Top-Ranked Terrapins Travel To Norfolk To Take On No. 3 Old Dominion

Oct. 17, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 1 Maryland field hockey team (13-1, 2-1 ACC) looks to build upon its mid-season momentum and rewrite a little history as it travels south to Norfolk, Va., to face the No. 3 Old Dominion Monarchs (11-2, 5-0 CAA). The Terrapins, who have faced their non-conference nemeses in a home-and-away series every season since 1999, meet their most frequent non-conference opponent for the 29th time on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Foreman Field.

The Terrapins captured the first meeting, 2-0 on Sept. 8 in College Park. Since then the Terps have been the top-ranked team for six weeks running, putting together both a seven and six game win streak throughout the 2002 season. Besides another setback at then-No. 10 North Carolina on Sept. 21, the Monarchs have also won six straight and have been punishing teams with a 6.83 scoring average since that loss.

The Terrapins look to challenge the history books with their annual trip to Norfolk this weekend. The Terrapins are 10-18-1 all-time against the Monarchs, with a 1-10-1 regular-season record facing Old Dominion at its home field. The young Terps look to make a dent in that record on Saturday.

The Terrapins come into Saturday's match on a six-game win streak, having defeated four NFHCA top 20 opponents in their last five victories. Maryland's last two wins, against No. 12 Duke and unranked Davidson, came by way of shutout. It will be a battle of the nation's top defense (Maryland, 0.62 GAA) against the nation's top offense (Old Dominion, 6.08 GPG).

Old Dominion has defeated three common ranked opponents in Virginia, Princeton and Delaware in its last three games. The No. 3 Monarchs face Hofstra (RV) on Thursday evening in Norfolk before the Terps come to town on Saturday.

Maryland maintained its No. 1 ranking in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll (NFHCA) for the sixth week in a row, released Tuesday. The Terrapins' 13-1 record is tops in NCAA Division I. Maryland's 5-0 shutout victory over No. 12 Duke gave the Terps a 6-1 record against ranked teams, and the Terps have defeated three additional teams that received votes in this week's poll. The Monarchs have been in the third spot for the last two weeks after being ranked as high as No. 2 on Sept. 10 and Sept. 17.

Topping The Charts Again

The Maryland field hockey squad held onto its top ranking in the sixth STX/NFHCA poll of the 2002 season, released Tuesday. The Terrapins (13-1, 2-1 ACC) have been ranked No. 1 in all six coaches polls this year, keeping the top spot this week after blanking No. 12 Duke and unranked Davidson. Included in the Terps' current six-game win streak is four straight victories over top 20 opponents.

With a starting line-up that includes six newcomers, Maryland opened the season with a seven-match victory streak and was rewarded with a No. 1 ranking. Maryland is 6-1 against this week's NFHCA top 20, and also defeated Delaware when it was ranked at No. 14 earlier in the season.

All five ACC field hockey schools rank in the top 15, with Wake Forest (12-2) ranking fourth and Duke (8-5) listed 10th. Also joining the Terps, Demon Deacons and Blue Devils in the top 20 is No. 12 North Carolina (7-7) and 14th-ranked Virginia (8-5).

Maryland plays a total of 10 regular season matches against teams listed in the sixth top 20 of 2002. Three more of the Terps' opponents received votes in this week's poll.

Maryland was voted No. 1 in six of the eight coaches' polls conducted in 2001, and has not been ranked below No. 5 in every NFHCA poll over the last four seasons.

Terps At A Glance

Having graduated four All-Americans and the 2001 national player of the year among a senior class of eight last season, the Maryland Terrapins opened the 2002 campaign looking to make a fresh start with its new roster. Now, toward the end of the Terps' regular-season schedule, the new-look squad has already made some waves on the national scene - a roster that features 10 newcomers and a starting line-up that includes six rookies finds itself at 13-1 and ranked No. 1 in the nation.

On the offensive end, 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year Colleen Barbieri (Centereach, N.Y.) and senior All-American Carissa Messimer (Mountaintop, Pa.) lead the way with 11 goals and four assists each for 26 points, which ties them for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Meanwhile, Mid-Atlantic All-Region senior Kateri Simon (Fallston, Md.) has adapted well to a new role in the Terps' midfield and totals a team-leading eight assists. Ten different Terrapins have scored goals in Maryland's first 14 games, as the Terps have outscored their regular-season opponents 38-9.

