Feb. 25, 2002
MARYLAND (1-0) vs. MT. ST. MARY'S (0-2)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2002 * 4:00 p.m.
BYRD STADIUM (48,055/Grass), COLLEGE PARK, MD.
o Maryland's men's lacrosse team returns the familiar confines of Byrd Stadium this Tuesday as the Terps welcome state-rival Mount St. Mary's for a 4 p.m. face-off. The game will be broadcast live on wmuc.umd.edu and 88.1 FM. It will also be accessible over www.umterps.com.
o It will be coach Dave Cottle's Byrd debut as Maryland's coach. The last game Cottle coached in Byrd Stadium came in the 1998 NCAA Quarterfinals, when he led Loyola to a 12-11 win over Georgetown on May 17, 1998.
o Cottle joined all seven previous Maryland men's lacrosse coaches as he won his Maryland debut, 13-6 over Hobart last Saturday.
o The Terps (1-0) opened the season with an impressive 13-6 victory over Hobart last Saturday. Maryland's defense led by preseason All-Americans Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and junior goalie Danny McCormick (McLean, Va.) shut out Hobart for the first three quarters in building a 9-0 lead. McCormick, in his first college start, made 14 saves in 56 minutes of action and allowed just three goals. Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md.) led the Terps with two goals and three assists for five points. Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) netted three goals in the fourth quarter for fifth career hat trick.
o The Mount (0-2) travelled to Colorado to open its 2002 season and the Mountaineers fell to both Air Force, 11-6 on Saturday and 12-4 to Denver on Sunday. Three Mount players: Kevin Merlini, Josh Warfield and Jay Duffy scored two goals over the weekend.
GAME FACTS
Maryland:
2002 Record: 1-0 (0-0 ACC)
2002 Preseason Rank: 6th (Coaches/Inside Lacrosse)
Head Coach: Dave Cottle (Salisbury '78)
Coach's Record: 182-70 (.722)/20th season
Coach's Record at UM: 1-0 (1.000)/1st season
Ass't Coach: Dave Slafkosky (Johns Hopkins '74)
Ass't Coach: Jon Stainbrook (Nazareth '93)
Ass't Coach: Graham Niemi (Maryland '97)
Leading Scorer: Dan LaMonica (2 g, 3a, 5 pt)
Mount St. Mary's:
2002 Record: 0-2 (0-0 MAAC)
2002 Preseason Rank: not ranked
Head Coach: Tom Gravante (Hobart '88)
Coach's Record: 56-59 (.487)/8th season
Coach's Record at MSMC: 56-59 (.487)/8th season
Ass't Coach: Jace McMahon (Mt. St. Mary's '00)
Leading Scorer: Three Players with (2 g, 0a, 2 pt)
Series Info:
All-Time Series: Maryland leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Maryland won 12-4 on Apr. 25, 2001
THE SERIES VS. MT. ST. MARY'S
o Maryland has won all five meetings against Mount St. Mary's dating back to the first match-up in 1988. The Terps topped the Mountaineers 19-8 in that first game. They followed that with a 21-2 win in 1989, an 18-7 victory in 1994, a 19-3 blowout in the 2000 season opener and a 12-4 win at Emmitsburg, last season on April 24, 2001.
o Last season's game was the first between the teams at the Mount. In that game, 2001 grads Chris Malone (3 goals, 1 assist) and Andrew "Buggs" Combs (3 goals) led the offense. Current Terps Dan LaMonica and Mike Mollot each had two goals.
o Maryland has outscored Mount St. Mary's 89-24 in the five games, never allowing the Mount more than seven goals.
o Against teams from the Metro Athletic Conference, Maryland is 6-0 all-time with five wins coming against the Mount and one win over Providence in 1999.
