Red-Hot Terps Host Senior Day This Tuesday Vs. Mount St. Mary's

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Oct. 29, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -

Senior Day will take place at the Terps' regular-season home finale on this Tuesday, 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.).

Senior forward Courtney Beirne has played in every game since she came to Maryland in 1998, seeing action in all 79 games, drawing 47 starts. She has scored eight goals and added eight assists over her career for 24 points. Her senior season has seen her set career marks in goals with four and tie her career-high in points with nine. She became the first Terp ever to score against North Carolina when she tied the game on Oct. 5 with her goal.

Senior midfielder Jenny Boyd has been the comeback story of 2001. After missing the past two seasons with various injuries, this senior has started the last 11 games and now leads the team in assists with six. She scored her first career goal last weekend at NC State and continued her hot stretch with six points in her last three games. Overall, she has played in 31 career games since coming to College Park in 1997 posting nine points.

Senior forward Sara Gustafson has made a habit of scoring big goals since she came to Maryland back in 1999 after a season at Indiana University. Last season, she set the school record for goals in a game with four against Howard. She also posted her first career hat trick to lift Maryland to a 3-1 victory over then-No. 4 Penn State for the school's first win over a top-five ranked team. Overall, she has played in 56 games with the Terps, starting 45, scoring 15 goals and adding six assists for 36 points.

Senior defender Debbie Lieberman has been the complete student-athlete during her four years at Maryland. She has played in 19 matches during her career. Off the field, she has been a stellar student maintaining a 3.755 GPA with the double major in psychology and communication. She has kept a journal of the women's soccer season for umterps.com over the past two years. She has also been active with the Public Relations Student Society of America, interned with the Maryland General Assembly and the Washington Freedom of the WUSA.

Senior keeper Ali Wolff has rewritten the Maryland record book when it comes to goalkeeping. A dynamic three-time team captain, she is vying for All-ACC honors as a senior as she ranks among the leaders in goal against average with a sparking 0.62 mark in 2001. She is also second in shutouts with eight. Earlier this season she set the school record for career shutouts and currently has 19.5 whitewashes after picking up one at NC State. She ranks in the top four all-time at Maryland keeper in games played (64), games started (59), saves (244), minutes (5,153) and goals against average (1.52).

Maryland Vs. The Mount

Mount St. Mary's comes to Maryland with a 1-14-0 record having lost six games in a row. The Mountaineers' only win came against Long Island on Oct. 5, a 2-1 win in Emmitsburg. Overall, the Mount has scored just six goals. They lost 4-1 to UMBC in their most recent game on Sunday.

Maryland and Mount St. Mary's have played just one time, 13 years ago, a 1-0 Terp win on Oct. 17, 1988 in Emmitsburg. Md. Red Hot Terps On A Roll After Win At NC State

Maryland (9-4-2 overall) continued its winning way with a 2-0 victory at NC State. The Terps are now 4-0-1 in its last five games and are edging closer to securing an NCAA bid. Maryland has beaten Clemson (1-0 in OT) on Oct. 13, tied James Madison (0-0) on Oct. 17, and won three straight over William & Mary (2-1) on Oct. 21, Rutgers (3-2 in OT) on Oct. 24 and NC State (2-0) on Oct. 28.

Jenny Boyd (Herndon, Va.) has been on a roll, recording six points in her last three games. The senior midfielder scored her first career goal for the game-winner against NC State as she headed home a Lindsay Givens (Downingtown, Pa.) throw-in in the 20th minute. Boyd also assisted the second goal of the game with a corner kick that led to the tally by Kim King (Media, Pa.). Boyd assisted Jen Biscoe's (Baltimore, Md.) game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime win over Rutgers on Oct. 24 and assisted both goals in the 2-1 win at William & Mary on Oct. 21.

Ali Wolff (Richmond, Va.) posted her eighth shutout of the season at NC State, making two saves. She now has a 0.62 goals against average, second in the ACC and 10th overall in the nation.

ACC Seedings At Stake

The Maryland-Florida State game on Friday night is one of two match-ups that night which will determine the ACC seedings for the 2001 tournament at in Winston-Salem, that starts on Nov. 8. Virginia also faces Wake Forest on Friday night in Charlottesville, Va.

Maryland (3-3 in the ACC) can be seeded between three and six based on the current standings. The Terps are tied with Florida State and Wake Forest, who are also 3-3. Virginia stands in second place with a 4-2 record and Clemson has finished its ACC season at 4-3.