Defensively, the Terrapins are off to a fine start, reclaiming the top spot in the nation in limiting opponents to a 0.62 goals against average and only 4.4 shots per game. Led by the ACC's top-rated netminder Kerry Hearsey (Leicester, England) and senior back Izzy Palmer (Malvern, England), the Terps' talented backfield continues to uphold the standard that led the nation in 2001.

Now in her 15th season, four-time national coach of the year Missy Meharg owns a career record of 240-77-9, good enough for 13th on the all-time Division I wins list. New to the 2002 season is the addition of the Missy Meharg Radio Show, which airs alternate Thursdays at 5:15 p.m. on the campus radio website WMUC.com. Check www.WMUCsports.com or www.umterps.com for archived cybercasts.

Seniors Step Up

What the 2002 Terrapins may lack in upperclassman quantity, they more than make up for in quality. All three of the Maryland seniors have stepped into important roles for the Terrapins, and all three have risen to the challenge.

Midfielder Carissa Messimer, a second team All-America selection from a season ago, has been rock solid in the Terrapin midfield. Messimer stands tied for first on the squad with 26 points after finishing tied for second in 2001, and has been playing tenacious defense in her dual role. Messimer is a viable option for the Terrapins in different roles on attack penalty corners, and her elimination skills in open space are unmatched.

Fellow midfielder and 2001 all-region selection Kateri Simon has also adjusted to her new role, moving from strictly defense into the Terps' offensive scheme. Simon, who earned a full-time position as a defensive back in 2001, has developed into a playmaker as a senior and currently leads the team and ranks tied for third in the conference with eight assists. Her first career goal came in the Terps' Sept. 6 win over Drexel.

The Terrapins had a major gap to fill in the backfield with the graduation of 2001 Honda Award winner Autumn Welsh, and readily stepping in has been international veteran Izzy Palmer. Palmer has been a voice of leadership for Maryland out of the backfield, in addition to her key role on attack penalty corners. She totals 13 points on three goals and seven assists.

International Connection

The Maryland hockey team has always been a squad that embraces diversity, and accomplished international transfers Izzy Palmer (Malvern, England) and Katrin Rummer (Karlsruhe, Germany) have carried on that tradition.

Palmer, the Terps' center back, has become the backbone of the Terps' defense and a team leader on the field. The England national squad member comes from the University of the West of England and has only this season of NCAA eligibility remaining, but will be completing a second degree at Maryland. She has contributed three goals and seven assists in addition to the intangibles she brings to the young Terp lineup.

Rummer, a transfer from Karlsruhe University in Heidelberg, Germany, came to the Terrapins from the same region which two-time former Terp All-American Caroline Walter hails. Rummer has been a spark in the midfield, opening the season with points in each of the Terps' first four games. Rummer's first game-winning goal of 2002 came in the first half against then-No. 2 Old Dominion on Sept. 8, and her six assists rank second on the team and fifth in the ACC.

Hail To The Chief

Sophomore Kerry Hearsey has performed brilliantly for the Terps in her first season as starting goalkeeper, posting a 0.62 goals against average to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference and the nation.

Hearsey's seven shutouts also are tops in the ACC, while her save percentage of .805 is the best for a Terp goalie in more than eight seasons.

Hearsey had made tremendous strides as a sophomore after averaging 17 minutes per game during her rookie campaign and never playing more than 41 minutes.

Strong Island Strikes Again

There's no second-year slump for sophomore sensation Colleen Barbieri, who leads the high-powered Terps in goals and points for the second straight season. The 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year came back with a vengeance in her second season with the Terrapins, and her 11 goals and 26 points ties senior Carissa Messimer for first on the team and second in the conference.

Barbieri's ruthless pursuit of the goal cage has resulted in nothing but success for the Terps, as she accounts for six of Maryland's 13 game-winning goals. She has also contributed four assists.

The sophomore's efforts have not gone unnoticed, as she was been named ACC Player of the Week twice in 2002 - on Sept. 3 and Oct. 7 - after receiving the honor two times as a freshman in 2001.