MARYLAND VS. THE MOUNT
Apr. 24, 2001 Maryland 12, Mount St. Mary's 4
Feb. 27, 2000 Maryland 19, Mount St. Mary's 3
Apr. 30, 1994 Maryland 18, Mount St. Mary's 7
Mar. 14, 1989 Maryland 21, Mount St. Mary's 2
Mar. 15, 1988 Maryland 19, Mount St. Mary's 8
CAREER STATS VS. THE MOUNT
o Thirteen players on the Terps have recorded points against Mount St. Mary's and several posted their first career goals against the Mountaineers. Over the last two seasons Mike Mollot leads all scorers with seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) against MSM.
o Senior captain Mike Morsell (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) posted his career high of three goals for his only hat trick against the Mount on Feb. 27, 2000, coming on three consecutive shots in 1:44.
o Willy Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.), Brett Harper (Columbus, Ohio), Sean Leary (Troy, Mich), Ian Healy (Great Falls, Va.) and Jim Sbarra (Great Falls, Va.) all scored their first career goals against Mount St. Mary's.
o Senior Craig Hochstadt (Columbia, Md.) had his career high of three assists and three points in the 2000 game.
o Junior goalie Danny McCormick (McLean, Va.) made his college debut against MSM, making seven saves, his most in game until his 14 against Hobart.
o This will be coach Dave Cottle's first game against Mount St. Mary's.
Stats Vs. The Mount
Mike Mollot 2-5-7
Mike Morsell 3-0-3
Dan LaMonica 2-1-3
Alex Poole 1-2-3
Craig Hochstadt 0-3-3
Jamie Daue 1-1-2
Willy Passavia 1-1-2
Brett Harper 1-0-1
Mike LaMonica 1-0-1
Sean Leary 1-0-1
Ian Healy 1-0-1
Jim Sbarra 1-0-1
Michael Howley 0-1-1
Dan McCormick 8 svs.
MARYLAND IN SEASON OPENERS
o Maryland has a 73-3-1 (.958) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season after the 13-6 win over Hobart last Saturday. The Terps have won their last nine openers and 17 of the last 18, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993.
o Last season, Maryland defeated Air Force, 16-3 on Feb. 24 at the Denver Pioneer Face-Off Classic.
o After losing their 1925 opener to Yale, 5-3, the Terps went on to win 40 consecutive season openers from 1926 through 1967. The streak was broken when Maryland tied Princeton, 6-6, in the 1968 opener. Following the deadlock, Maryland went on to win its next 14 openers, giving the Terps a 54-0-1 record over a 57-year span (Maryland did not field a team in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.)
THE LAST NINE OPENERS
o The Terps have a nine-game winning streak in season openers after the win over Hobart. Five of those wins came against Villanova (1994-98), three over Denver and one each over Mount St. Mary's, Air Force and Hobart. Over the nine-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 132-44 in those games. Maryland last lost a season opener in 1993, when it fell to Duke 9-5 on March 6.
FIVE NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
o Maryland features five preseason All-Americans as voted on by the coaches for Face-Off Yearbook. First-teamer junior Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.) leads the way. Sophomore Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md.) is a preseason third team All-American. Senior Mike LaMonica (Parkton, Md.), junior Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) and sophomore Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) are all preseason honorable mention All-Americans.
o Last season, Howley was a second team USILA All-American and Mollot was an honorable mention All-American.
o Howley was also named a preseason All-American by Lacrosse Magazine, which released just one team of stars.
o On the 360Lacrosse.com preseason All-American list, Howley was named to the second team. Four Terps were named honorable mention All-Americans: Dan LaMonica, Mike LaMonica, Mike Mollot and Chris Passavia.
TERPS RANKED NO. 6 IN PRESEASON COACHES POLL
o The Maryland men's lacrosse team is ranked No. 6 in the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll released by Inside Lacrosse. The Terps, under new head coach Dave Cottle, are one of three ACC teams in the top 10. Maryland, which finished the 2001 season ranked No. 3, will take on 10 teams ranked in the preseason top 25: No. 3 Johns Hopkins (April 13), No. 4 Towson (March 9), No. 5 Virginia (March 30), No. 9 Duke (March 2), No. 13 North Carolina (March 23), No. 14 Navy (April 5), No. 18 UMBC (May 4), No. 19 Bucknell (March 12), No. 21 Delaware (March 16) and No. 23 Hobart (Feb. 23).
o The Terps were ranked No. 5 in the preseason poll released by Lacrosse Magazine.
SENIOR CAPTAINS
o Maryland will feature four senior captains in 2002. New coach Dave Cottle has named Andy Burman (Kensington, Md.), Mike LaMonica (Parkton, Md.), Mike Morsell (Huntingdon Valley, Pa,) and Nate Watkins (Elmira, N.Y.) as the captains for the team.
