April 11, 2001

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- One of the best rivalries in sports returns to Byrd Stadium as the No. 5 Maryland Terrapins host the No. 2 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays in men's lacrosse action this Saturday night. The game will be telecast live on WMAR-TV (Channel 2 in Baltimore) for the fourth consecutive season. The Maryland-Hopkins rivalry is one of the most storied in all of lacrosse and this 97th meeting will add another chapter to its lore.

This year's match-up pits a pair of Top-5 teams for the first time in the regular season since 1996, when No. 1 Maryland topped No. 4 Hopkins, 12-9, on April 13 at Homewood Field. The last four regular-season matchups have all showcased teams in the ranked in the Top 8, with Hopkins winning all four.

Maryland Defense Continues To Shine

With its 6-5 win at Navy last Saturday, Maryland continues to shine on defense. The Terps have been ranked No. 1 in scoring defense for the last month and continue to hold the lead, allowing just 5.44 goals per game. The Terps are Princeton, which yields 5.75 goals per game.

Johns Hopkins is ranked No. 7 in scoring defense, allowing 7.29 goals per game.

The Terps have not allowed any of their nine opponents to score more than seven goals this season. Maryland has outscored its opponents 85-49 in 2001. The Terps rank seventh in the nation in scoring margin at +4.00, outscoring its foes, 9.44-5.44.

The defense is anchored by preseason All-American Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.), freshman Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) seniors Kevin Necessary (Pasadena, Md.) and David Rose (Lutherville, Md.). Freshman David Wagner (Severna Park, Md.) has also played a key role off the bench.

Defensive midfielder Brett Harper (Upper Arlington, Ohio) has been stellar all year keeping the opponent's top midfielder at bay. Harper has been crucial in forcing numerous turnovers and laying many bone-crunching hits.

Goalie Pat McGinnis (Ellicott City, Md.) has also been stellar, leading the nation in GAA (5.56) and save percentage (68.9).

Records & Rankings

Maryland enters Saturday's game against Johns Hopkins with a 8-1 record (2-1 in the ACC) beginning the year with wins over Air Force (16-3) and Denver (10-7) at the Denver Pioneer Face-Off Classic, its ACC/home opener against Duke (13-5), at Towson (9-7), at Delaware (10-4) and at home against North Carolina (11-7) and Bucknell (8-4). Maryland suffered its first loss at Virginia (7-2) on March 31. The Terps rebounded with a 6-5 win at Navy.

In the polls of April 9, Maryland is ranked No. 5 in the USILA Coaches' Poll. The Terps are No. 6 in the Brine/360Lacrosse.com poll and the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

The Terps were ranked No. 1 in the USILA poll for the first time in four seasons from March 26-April 1. The Terps were ranked No. 3 for three consecutive weeks prior to the No. 1 ranking on March 26. Prior to the 2001 No. 1 ranking, the last time Maryland was No. 1 was from April 20-April 26 to April 27-May 3, 1998.

The Terps take on eight teams that are ranked in the April 9 USILA poll this season (No. 2 Johns Hopkins, No. 9 Virginia, No. 10 Towson, No. 11 Bucknell, No. 13 Navy, No. 14 North Carolina, No. 15 Duke and No. 16 UMBC.

Johns Hopkins is 5-2 overall, riding a three-game win streak. The Blue Jays opened the year with a loss at then-No. 2 Princeton (8-4) before beating Hofstra (7-6) and the-No. 1 Syracuse (11-10). Following an epic quadruple-overtime loss to Virginia (9-8), the Jays have defeated North Carolina (12-4), Villanova (11-7) and Ohio State (17-7).

Johns Hopkins is ranked No. 2 in all three polls of April 9 (the USILA poll, the Warrior Inside Lacrosse Media poll and the Brine/360 Lacrosse.com poll).

The Storied History With JHU

The Maryland-Johns Hopkins rivalry is the longest in Terrapin lacrosse history with Hopkins holding a 60-35-1 advantage, dating to the first game between the Blue Jays and the Maryland Agricultural College (MAC) in 1895. Saturday's game will be the 97th battle between the rivals -- the most meetings between Maryland and any opponent.

Since the Terrapins elevated to a varsity sport in 1924, Maryland has a 35-50-1 record against Johns Hopkins. There has been at least one Maryland-Hopkins game every year since 1924 with the exception of 1944 and 1945 when World War II kept the schools from fielding teams.

Hopkins won last year's meeting 20-11 on April 15 at Homewood, marking the fourth straight year the Jays won the regular-season match-up.

