No. 1 Terrapins Head To Charlottesville For ACC Tilt With No. 18 Virginia

Oct. 4, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 1 Maryland field hockey squad (10-1, 0-1 ACC) hopes to even its Atlantic Coast Conference record this week as the Terrapins travel to Charlottesville, Va., for a meeting with the No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers (6-4, 0-1 ACC). The league rivals will square off at the University Hall Turf Field on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m.

The Terrapins and Cavaliers meet for the 45th time in history on Sunday. Virginia is the Terps' most frequent rival in the 29 years that Maryland field hockey has been under the auspices of the intercollegiate athletics program.

Now in its fourth season, the meeting between Terps and Cavaliers marks a match-up of student against teacher. Former Terp field hockey and lacrosse All-American Jessica Wilk meets up with her former mentor, Missy Meharg. The two were instrumental in Maryland's first national championship in 1987, with Wilk playing defensive back for the Terps and Meharg on the sidelines as an assistant coach. Wilk was recently selected to the ACC 50th Anniversary Team in both sports. Meharg owns a 5-1 record against her former pupil, who led the Cavaliers to a penalty stroke victory over the Terps last Sept. 30 in College Park.

The Terrapins enter the weekend's match after posting a 2-0 record against a pair of two NFHCA top 20 opponents. The Terrapins took down then-No. 15 Princeton on their home turf in a 2-1, come-from-behind victory on Sept. 27, before returning home to top then-No. 14 California, 3-1. The Terps have now won three in a row since suffering their only loss of the season at Wake Forest.

Maryland maintained its No. 1 ranking in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll (NFHCA) for the fourth week in a row, released Tuesday. The Terrapins' 10-1 record is tops in NCAA Division I, tied only with No. 5 Michigan State for best in the nation. Maryland's victories over No. 15 Princeton and No. 14 Cal gave the Terps a 4-1 record against ranked teams, and the Terps have defeated three additional teams that received votes in this week's poll.

Topping The Charts Again

The Maryland field hockey squad kept its top ranking in the fourth STX/NFHCA poll of the 2002 season, released Tuesday. The Terrapins (10-1, 0-1 ACC) have been ranked No. 1 in all four coaches polls this year, earning the top spot this week after defeating two straight top 15 opponents in then-No. 15 Princeton and then-No. 14 California.

With a starting line-up that includes six newcomers, Maryland opened the season with a seven-match win streak before falling in overtime to now-No. 3 Wake Forest on Sept. 21, and then put together another string of three straight victories. Maryland is 4-1 against this week's NFHCA top 20.

All five ACC field hockey schools rank in the top 20, with Wake Forest (7-2) ranking third and North Carolina (6-4) listed seventh. Also joining the Terps, Demon Deacons and Tar Heels in the top 20 is No. 12 Duke (6-3) and 18th-ranked Virginia (5-4).

The Terrapins continue their conference schedule with a match against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. Maryland plays a total of 10 regular season matches against teams listed in the third 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. Midway through 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 10-1 and ranked No. 1 in the nation.

On the offensive end, 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year Colleen Barbieri (Centereach, N.Y.) leads the way with nine goals and three assists for 21 points, which places her first in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Senior All-American Carissa Messimer (Mountaintop, Pa.) follows with eight goals and two assists for 18 points, while all-region senior Kateri Simon (Fallston, Md.) totals a team-leading seven assists. Nine different Terrapins have scored goals in Maryland's first 11 games, as the Terps have outscored their early and mid-season opponents 27-7.

Defensively, the Terrapins are off to a fine start, tied for first in the nation in limiting opponents to a 0.63 goals against average and only 4.6 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 237-77-9, 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.WMUC.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 second on the squad with 18 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 third in the conference with seven 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.

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 two goals and four 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 0.57 goals against average to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference and rank second among the nation's leaders.

Hearsey's five shutouts also are tops in the ACC, while her save percentage of .829 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.

Scouting No. 18 Virginia

Virginia enters the weekend's ACC tilt with a 6-4 record after downing Radford, 5-0, on Wednesday. The No. 18 Cavaliers opened the season on a four-game win streak before dropping three straight to James Madison, Richmond and league-opponent North Carolina. Virginia rebounded with a win over then-No. 14 California before falling, 11-0 at Old Dominion on Sept. 29.

Both Maryland and Virginia seek their first ACC win on Sunday.

Senior defensive back Kelli Hill leads the Cavaliers with five goals and 11 points, while freshman Sara York ranks second on the squad with seven points. Three Cavaliers total three assists each.

Veteran goalkeeper Emily White has logged most of the minutes for the Cavs, posting a .817 save percentage and a 1.98 goals against average.

A 1989 graduate of the University of Maryland, Virginia head coach Jessica Wilk was a three-time All-American in field hockey and also achieved national honors in lacrosse. She owns a 47-28 record on the Cavalier sideline and a 1-5 record against her alma mater (since 1999).

The Terrapins own a 23-19-2 record in their most-frequented rivalry. In their most recent meetings, the Terps avenged a 3-2 penalty stroke loss in the 2001 regular season with a 4-1 ACC semifinal victory.

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."

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