March 28, 2002

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No. 5 MARYLAND (6-1) vs. No. 2 VIRGINIA (5-1)
SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2002 * 1:00 p.m.
BYRD STADIUM (48,055/Grass), COLLEGE PARK, MD.

o Anchored by the nation's top defense and country's third-leading offense, the No. 5 Maryland Terrapins (6-1 overall) host arch rival No. 2 Virginia (5-1 overall) this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Byrd Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on WMUC FM (88.1) and live over the internet at umterps.com and wmuc.umd.edu.

o The game will finish the Terps' 2002 ACC regular season. Maryland is 1-1 in the league after a defensive 7-5 win over No. 9 North Carolina last Saturday at Fetzer Field. Junior goalie Danny McCormick (McLean, Va.) made 14 saves in allowing just five goals in the win. McCormick leads the nation in goals against average (5.34) and save percentage (.676). In the win, senior Alex Poole (Hunt Valley, Md.) equaled his career-high with two goals and added an assist for his third career three-point day. Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.), the team's leading scorer had two assists to raise his total to 27, tied for fifth-most in the country. On the defensive side, Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.), Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.), and Paul Gillette (Severna Park, Md.) were solid in limiting the UNC offense to just five goals -- the Heels were scoring 12 goals per game.

o Virginia comes into the game after upsetting No. 1 Johns Hopkins, 12-6, in Charlottesville last Saturday. Freshman John Christmas was named ACC Player of the Week after scoring a career-high three goals and adding four assists for seven points. Saturday's game will be the Cavaliers' first in the league, as they face Maryland, North Carolina and Duke in three successive Saturday games. Christmas leads the team with 20 points in 12 goals and eight assists. Senior attacker Conor Gill also has 20 points on three goals and 17 assists. Virginia has won four games in a row after a loss to then-No. 1 Syracuse (15-13) on March 2. They have beaten Princeton (13-11), Notre Dame (7-5), Towson (13-8) and Hopkins.

No. 5 Maryland:
2002 Record: 6-1 (1-1 ACC)
2002 Rankings: 5th (USILA/Coaches) / 5th (Media)
Head Coach: Dave Cottle (Salisbury '78)
Coach's Record: 187-71 (.725)/20th season
Coach's Record at UM: 6-1 (.857)/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 Scorers: Mike Mollot (14g, 13a, 27pts.), Dan LaMonica (10g, 13a, 23pts.), Mike Morsell (7g, 7a, 14pts.),

No. 2 Virginia:
2002 Record: 5-1 (0-0 ACC)
2002 Rankings: 2nd (USILA/Coaches) / 2nd (Media)
Head Coach: Dom Starsia (Brown '74)
Coach's Record: 205-83 (.712)/20th season
Coach's Record at UVa: 104-37 (.738)/10th season
Ass't Coach: Mark Van Arsdale (Hobart '85)
Ass't Coaches: David Curry (Va. '97), Hannon Wright (Va. '99)
Leading Scorers: John Christmas (12g, 8a, 20 pts.) Conor Gill (3g, 17a, 20 pts.), Joe Yevoli (17g, 2a, 19 pts),

Series Info:
All-Time Series: Maryland leads 40-27
LAST MEETING: MARYLAND WIN, 12-8 ON APRIL 20, 2001 (ACC SF)

ACC STANDINGS
Team W-L Pct. ACC Pct.
Maryland 6-1 .857 1-1 .000
North Carolina 6-1 .857 1-1 1.000
Duke 3-3 .500 1-1 .500
Virginia 5-1 .833 0-0 .000
This Week's Games:
Mar. 29: North Carolina at Johns Hopkins, 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 30: Harvard at Duke, 1 p.m.
VIRGINIA AT MARYLAND, 1 P.M.

TERP DEFENSE CONTINUES TO BE ROCK SOLID
o Maryland has made defense a staple of its success over the past few seasons and 2002 is no different. With preseason All-Americans Michael Howley and Chris Passavia leading the way, the Terps have allowed just 5.86 goals per game to rank No. 1 in the nation.

o The Terps' goalie Danny McCormick (McLean, Va.) is the nation's best when in comes to stopping the ball. He leads the country in save percentage (.676) and goals against average (5.34). He has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Pat McGinnis, who was ranked in the top two in both categories all of last season.

o Playing key roles on the defense are defensive midfielders Paul Gillette (Severna Park, Md.), Brett Harper (Columbus, Ohio) and Carrington King (Crozet, Va.) along with close defenders Lee Zink (Rowayton, Conn.) and Dave Wagner (Severna Park, Md.).

o Gillette leads the defensive crew with 31 groundballs. Four other defenders also have more than 10 groundballs after just seven games (Harper-22, Passavia-19, Howley-19, Zink-12).

o Last season, the Terps were No. 2 in the nation in team defense giving up just 6.31 goals per game.