Maryland and Hopkins split the meetings in 1998 with both teams winning on their home fields. Johns Hopkins topped the then-No. 1 Terps, 10-6, at Homewood Field in the regular-season meeting on April 11, 1998. However, Maryland got revenge in the NCAA Quarterfinals with an 11-10 overtime victory at Byrd Stadium on May 17, 1998.

Maryland captured its first NCAA Championship with a 10-9 double-overtime victory over Hopkins on June 2, 1973. Overall, the Blue Jays have won nine of the 12 meetings in the NCAA Tournament, dating to 1971.

The Terps (24) and Jays (29) have played in the most NCAA Tournaments since it was started in 1971.

Maryland vs. Johns Hopkins (The Last 14 Games)

April 15, 2000	#8 Hopkins 20, #7 Maryland 11
April 16, 1999	#3 Hopkins 13, #7 Maryland 3
May 17, 1998	#5 Maryland 11, #4 Hopkins 10 ot (NCAA QF)
April 11, 1998	#6 Hopkins 10, #1 Maryland 6
April 12, 1997	#7 Hopkins 13, #4 Maryland 9
May 19, 1996	#7 Hopkins 9, #2 Maryland 7 (NCAA QF)
April 13, 1996	#1 Maryland 12, #4 Hopkins 9
May 27, 1995	#4 Maryland 16, #1 Hopkins 8 (NCAA SF)
April 15, 1995	Hopkins 16, Maryland 15
April 10, 1994	Hopkins 12, Maryland 10
April 16, 1993	Hopkins 19, Maryland 11
April 18, 1992	Maryland 13, Hopkins 9
April 20, 1991	Maryland 11, Hopkins 8
April 21, 1990	Hopkins 17, Maryland 11

Individual Terps Vs. Hopkins

Seven different current Terps have scored against Johns Hopkins in their Maryland careers, led by senior Chris Malone (Timonium, Md.) , who has six points on four goals and two assists. Malone tied his career-high with four goals and set a personal best with five points in last year's game ay Homewood Field.

Matt Urlock (Lutherville, Md.), notched a career-high three goals in last year's game to give him four goals vs JHU in his career. But, Urlock is out for the 2001 season with a torn ACL.

Terp Career Statistics vs. Johns Hopkins Chris Malone 4-2-6 Matt Urlock 4-0-4 Andrew Combs 2-1-3 Nate Watkins 1-1-2 Mike LaMonica 0-2-2 Jon Kemezis 1-0-1 Mike Mollot 0-1-1 Pat McGinnis 51 min, 14 saves, 16 GA

Maryland's Last Game Vs. Hopkins: No. 8 Hopkins 20, No. 7 Maryland 11

The seventh-ranked Maryland (7-3) was upended by No. 8 Johns Hopkins (5-3), 20-11 at Homewood Field. Chris Malone tied a career-high with four goals and set a new personal best with five points, to lead the Terps in the loss.

Hopkins came out quick in the first quarter scoring four straight in the first five minutes, including two goals by A.J. Haugen. Maryland finally got on the board with 4:38 left in the first half, when Malone found Andrew "Buggs" Combs for the first Terrapin goal. Combs then returned the favor, feeding Malone just five seconds before the end of the first to close the deficit to two goals by the end of the quarter, 4-2.

The Blue Jays opened the scoring up in the second with three straight goals before Malone hit two more for the Terps to make it a 7-4 Hopkins advantage. Matt Urlock netted the first of his career-high three goals on the night 1:10 before the half to close the gap to two at the break at 8-6.

The second half was all Hopkins, with the Blue Jays scoring 12 goals. Jason Carrier scored his first goal of the season to make it a three-goal lead with 12:10 remaining in the third quarter, 10-7. Urlock would get the Terps as close as two (11-9) with 4:34 remaining in the third, but the Terps would get no closer.

Maryland Head Coach Dick Edell

Maryland's Dick Edell (Towson `67 and inducted into the Towson Hall of Fame in 1980), is in his 29th season of coaching and 18th season at Maryland and is one of the all-time coaching greats of the game.

With an 11-5 mark last season and the 8-1 start in 2001, Edell has the best career ACC record at 166-74 (.692), all at Maryland. On March 11, 2000, Edell became the first coach to reach the 150-win plateau at an ACC school, with the win over Towson.

With a lifetime record of 277-121 (.696) over 28 years following stints at the University of Baltimore, Army and Maryland, Edell is the nation's second-winningest active coach. Ironically, the only coach Edell trails on the active list is Jack Emmer (286-157), who succeeded Edell at Army in 1984.