With a Maryland win over FSU and a Virginia win over Wake, the Terps would be seeded third as they would finish in a tie with Clemson at 4-3. But, with Maryland's regular-season win over Clemson on Oct. 13, the Terps would get the tie-breaker and place third. Both Florida State and Wake Forest would then finish 3-4, but Wake would finish fifth by virtue of its 4-2 win over the Seminoles on Oct. 20. That would set up a second straight matchup between Maryland and Florida State on the heels of the regular-season finale.

With a Maryland win over FSU and a Wake win over Virginia, the Terps, Deacons, Cavaliers and Tigers would all be 4-3. The Terps would finish fifth by virtue of tie breakers behind No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Wake Forest and No. 4 Virginia. That would set up a Maryland-Virginia match in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

If the Terps were to lose to Florida State, they would finish at 3-4 and be sixth no matter what else happened in the other game.

Terps Eye NCAA Bid

With its wins over William & Mary and Rutgers, Maryland has nearly assured itself of an NCAA Tournament bid. It would be the Terps' sixth bid in seven years. Coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski feels strongly about the Terps chances with the field expanded to 64 teams in 2001. "I feel very good about our chances to get into the NCAA Tournament now," she said after the Rutgers match. "I think with this win (Rutgers), the win over William & Mary, the win over Clemson and even though Duke's not doing well, I think that's a good win. Most people still consider it a good win. The strength of our schedule, I think they'll consider that. And I think it solidifies, unless we go on an absolute landslide, it solidifies that we are going to stay in the top five in our region."

Winning By Shutout

Maryland has won seven of its nine games in 2001 via the shutout route. They won their first six by blanking their opponents, prior to the 2-1 win at William & Mary on Oct. 21. The Terps got back on the shutout trail with a 2-0 blanking of NC State on Oct. 28.

Senior captain Ali Wolff has recorded whitewashes in those seven wins and one in a scoreless tie vs. James Madison. She has recorded a stellar 0.62 goals against average.

Wolff's eight 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 eight shutouts in a season also stands third all-time for the most single-season shutouts, all-time. Only Missy Price in 1996 and Heather Rowe in 1988 recorded more in a season, with nine.

With six shutouts in the first 11 games, Maryland equaled last season's total of six shutouts, and surpassed it with a shutout in game No. 12, a scoreless tie with James Madison.

The school record for shutouts in a season is 13, set in 1996 with Price recording nine of them.

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 19.5 with two saves vs. NC State in a 2-0 win on Oct. 28.

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 eight shutouts (vs. Towson, Duke, East Carolina, George Washington, Loyola, Clemson, James Madison and NC State) and a 0.62 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 and now has 64.

Wolff passed Riki-Ann Serrins for third all-time in career saves with two saves vs. North Carolina and now has 244.

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 59 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 5,153 minutes with the Terps.

Category Rank Total Record
Shutouts First 19.5 19.5 (Ali Wolff)
Minutes Played Second 5,153 6,098 (Cailin Mullins)
Games Played Second 64 70 (Cailin Mullins)
Games Started Second 59 66 (Cailin Mullins)
Saves Third 244 361 (Cailin Mullins)
GAA Fourth 1.52 1.07 (Kassie Knecht)

Maryland Picks Up Ninth Win All-Time Vs. Top-10 Team

Maryland's win over No. 8 Clemson on Oct. 13, 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.

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 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 14 games, playing every minute of the 14 matches helping the Terps to a 0.62 goals against average.

Freshman Lindsay Niehaus (Cincinnati, Ohio) has drawn the last 11 starts in the backfield.

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. In the last three games, Lawrence has been used primarily as a midfielder, returning to the position she played as a freshman with the Terps.

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.

Poulin Named ACC Player Of Week after Memorable Week

Audra Poulin (Silver Spring, Md.) was named ACC Co-Player of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal to beat No. 8 Clemson on Oct. 13. She shared the honor with Virginia senior midfielder Laura Gaworecki. It was Poulin's first player of the week honor.

She was also named Maryland Female Student-Athlete of the Week for her achievement.

Poulin scored the game-winner against Clemson on 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.

"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!"

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.

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.

Red-Hot Terps Host Senior Day This Tuesday Vs. Mount St. Mary's

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