Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Oct. 16, 2001
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Fresh off a dramatic 1-0 double-overtime victory over No. 8 Clemson on Audra Poulin's (Silver Spring, Md.) first-career goal, the Maryland women's soccer team will take on a pair of CAA opponents this week. James Madison (6-6-1 overall) comes to College Park for a Wednesday matchup at 7 p.m. Then the Terps travel to Williamsburg, Va. to face William & Mary (6-6-1) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Maryland Picks Up Ninth Win All-Time Vs. Top-10 Team
Maryland's win over No. 8 Clemson was its ninth all-time against a team ranked in the Top 10 of the NSCAA poll. The last time, Maryland upset a top-10 team came on Aug. 29, 2000, when Maryland shocked No. 4 Penn State, 3-1 at Ludwig Field.
The win was also Maryland's 31st all-time against a team ranked in the Top 25.
Maryland has now upset Clemson in each of its of its last three visits to Ludwig Field, when the Tigers were ranked in the NSCAA Top 10. The Terps beat then-No. 9 Clemson, 2-0 on Oct. 12, 1997 and also beat then-No. 9 Clemson on Oct. 17, 1999 in overtime.
The win over Clemson in 1999 was also Maryland's last home overtime game prior to last Saturday's shocker.
Maryland's first-ever win over a Top-10 team came when the Terps shocked No. 8 William & Mary, 2-1 on Oct. 8, 1993.
TERP WINS OVER TOP 10
Oct. 8, 1993 Maryland 2, #8 William & Mary 1
Oct. 1, 1995 #12 Maryland 2, #7 Duke 1
Oct. 12, 1997 #19 Maryland 2, #9 Clemson 0
Nov. 7, 1997 #18 Maryland 2, #8 Duke 1
Sept. 18, 1998 Maryland 3, #9 Duke 1
Sept. 19, 1999 Maryland 4, #9 Duke 3 (OT)
Oct. 17, 1999 Maryland 2, #9 Clemson 1 (OT)
Aug. 29, 2000 #23 Maryland 3, #4 Penn State 1
Oct. 13, 2001 Maryland 1, #8 Clemson 0 (OT)
Poulin Named ACC Player Of Week after Memorable One
Audra Poulin scored the game-winner against Clemson at the 110:53 mark as she took a pass down the center of the field from fellow sophomore Jen Biscoe (Baltimore, Md.) and beat Clemson keeper Katie Carson to the left side from about five yards out.
The goal came on the 63rd shot of Poulin's two year-career, ending a scoreless drought spanning her 30 collegiate games at Maryland.
Poulin was named ACC Co-Player of the Week after scoring the goal. She shared the honor with Virginia senior midfielder Laura Gaworecki. It is Poulin's first player of the week honor.
"This is just one of the greatest moments of my life," said an overwhelmed Poulin after the game. "After having gone so long with so many shots and not scoring I'm so happy that my first goal is such a great one. Jen Biscoe really set it up for me, she laid a perfect drive for me and I thought to myself, I'm going to hit this ball as hard as I can -- and it went in!"
Winning By Shutout
Maryland has won all six of its games in 2001 via the shutout route.
Senior captain Ali Wolff (Richmond, Va.) has recorded the whitewash in all six matches, recording a stellar 0.61 goals against average.
Wolff's six shutouts set a personal career high for her, besting her mark of five shutouts in a season set in 1997 and tied in 1999.
The six shutouts in a season also stands third all-time for most single-season shutouts, all-time. Only Missy Price in 1996 and Heather Rowe in 1988 recorded more in a season, with nine.
The six shuouts through the first 11 games, equals last season's total of six shutouts.
The school record for shutouts in a season is 13, set in 1996 with Price recording nine of them.
The Series With James Madison
The Terps and Dukes have met 12 previous times, dating to 1990 with Maryland holding an 8-4 series advantage.
Maryland got back on the winning track vs. the Dukes last season as Sara Gustafson (Reisterstown, Md.) scored two goals in the 2-1 victory at Harrisonburg Va. on Oct. 17, 2000.
In the last game at Ludwig Field, James Madison ended a Terps' run of five straight wins in the series with a 2-1 upset victory in College Park Sept. 26, 1999.
The Terps have won three straight games in Harrisonburg, winning 1-0 in the last meeting on Oct. 6, 1998.
They have also met once in the NCAA Tournament, with the Terps winning 6-1 on Nov. 18, 1995. That game was Maryland's first ever NCAA game.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Maryland leads 8-4-0
The All-Time Meetings
Oct. 17, 2000 Maryland 2, J. Madison 1
Sept. 26, 1999 J. Madison 2, Maryland 1
Oct. 6, 1998 Maryland 1, J. Madison 0
Sept. 4, 1997 Maryland 2, J. Madison 0
Sept. 13, 1996 Maryland 2, J. Madison 1 (ot)
Nov. 18, 1995 Maryland 6, J. Madison 1
(NCAA Tourn.)
Oct. 18, 1995 Maryland 2, J. Madison 1
Sept. 29, 1994 J. Madison 3, Maryland 1
Sept. 29, 1993 Maryland 2, J. Madison 1
Sept. 29, 1992 Maryland 1, J. Madison 0
Oct. 3, 1991 James Madison 3, Maryland 1
Sept. 23, 1990 James Madison 4, Maryland 1
Wolff Moving Up All-Time Keeper Charts
Maryland senior goalkeeper Ali Wolff continues to re-write the record book when it comes to Maryland goalkeeping.
She added to her Maryland school record for career shutouts as she moved her career total to 17.5 with three saves vs. No. 8 Clemson on Oct. 13.