He is the fourth all-time winningest coach in men's lacrosse annals, overall. He passed former Cornell coach Richie Moran and Syracuse legend Roy Simmons, Sr., last season and former Towson coach Carl Runk (262) with the Terps' win at Cornell on March 18 this season. The all-time leader is former UMass coach Dick Garber (300 wins).

"Big Man," as he is affectionately known, has led his teams to 19 NCAA Tournament appearances (16 in Division I after the 2000 selection), including 12 at Maryland. He has also led the Terps to three ACC championships and three NCAA championship game appearances. He was named the National Coach of the Year by the USILA in 1978 and 1995. He was also selected as the ACC Coach of the Year in 1989, 1992 and 1998.

Edell and his assistant coach for 25 years Dave Slafkosky were featured on the cover of Inside Lacrosse's April 10, 2001 issue.

Winningest Active Coaches (By Wins)
1. Jack Emmer, Army 286-157
2. Dick Edell, Maryland 277-121
3. Glenn Thiel, Penn State 249-159

Winningest All-Time Coaches (By Wins)
1. Dick Garber, Massachusetts 300
2. Roy Simmons, Jr., Syracuse 290
3. Jack Emmer, Army 286
4. Dick Edell, Maryland 277
5. Carl Runk, Towson 262

Winningest All-Time ACC Coaches (By Wins)
1. Dick Edell, Maryland 166-74
2. Jim Adams, Virginia 137-60

Winningest Active Coaches (By Win Percentage)
1. Bill Tierney, Princeton 77.6% 187-54
2. Dave Urick, Georgetown 75.6% 235-76
3. Dave Cottle, Loyola 72.1% 176-68
4. Dom Starsia, Virginia 71.4% 198-79
5. Mike Pressler, Duke 71.1% 180-73
6. Dick Edell, Maryland 69.6% 277-121
7. Don Zimmerman, UMBC 67.2% 127-62
8. Tony Seaman, Towson 65.7% 178-93
9. Jack Emmer, Army 64.6% 286-157
10. Dave Klarmann, Radford 63.4% 102-59
* Minimum 100 games coached Div. I, through Apr. 10

McGinnis Leads In GAA, Sv. Pct.

All-American candidate Pat McGinnis continues to lay claim to the fact that he is one of the nation's top goalies. After nine games, McGinnis has a sparking 5.56 goals against average and a .689 save percentage, which both lead the nation as of the April 9 NCAA stats.

On March 24, McGinnis made 18 saves against North Carolina and was named co-ACC Player of the Week.

McGinnis made 19 saves against Duke on March 4, including nine in the fourth quarter as Duke peppered him with 17 shots. He stopped 15 shots against Towson and was named Maryland male student-athlete of the week on March 12 for his effort. He added 12 saves against Delaware.

Last season, McGinnis posted an 8.55 goals against average and .616 save percentage to rank among the nation's Top 10 all season.

Combs No. 1 In Goals, Points,
On Pace To Break Goal Record

Senior captain Andrew "Buggs" Combs leads the nation in goals scoring with 32 after nine weeks of action. Combs is averaging 3.56 goals per game, which also leads the nation.

Combs has scored at least one goal in every game this season after scoring once against both Virginia and Navy. He has scored at least three goals in seven of nine games (all Maryland wins). He scored a career-high six at Delaware, five against Air Force and Duke, four against Towson and North Carolina and three against Denver and Bucknell.

Combs surpassed his previous career high of 22 goals set in 2000 in the fifth game of the 2001 season.

With 32 goals in nine games, Combs is on pace to set the Maryland single season record for goals in the 15th game of the season. If he keeps up the current pace, he would have 53 goals through 15 games, breaking the Maryland record of Mark Douglas (52 goals) set in 1991.

Combs' 33 total points --after scoring at Virginia -- ranks him second in the ACC in point scoring. He trails Conor Gill of Virginia, who has 34 points (3.78 ppg).

Combs' 3.67 points per game ranks him just outside the nation top 20 in points per game.

Goals Per Game Leaders (from NCAA) thru April 9 Goals Name(Team) 1. 32 (3.56) Andrew Combs (Maryland) 2. 24 (3.43) Paul Donohue (Marist) 3. 34 (3.40) Alan LoGuidice (Quinnipiac)

LaMonica, Mollot On The Attack

Maryland starting attack has combined for 82 points in nine games (56 goals, 26 assists).

Along with Andrew "Buggs" Combs, teammates Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md.) and Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) have been hot.

One year after Mike Mollot burst onto the scene, finishing second in the nation in freshman points with 47, freshman Dan LaMonica has come to the Terps with high-scoring prowess.