The Marathon Assassin

Calculating rookie forward Tiffany Marsh (Marathon, N.Y.) has come on strong for the Terps as the season has progressed. She currently stands fourth on the team in scoring with five goals and one assist for 11 points.

The freshman has started nine of the Terps' 14 games this season and has contributed when Maryland needed it most - Marsh has scored in games against then-No. 2 Old Dominion, then-No. 5 Wake Forest, then-No. 15 Princeton and recently netted a pair in an ACC victory over then-No. 12 Duke. Her first goal in the first half against the Blue Devils marked the freshman's first career game-winner. She is currently Maryland's Female Student-Athlete of the Week.

Marsh hails from the Cortland, N.Y. area and attended the same high school as all-time Terp scoring leader Carla Tagliente. Marsh shattered all of Tagliente's high school scoring records and the Terrapins can only hope her success continues in College Park.

Foreman Field: Home Of The Monarchs

A converted football stadium on the Old Dominion campus, Foreman Field is physically the largest stage seen by the Terps each season. With it's watery turf and 20,000 seat capacity, a match at the home of the Monarchs is always a welcome challenge as Maryland and Old Dominion have shared one of college field hockey's most exciting rivalries in recent years.

The Terps and Monarchs have engaged in a home-and-away series each season since 1999 - the year of the Terps' most recent national championship. Since that season the series is tied at four wins apiece, although the Monarchs hold the all-time series with a 18-10-1 mark.

The 2002 Terrapins took a 2-0 victory over ODU on Sept. 8 in College Park, but will attempt to challenge history as they make their annual pilgrimage to to the home of the Monarchs - Maryland is 1-10-1 against Old Dominion at Foreman field since the series began in 1982. The Terps' lone victory in 20 years in Norfolk came on Sept. 29, 1996 when former Terp All-American and current Irish National Team member Lynsey McVicker scored the lone goal to down the Monarchs, 1-0.

Against any opponent at Foreman Field, including postseason foes, the Terps are 4-12-1 in their history.

Scouting No. 3 Old Dominion

Old Dominion's nationally top-rated offense has shifted into high gear at this point in the season and has run the Monarchs out to an 11-2 record headed into a Thursday evening meeting with Hofstra. Old Dominion was 18-5 a season ago and seeded first in the NCAA tournament before being upset in the first round by Princeton.

The Monarchs are led by first team All-America senior forward Tiffany Snow, who leads the nation with 19 goals and 46 points. Junior back Angie Loy, an integral part of the Monarch's penalty corner attack, leads the nation in assists (19) and is second in the NCAA with 45 points. Six Monarchs boast double-digit point totals on the season.

All-South region senior goalkeeper Marybeth Freeman is one of the finest netminders in the land in big games. Freeman owns a 1.03 GAA and an 8.03 save percentage.

The all-time winningest field hockey coach in terms of victories (419) and national championships (nine), Beth Anders is in her 21st season on the Monarch sidelines.

Maryland trails in the all-time series, 10-18-1, but is even at 4-4 with the Monarchs since 1999.

Follow The Terrapins In 2002

Terps on the Web - For up-to-date game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please locate www.umterps.com on the Internet. Check it out today for the most recent field hockey player and coaches bios and the 2002 season recaps.

E-mail Straight To You - If you would like the latest Maryland hockey news e-mailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, e-mail hockey contact Mark Fratto at fratto@wam.umd.edu with the message "Hockey E-mail" as the subject and you will receive every update released about the team.

Terrapin Fan Phone - For up-to-date reports, comments from coaches and other Maryland athletic department information, call the Terrapin Fan Phone at 301-314-TERP.

"Inside the Circle" - For a weekly Maryland field hockey update from an insider perspective, check out "Inside the Circle" on umterps.com. Each Tuesday throughout the 2002 season, senior Kateri Simon and sophomore Kristin Harris update fans on all of the latest Terp happenings from the student-athletes' point of view. Log on to umterps.com, find the field hockey page and click on the button for "Inside the Circle" to get your Terp news from the "inside."

Top-Ranked Terrapins Travel To Norfolk To Take On No. 3 Old Dominion

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