Wolff set the school record when she made one save as the Terps blanked East Carolina, 1-0 on Sept. 9. Wolff broke the tie she had been in with former teammate Riki-Ann Serrins, who had 13.5 from 1997-2000.
She now has six shutouts (vs. Towson, Duke, East Carolina, George Washington, Loyola and Clemson) and a 0.61 goals against average on the season.
Wolff was named ACC Player of the Week (Aug. 31-Sept.3) after recording her first two shutouts of the season including a 2-0 upset over No. 17 Duke on Sept. 2, 2001.
She ranks in the top four in every one of Maryland's all-time goalkeeper stats.
With her start vs. Virginia, Wolff moved into second place all along for total goalkeeper games played with 60.
Wolff passed Riki-Ann Serrins for third all-time in career saves with two saves vs. North Carolina and now has 228.
Also with her start vs. the Tar Heels she moved into second all-time in goalie games started with 53 passing Missy Price, who started 52 from 1993-96. She has now started 55 games between the pipes.
Wolff passed Price for goalie minutes played in the 22nd minute of the North Carolina game. Price played 4,483 minutes second to only Cailin Mullins' 6,098. Wolff has now played in 4,753 minutes with the Terps
Category Rank Total Record
Shutouts First 17.5 17.5 (Ali Wolff)
Minutes Played Second 4,753 6,098 (Cailin Mullins)
Games Played Second 60 70 (Cailin Mullins)
Games Started Second 55 66 (Cailin Mullins)
Saves Third 228 361 (Cailin Mullins)
GAA Fourth 1.57 1.07 (Kassie Knecht)
Senior Day Set For Oct. 30
Senior Day will take place at the Terps' regular-season home finale on Oct. 30 against Mount St. Mary's. Maryland will recognize and honor seniors Courtney Beirne (Westminster, Md.), Jenny Boyd (Herndon, Va.), Sara Gustafson (Reisterstown, Md.), Debbie Lieberman (Commack, N.Y.) and Ali Wolff (Richmond, Va.).
Maryland Scores First-Ever Goal Vs. North Carolina
Before the largest crowd (2,728) since a record of 4,380 came out on Oct. 10, 1997, the Maryland women's soccer team recorded its first-ever goal against North Carolina. Courtney Beirne (Westminster, Md.) scored in the 23rd minute against the No. 1 Tar Heels on Oct. 5, 2001 as Maryland fell, 3-1. The Terps had been outscored 77-0, after UNC took a 1-0 lead in the 5th minute of Friday's game, dating back to the first game in 1987, spanning 18 games. Beirne tipped in a pass from Jen Biscoe to tie the game 1-1 at 22:20.
Maryland's Rebuilt Defense
Head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski has had to juggle her lineup due to injuries to three starting defenders. All three Maryland junior backs have missed part of the season or will miss the entire campaign.
Junior Valerie Lawrence (Silver Spring, Md.), who suffered a severely sprained right ankle against East Carolina on Sept. 9, missed her first four career games. She returned to action for the final three minutes against North Carolina on Oct. 5. She played about half of the game at Virginia.
Junior Carly Viher (Mentor, Ohio) will miss the entire season after suffering a torn left ACL in practice on Aug. 29. She underwent successful surgery on Sept. 13.
Junior Sally Harrison (Virginia Beach, Va.) had her streak of 45 consecutive starts ended by a dislocated left kneecap suffered in a scrimmage on Sept. 16. She has missed every game starting with the George Washington game on Sept. 21.
With Viher out, Katie Kruse (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) has started the past 10 games, playing every minute of the 10 matches helping the Terps to a 0.61 goals against average.
Freshman Lindsay Niehaus (Cincinnati, Ohio) has drawn her first seven starts in the backfield.
With Lawrence and Harrison missing, Higgins-Cirovski moved starting forward Sara Gustafson (Reisterstown, Md.) to right back for three games, and has now inserted midfielder Katie Ludwig (Mount Laurel. N.J.) at that right back spot since the Loyola match on Sept. 30.
The Rankings
Maryland is not ranked in the NSCAA top 25 poll of Oct. 15. The Terps were second among teams receiving votes in the Sept. 10-17 poll.
After not being ranked in any preseason polls, the Terps cracked three of the national women's soccer polls released Sept. 3, coming in at No. 14 in the NSCAA poll.
On Sept. 3, The Terps checked in at No. 14 in the NSCAA Coaches' poll, No. 16 in the College Soccer Online media poll and No. 25 in the Soccer Buzz.com poll.
After upsetting No. 17 Duke, 2-0, the Maryland women's soccer team jumped into the NSCAA Coaches' Poll at No. 14 after beginning the year unranked. That put the Terps are back in the NSCAA poll for the first time in nearly a year when they were No. 21 in mid-September of 2000.
The No. 14 ranking was the second highest for the Terps in the tenure of Shannon Higgins-Cirovski. Last season, Maryland was ranked No. 9 for a week after upsetting then-No. 4 Penn State on Aug. 29, 2000.
It also equaled Maryland's second highest ranking since the start of the 1998 season. The Terps were No. 14 for a week in the middle of October in 1998.
Maryland's win over a ranked team (No. 8 Clemson on Oct. 13) marked the 31st time in school history the Terps beat a team in the top 25. Since 1995, the Terps have won 25 games against top 25 teams.
Media Information
WMUC Radio: Maryland's student radio station WMUC (88.1 FM) will broadcast up to 10 Maryland women's soccer games in 2001. 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. Heather Schwartz will handle play-by-play.
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.
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. 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.