LaMonica, the Baltimore Player of the Year as a high school senior at Boys' Latin in 2000, has totalled 26 points in his first eight college games, recording 13 goals and 13 assists. LaMonica ranks fifth in the ACC in points per game (2.89) and third in assists per game (1.44).

Last season as a freshman, Mollot had 23 points in his first nine college games with seven goals and 17 assists.

As a sophomore, Mollot has continued to pile up the points, posting 23 in the first nine games of 2001 on 11 goals and 12 assists.

Malone Begins New Streak

Preseason All-American Chris Malone had his 24-game point scoring streak ended against Delaware as he was held scoreless for the first time since April 16, 1999 against Johns Hopkins.

The preseason first-team All-American had a goal and two assists against Navy to give him 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) this season. He has recorded a point in 27 of his last 29 games.

He had scored a point in all 16 games last season as well as the last four of the 1999 season and the first four of the 2001 season. Over that stretch he had 33 goals and 20 assists for 53 points.

The all-time Maryland point-scoring streak is held by Matt Hahn (1995-98), who scored in his first 62 college games before being held scoreless in his final collegiate game.

Malone scored goals in 14 of 16 games in 2000 and had 12 multi-point games and 10 multi-goals games.

In his career, Malone has 24 multi-point and 14 multi-goals games.

Man-Down Doing Amazing Job

Maryland's speciality teams have done a sensational job early on this season. The Terps have allowed just eight man-up goals on 64 opportunities for the opponent (12.5 percent). The 87.5 percent man-down defense rating ranks third in the nation.

The Terps had one of the most remarkable defensive performances ever as it held Duke's man-up offense to just one goal on 16 opportunities on March 4. Maryland was whistled for 16 penalties for a total of 17 minutes.

The Terps allowed just one man-up goal to Towson on seven chances and just one to Delaware on six opportunities. The Terps kept Navy at bay, shutting the Mids out on four man-up opportunities.

With key man-down specialists Andy Burman (Kensington, Md.) and Brian Kingsbury (Severna Park, Md.), Maryland began the 2001 season by killing off 13 consecutive penalties. Last season, Maryland's man-down unit gave up just 16 goals in 73 chances (21.9 percent).

Call On Combs On The EMO

On the offensive side, the man-up unit has scored on 13 of 44 chances (29.5 percent) with Andrew Combs scoring nine of the 13 extra-man goals.

Craig Hochstadt (Columbia, Md.) became the first Terp other than Combs to score on the man-up when he did against Towson on March 10. Mike Mollot scored the Terps second EMO goal, other than Combs against Bucknell.

Hochstadt and Dan LaMonica scored man-up goals against Navy. It marked the first time in 2001, Maryland scored an extra-man goal in a game and one of them did not come from Combs.

Over the last three seasons, Combs has scored 16 extra-man goals including five in 1999 and his nine this year.

Last season, Maryland scored on 22 of 55 chances with the extra-man for 40.0 percent.

Terps vs. Navy, It Must Be 6-5

Though not as certain as death and taxes, a 6-5 Maryland lacrosse victory over Navy each spring is becoming almost as commonplace.

It happened for the third straight year on April 7 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium when the sixth-ranked Terrapins staved off the Midshipmen's late charge to score another hard-earned, one-goal win.

"You can check your watch and come over two hours after the game starts and it's going to be 6-5 regardless of where it's played," said Dick Edell. "Is this an uncanny situation or what? It wasn't an artistic game, but we found a way to win it."

Firsts For Gillette and Howley

In the win over North Carolina, a pair of Terps' recorded their first career goals. Freshman Paul Gillette (Millersville, Md.) and sophomore Michael Howley each scored their fist goal. For Gillette, it was also his first point.

Howley had recorded two previous points on assists.

Daue's Two Tops Towson

Sophomore Jamie Daue (Lutherville, Md.) equaled his career goal total with a pair in the win at Towson. Daue recorded his first game-winner with the goal that made it 8-6 with 5:27 left in regulation.

Daue played in just five games last season and recorded one assist. He missed most of the season with corrective heart surgery. He has made a full recovery.

He scored his first two college goals in the win over Air Force.

D-Highlights From The Duke Win

Maryland's 13-5 win over Duke on March 4 provided several defensive highlights for the Terps:

* The eight-goal margin equalled the largest against Duke since March 9, 1984, when Maryland won 16-4. That was the first game Dick Edell ever coached at Maryland. The March 4th win was the 161st of his Terp career.

* In allowing five goals, Maryland had its best defensive effort against an ACC team since it allowed just four goals to North Carolina in a 5-4 overtime win on April 1, 1989.

* Maryland allowed just one first-half goal to the Blue Devils, the fewest by a Maryland opponent since Bucknell was held scoreless in the second half on March 7, 2000.

