the first half of the season. One of the most heralded high school prospects in the country, Barbieri has lived up to the hype, leading the Terrapins' top-ranked scoring attack for most of 2001.

Twelve games into the season, Barbieri paces the No. 1 Terps and the nation's top field hockey conference in scoring with 25 points. Eleven goals ranks Barbieri second in the ACC and makes her a prime candidate for "Rookie of the Year" honors at this early date.

Barbieri's "Strong Island" mentality and knack for the goal cage has earned her ACC Player of the Week accolades twice already this season: on Aug. 27 after two goals and one assist in the Terps' first two games and on Sept. 24 after three goals combined against No. 6 Michigan State and No. 7 Wake Forest.

The freshman suffered a high ankle sprain in the game vs. Rutgers, and is listed week-to-week.

A Team Of Many Weapons

Maryland brings perhaps its deepest team in history to the field in 2001. The Terps' regular starters are undoubtedly some of the most talented athletes in college field hockey, but equally skilled reserves are listed from the top to the bottom of the roster.

Maryland's ranking as the top scoring offense in the nation (4.66 goals per game) is directly related to the sqaud's depth. Fourteen Terps have scored goals in 2001 including Colleen Barbieri and Dina Rizzo who list second and third in the conference with 11 and 10 goals, respectively.

Game Captains

Eight fourth-year players, nine newcomers, and seven in between. All are ready to contribute for the Terps in 2001, and consistent with that theme, each member of the Maryland squad experiences captaincy at some point during the season.

Rather than having team captains in 2001, the coaching staff has decided to rotate different "Game Captains" for each contest. Ashley Hohnstine (Oak Hill, Va.) and Christina Pernia (Burtonsville, Md.) will be the captain and vice captain, respectively, for the Terps' match against VCU, while Angie Klingerman (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and Sara Silvetti (Wapwallopen, Pa.) will be in those roles against Old Dominion.

SI For Women Tabs Terps

Sports Illustated for Women released their fall issue this September, making preseason predictions for the champion of every women's college sport. For field hockey and women's lacrosse, their reports point to Maryland.

Here's what SI had to say about Missy Meharg's Terps: "The Winner: University of Maryland. The Terrapins, four-time ACC champs, have eight seniors welcoming nine talented freshmen, including junior national teammates Colleen Barbieri and Emily Boyer. Senior midfielder Rachel Hiskins, who slammed in 22 goals last year, will lead the newbies by example."

Team All-America

Returning three nationally honored players, six regional award winners and adding three freshmen that merited high school accolades, Maryland could be referred to as "Team All-America."

A pair of international Terrapins, seniors Rachel Hiskins and Caroline Walter are two-time All-Americans. Hiskins was a first team selection in 2000 after earning second team honors in 1999. Walter captured second team honors last season after a first team nod in 1999.

Senior back Autumn Welsh returns to the Maryland defense after a stellar 2000 as the anchor of the backfield.

Five Mid-Atlantic Regional All-Americans form the core of the 2001 Terps, including Hiskins, Walter, Welsh, junior Carissa Messimer and senior Dina Rizzo.

Including redshirts, four freshmen high school All-Americans play key roles on the 2001 Terp squad. Redshirt freshman Sara Silvetti was a 1999 first team selection at Crestwood in Pennsylvania. True freshmen Colleen Barbieri, Emily Boyer (Oak Park, Ill.) and Kristin Harris (Lititz, Pa.) were All-Americans as high school seniors in 2000.

Scouting Va. Commonwealth

Virginia Commonwealth is off to a tough start in 2001, having defeated NCAA Tournament participant New Hampshire before a 12-game slide. The Rams, however, have played some of their toughest hockey against elite teams, losing to then-No. 2 Old Dominion only 1-0 (Sept. 22), No. 11 Virginia 2-0 (Sept. 26) and No. 16 James Madison 1-0 (Oct. 3).

Fourth-year head coach Dawn Hill owns a 20-72 record at Virginia Commonwealth. The coach was an assistant at Maryland during the 1991 season, helping the Terrapins to the national semifinals.

Sophomore Nicole Sullivan leads the Rams with four goals and nine points. Emily Mountjoy has dished out five assists, while sophomore Abby Stiles has a .667 save percentage in the VCU cage and made 12 saves against Old Dominion.

The Terrapins have won all three meetings in the series with Virginia Commonwealth, inlcuding a 4-0 shutout in Richmond on Oct. 14 last season.

Scouting Old Dominion

The Old Dominion Monarchs, national champions in 2000, come to College Park to take on the Terps for the second time this season. Maryland's non-conference nemesis began the season 0-2 but bounced back defeat the Terrapins to start a seven-match win streak. After No. 5 Princeton snapped the streak the Monarchs downed New Hampshire and UConn, and will face No. 11 William & Marybefore coming to play the Terps.

Junior goalie Marybeth Freeman has the fifth-best GAA in the nation at 0.98, and also a knack for stepping up against the Terps. Freeman made six second-half saves on Sept. 1 in Norfolk to thwart the Terps' rally.

Head coach Beth Anders, now in her 20th season, is the winningest Division I coach all-time with 399 victories and an unprecedented nine national championships.

The Terrapins trail in the all-time series, 9-17-1. At 28 games and counting, Old Dominion represents Maryland's most frequent non-conference opponent. The Terrapins and ODU split a pair of matches last season: Maryland battled for a 5-4 double-overtime victory in College Park on Oct. 3 on the strength of Rachel Hiskins' hat trick before the Monarchs exacted revenge, 2-1, in Norfolk on Oct. 15.

No. 1 Terps Host Virginia Commonwealth, No. 3 Old Dominion

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