AMERICA'S TEAM
o Of course the sport of lacrosse is a regional one, being played mostly in the Northeast, but Maryland's coaching staff has combed the nation far and wide to compose the 2002 Terp roster which features players from a school-record 11 states. Never before has Maryland had more than eight states represented on its roster. However, the 2002 team includes the first-ever recruits from California and Colorado, giving the team its first Western natives since the start of the program in 1924.
o Coming from California are Peter Ellis and Drew Virk, both of whom are from Ross, Calif., and played at St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco. From Colorado is freshman Mark Foster, who prepped at Kent Denver.
o Add to that freshman Dave Matz, who is the first player from Vermont to play for the Terps, and 11 states are represented in total. Of the 11 newcomers on the roster for 2002, nine different states are represented.
o Two other players on the roster previously were the first recruits from their states, as junior Brett Harper came from Upper Arlington High School in Ohio and junior Sean Leary came to College Park from Detroit Country Day School in Michigan in 1999.
TERPS' 77TH SEASON OF LACROSSE
o The Terps begin the third season of the new century with an all-time record of 617-197-4, 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 76 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 13-3. The program's 600th win came against Duke on April 21, 2000, 7-6 in the ACC Semifinals at Byrd Stadium.
o 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.
THREE GAMES ON WMAR-TV
o WMAR-TV (channel 2) in Baltimore will continue its bold concept of telecasting college lacrosse in the state of Maryland by presenting the Lacrosse Game of the Week. Beginning Saturday, March 2 and continuing through Saturday, May 4, WMAR will broadcast 13 games live.
o The Terps will be featured on WMAR three times: March 9, when Towson comes to Byrd Stadium, April 5 when the Terps host Navy and April 13 as part of a men's-women's doubleheader vs. Johns Hopkins. The seven-time defending NCAA champ Terp women face the Blue Jays at Noon, followed by the men's game at 3 p.m..
o Former All-American goalie Quint Kessenich joins WMAR's broadcast team of Scott Garceau and Keith Mills to bring the Baltimore area the greatest lacrosse television coverage ever.
WMAR SCHEDULE
Sat. Mar. 2 Princeton at Hopkins 1:00 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 9 Towson at Maryland 1:00 p.,m.
Sat. Mar. 16 Syracuse at Hopkins 1:00 p.m.
Sun. Mar. 17 Virginia at Towson Noon
Sat. Mar. 23 Penn State at UMBC 1:00 p.m.
Fri. Mar. 29 N. Carolina at Hopkins 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 30 Loyola at Towson 1:00 p.m.
Fri. Apr. 5 Navy at Maryland 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Apr. 13 Maryland at Hopkins 3:00 p.m.
Sat. Apr. 20 Army at UMBC 1:00 p.m.
Sat. Apr. 27 Towson at Hopkins 1:00 p.m.
Sat. May 4 Hopkins at Loyola 1:00 p.m.
WMUC (88.1) TO BROADCAST GAMES
o WMUC (88.1 FM) and wmuc.umd.edu will broadcast up to nine men's lacrosse games in 2002. A tentative schedule has been set, but is subject to change due to other Maryland sporting events. The action will be called by Rishi Barran, Evan Parker, Steve Rudenstein and Josh Madden. A pregame show precedes each game.
WMUC SCHEDULE
Tue. Feb. 26 Mt. St. Mary's 4:00 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 9 Towson 1:00 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 16 Delaware 1:00 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 30 Virginia 1:00 p.m.
Fri. Apr. 5 Navy 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Apr. 13 at Johns Hopkins 3:00 p.m.
Fr.-Sun. Apr. 19-21 at ACC's (at Duke) TBA
Fri. Apr. 26 Yale 7:00 p.m.
MEDIA INFORMATION
o Email Straight To You: If you would like the latest Maryland men's lacrosse news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email men's lacrosse contact Jason Yellin at jyellin@wam.umd.edu with the message "Men's Lacrosse Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed about the team.
o Terrapin Fan Phone: The Fan Phone is currently expereincing technical difficulties. It will be rectified soon.