Combs Piles Up Awards

Senior attacker Andrew "Buggs" Combs continues to garner awards for him impressive start to the 2000 season. Combs, who leads the nation in goals with 32, earned a pair of national player of the week honors on March 12.

After his four-goal outing against Towson, Combs was named Warrior/Inside Lacrosse.com and 360 Lacrosse National Player of the Week.

Those awards came on the heels of a week in which Combs earned the ACC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Week honor after leading the Terrapins to a 13-5 win over ACC rival No. 7 Duke last Sunday.

Combs equaled his career high with five goals for the second time in the past three games. He scored two extra-man goals and also had the game-winning goal. It marked the second time Combs earned the honor in his career. He was named ACC Player of the Week on March 20, 2000, after registering hat tricks against Cornell and Delaware, respectively.

Malone Named MVP, Five Others Named To Denver Tourney Team

Chris Malone was named the Most Valuable Player of the Denver Pioneer Face-Off Classic after leading the Terps to a pair of wins, 16-3 over Air Force and 10-7 over No. 25 Denver. Malone scored two goals against Air Force and added three assists vs. the host Pioneers.

Malone was joined to the Classic All-Tournament team by five Terps: Andrew Combs, Michael Howley, Dan LaMonica, Mike LaMonica and Pat McGinnis.

Combs scored eight goals in the tournament including a career-high tying five against Air Force. He came back with three against Denver.

Howley earned the honor for solid defensive play as Maryland allowed just 10 goals on the weekend. Howley scooped up a team-high 12 groundballs in the two games.

Dan LaMonica was sensational in his first collegiate games, scoring four goals and adding five assists for nine points in the two games.

Mike LaMonica joined his brother on the team with three goals and an assist, all coming against Denver on Sunday.

McGinnis was stellar in goal, making a total of 14 saves and finishing with 5.11 goals against average in 94 minutes of play in the two games.

Scoring For The First Time

In the win over Air Force, several players got into the scoring column for the first time at Maryland. Of course, Dan LaMonica led the way with two goals and three assists in his debut, but several other Terps contributed for the first time.

Sophomore Jamie Daue notched his first two college goals against Air Force, giving the Terps, 3-1 and 6-1 leads.

Freshmen J.R. Bordley (Vienna, Va.) and Ian Healy (Great Falls, Va.), both of the Landon School, also posted their first college points as Bordley assisted two goals and Healy added a helper on LaMonica's second goal. Sophomores Matt Brock (Manakin-Sabot, Va.) and Nate Rullman (Earlysville, Va.) also scored for the Terps. The goal for Rullman was his first after sitting out the last two years.

The Injury Report

Sophomore Matt Urlock (Lutherville, Md.) will miss the entire 2001 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in practice on March 23.

Sophomore Ricky Sears (Chevy Chase, Md. is out with a broken wrist and freshman Justin Duffie (Gaithersburg, Md.) has a high ankle sprain.

Terps' 76th Season of Lacrosse

The Terps have an all-time record of 611-195-4 (.757), dating back to the first varsity team in 1924. A team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II. Maryland has finished every one of its previous 75 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 11-5. The program's 600th win came against Duke on April 21, 2000, 7-6 in the ACC Semifinals at Byrd Stadium.

In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland recorded its most wins in any decade with a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland's win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage.

Two Games On WMAR-TV

Maryland will once again be a featured team as part of the WMAR-TV lacrosse package aired on Channel 2 in the Baltimore area. Maryland began the network's coverage for the second time in three seasons as the Terps trounced Duke, 13-5 on March 4.

The second game to be shown will be part of a Maryland women's/men's doubleheader on April 14 at Byrd Stadium. The six-time defending Terp women's team will take on Johns Hopkins at 5:30 p.m. in the first game. Then at 8 p.m., the Maryland men will take on Johns Hopkins to conclude the doubleheader. The game marks the fourth time in as many years that the classic Maryland-Johns Hopkins game will be shown.

Maryland could also appear on television several more times as the season progresses. The ACC Championship game being held at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando on April 22 will be aired on Home Team Sports (HTS) in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area.

Also, as usual, ESPN2 will air both NCAA semifinal games on May 26, live beginning at noon from Rutgers Stadium and the championship game on ESPN, live at 10:55 a.m. on May 28.

WMUC Broadcast Information

WMUC (88.1 FM) and wmuc.umd.edu will broadcast up to seven men's lacrosse games in 2001. A tentative schedule has been set, but is subject to change due to other Maryland sporting events.

Jonathan Miller handles play-by-play and Rishi