Terps To Visit Norfolk For 2002 NCAA First And Second Rounds
11/12/2002 7:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 12, 2002
ODU Host Tourney Central
INDIANAPOLIS - The Maryland field hockey squad (16-4) will make its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth in a row when the Terrapins face William & Mary on Nov. 16 in Norfolk, Va., on the campus of Old Dominion University. Game times will be announced at a later time.
The Terps, making their eighth consecutive appearance in the national tournament and 16th overall (15 NCAA, one AIAW in 1979), will take on the Tribe (12-8), who received one of three bids given to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The No. 1 seed in the tournament and the host team, Old Dominion, will face Atlantic-10 champion and play-in winner Richmond (17-6) in the other first round game in Norfolk.
Maryland enters the NCAA Championship Tournament after playing in the school's fifth straight ACC title game. The Terps came back from a two-goal deficit against North Carolina in the conference semifinal before going on to fall to Wake Forest, 4-0, in the championship match. Senior Izzy Palmer (Malvern, England) and sophomore Colleen Barbieri (Centereach, N.Y.) were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts.
The Terrapins will have to defeat William & Mary and No. 1 Old Dominion or Richmond to reach their fourth straight NCAA semifinal and eighth overall, and advance to Louisville, Ky. The Terps own a 8-2-3 series advantage over the Tribe but have not faced them since 1987.
Old Dominion, Wake Forest, Michigan State and Michigan were tabbed the top four seeds in the tournament in that order. Old Dominion stays at home after being shipped to Princeton a season ago, as does No. 2 Wake Forest who will play California in Kentner Stadium on Saturday. No. 3 Michigan State travels to Boston, Mass., and faces host Harvard in the first round, while defending national champion No. 4 Michigan will head to State College, Pa., and meet the Princeton Tigers in its first NCAA action since the 2001 title game.
The CAA, ACC and Big Ten led all conferences with three tournament selections each. A complete championship bracket is located at www.ncaasports.com.
