No. 1 Terps Open Three-Match Week With Delaware At Home

Oct. 24, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland field hockey team (12-3, 3-1 ACC) comes down the home stretch of the regular season with three matches as part of a busy week. The Terrapins, back on top in the NFHCA Coaches Poll and listed second in the NCAA rankings, host Delaware at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday under the lights at the Artificial Turf Facility. After a Friday night trip to Harrisonburg, Va., to face No. 17 James Madison, Maryland returns home on Sunday for "Senior Day" vs. Drexel at 1 p.m.

The Terps are coming off a pair of tremendous team performances against two of their biggest rivals. After falling to No. 3 Old Dominion at home in overtime, Maryland bounced back with a road win over No. 5 North Carolina. That thrilling overtime victory locked up the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, as well as the conference regular season championship, for the Terrapins.

Maryland renews one of its longest non-conference rivalries tonight when the Fightin' Blue Hens come to College Park. The Terps own a 13-10-2 series advantage against Delaware, with Old Dominion ranking as the only more frequently played out-of-conference foe for Maryland. The Terrapins have not lost to Delaware since a 1-2 defeat in Newark on Sept. 22, 1998. Terp head coach Missy Meharg is 8-3-2 against her alma mater after a 8-0 shutout last season at Rullo Stadium. The Terp defense allowed zero shots in that meeting.

After the trip to JMU, be sure to join the Terrapins back here on Sunday. Before Maryland's match against Drexel, the Terp seniors will be honored for their years of dedicated service to their team and university. Fans will also have an opportunity to win a family four-pack of football season tickets for 2002.


           2001 ACC Standings
	          Overall      ACC
Team	          W  L  T    W	L  T
MARYLAND	 12  3  0    3	1  0
Wake Forest	 10  3  0    2	1  0
North Carolina	 12  4  0    2	2  0
Virginia	 10  5  0    1	2  0
Duke	          9  6  0    0	2  0

Promotions And Giveaways

Poster Giveaways: Be sure to stop by the Maryland Sports Marketing table to pick up the 2001 Maryland Field Hockey poster. The marketing table is located just inside the main entrance to the Artificial Turf Facility.

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.

Back On Top

With a 1-0 overtime victory over ACC rival North Carolina last week to clinch the ACC regular season championship, the Maryland field hockey squad (12-3, 3-1 ACC) regained the No. 1 position in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll. The Tar Heels had beaten last week's No. 1, Old Dominion, on Wednesday. Maryland's victory assures the squad of the top seed in the ACC Tournament, held Nov. 1-4 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The NCAA National Rankings, on which the seedings for the NCAA Championships are based, were released on Tuesday, Oct. 23. The Terrapins moved up to No. 2 after being ranked fourth in Oct. 10's poll.

Maryland totals four victories over teams in the coaches' top 10 and boasts an 8-3 record against the top 20. The Terps have taken the No. 1 spot in four of the six coaches polls this season after spending 11 straight votes on top, from Oct. 26, 1999, to Oct. 17, 2000. The Terrapins have been ranked in the top 5 in every NFHCA Poll in each of the last three seasons.

With one of the toughest schedules in the nation, Maryland plays a total of 11 regular season matches against teams listed in this week's top 20. Maryland meets the No. 17 James Madison Dukes this Friday in Harrisonburg, Va., between Wednesday's home match against Delaware and Sunday's "Senior Day" against Drexel. Maryland could face any one of the four top 20 ACC teams in the conference championships.

Welsh Claims Weekly ACC Honors

Two-time All-American and 2000 ACC Tournament MVP Autumn Welsh (Macungie, Pa.) was named ACC Field Hockey Player of the Week, announced Monday. The senior back anchored a tremendous defensive effort in No. 2 Maryland's 1-0 overtime victory over No. 5 North Carolina.

Welsh served as a key to a defense that helped the Terps to a 21-6 shot advantage over the 76:26 minute-long match. The Honda Award hopeful also denied UNC's Stephanie Fuller with a defensive save on a fast break opportunity late in the second half to send the game to overtime.

The win boosted Maryland to a 3-1 ACC record, locking up the regular season conference title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The victory also marked the Terps' eighth shutout of the season.

Welsh is the backbone of a defense that leads the ACC and ranks third in the nation with a 0.83 goals against average. The backfield, which includes senior goalkeeper Ashley Hohnstine (Oak Hill, Va.), junior Kateri Simon (Fallston, Md.), redshirt-freshman Sara Silvetti (Wapwallopen, Pa.) and true freshman Kristin Harris (Lititz, Pa.) among others, shut out the Tar Heels, who rank second in the conference and the country in scoring offense (to the Terps). The Tar Heels averaged 4.45 goals per game headed into the match.

Welsh is a hopeful candidate for the Honda Award, given to the "most outstanding player" in 15 women's collegiate sports. She is also the co-author of "Inside the Circle," a weekly behind-the-scenes look at Maryland field hockey.

No. 1 Terps Open Three-Match Week With Delaware At Home

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