NATIONAL TEAM DEFENSE
Team GPG (GA)
1. MARYLAND 5.86 (41)
2. Penn 6.00 (36)
3. Cornell 6.50 (39)
4. Navy 6.80 (47)
Statistics Through March 28

NATIONAL GOALIE LEADERS
Player, Team GAA/Sv. Pct.
1. DANNY McCORMICK, MD. 5.34/.676
2. Mark Bloomquist, Loyola 6.70/.625
3. Jon Higdon, Navy 6.77/.613
4. T. J. Barnett, Quinnipiac 7.29/.595
5. A.J. Kincel, Duke 7.33/.600
Statistics Through March 24

TERPS LEAD NATION IN TOTAL GOALS
o With a new offensive system in place under new coach Dave Cottle, the Maryland attack is scoring at a faster pace and taking more shots than in recent years. The Terps are second in the nation in total goals with 93 (second only to Syracuse, which has 104) and rank third in goals per game, pouring in 13.29 per contest. Only Syracuse (14.86) and Towson (14.80) are averaging more goals per game.

o With its offense scoring 13.29 per game and the defense allowing just 5.86 per game, Maryland leads the nation in scoring margin, winning games by an average of 7.53 goals per game. That mark is more than two goals per game better than second-place Towson, which outscores foes by a 5.40 margin.

o The 93 goals through seven games is also the team's best start in scoring since that '98 season when they scored 105 in the first seven games.

o Maryland is averaging 47.9 shots per game after averaging 32.6 last season.

o Maryland has scored 13 or more goals in five of six victories this season with a season-high 18 coming vs. Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 26.

o The Terps scored 15 or more goals in three straight games and four overall this season. The last time the Terps scored 15 or more in consecutive games came in the first three games of the 1998 season, when they beat Villanova (18-5), Duke (15-9) and Towson (17-6).

o The Terps had back-to-back double-digit victories for the first time since 1994 with a 16-6 win at Bucknell on March 12 and a 16-5 victory over Delaware on March 16. The last time the Terps won consecutive games by 10 or more goals came on March 19 and 22, 1994, when they beat Cornell (19-9) and Ohio State (16-2), respectively. Also, the last time the Terps scored 16 or more goals in consecutive games came during the team's NCAA Tournament run in 1995, when they did it three games in a row: UMBC (16-14), Notre Dame (19-11) and Johns Hopkins (16-8).

o With 15 goals against Towson on March 9, the Terps produced their highest goal total against a top-10 team in four seasons. The last time Maryland scored at least 15 goals against a highly-ranked team came on May 23, 1998, when the Terps piled up a 19-8 victory over No. 1 Loyola in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

NATIONAL TEAM OFFENSE
Team GPG (GA)
1. Syracuse 14.86 (104)
2. Towson 14.80 (74)
3. MARYLAND 13.29 (93)
4. Massachusetts 13.14 (92)
Statistics Through March 28

MOLLOT, LAMONICA AMONG LEADERS IN SCORING, GOALS, ASSISTS
o Junior Mike Mollot currently ranks tied for fifth in the nation in scoring with 27 points. Syracuse's Michael Powell leads the nation with 33 points. Mollot leads the Terps with 14 goals and is tied with Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md. for the team lead in assists with 13. Both players are tied for 10th nationally in assists with the baker's dozen.

NATIONAL SCORING LEADERS
Player, Team G-A=Pts.
1. Miichael Powell, Syracuse 17-16=33
2. Josh Coffman, Syracuse 18-11=29
3. Sean Moloney, Drexel 12-17=29
4. Tom Kessler, Hofstra 14-14=28
5. MIKE MOLLOT, MARYLAND 14-13=27
Statistics Through March 28

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!
o As Maryland continues to develop its offense, coach Dave Cottle has set a goal for seven players to score at least 10 goals this season (four already have 10 or more: Mike Mollot-14, Mike LaMonica-11, Dan LaMonica-10 and Nate Watkins-10). The Terps are well on their way to that goal as many players have surpassed their entire goal totals for all of 2001. Through seven games, 10 Terps have more goals in 2002 than they had in 16 games last season. Seven players have scored goals after not scoring all of last season.

o Senior captain Nate Watkins (Elmira, N.Y.) has a career-best 10 goals in 2002 after just five last season. Watkins came into the season with 13 career goals -- he can match that with three more.

o Junior Ryan Moran (Setauket, N.Y.) and junior Matt Brock (Manakin-Sabot, Va.) both have seven goals. For Moran, the goals are the first six of his career and Brock scored just once all of last season.

o Senior captain Mike Morsell (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) has six goals after not scoring all of last season.

o Sophomore J.R. Bordley (Vienna, Va.) has scored the first five goals of his career.

SCORING MORE...
Player 2002 2001
Nate Watkins 10 5
Matt Brock 7 1
Ryan Moran 7 0
Mike Morsell 6 0
Craig Hochstadt 5 4
J.R. Bordley 5 0
Matt Urlock 4 0
Willy Passavia 2 0
Sean Leary 1 0
Chris Passavia 1 0

MOLLOT PASSES 100 POINTS, EYES TOP 20 CHART
o With the seven points against Towson on March 9, Mike Mollot became the 30th player in Maryland history to surpass the 100-point plateau. He currently has 48 goals and 66 assists for 114 points in two-plus seasons. He stands 15 points short of Pat O'Meally (1971-74) for 20th on the all-time Maryland scoring list. O'Meally had 129 points in his career. o He is 14 assists shy of the Terps' top 14 in career assists. Brendan Hanley had 80 from 1985-88 to rank 14th.

THE SERIES WITH VIRGINIA
o The Maryland-Virginia rivalry is the third-longest in Terrapin lacrosse history with Maryland holding a 40-27 advantage, dating to 1926. The 40 wins are the third-highest number of victories Maryland has against any team. The Terps have defeated Duke 49 times and Navy 46 times.

o The rivals have met twice every year since 1996, six years in a row.

o Maryland broke a five-game losing streak against Virginia with a 12-8 win in the ACC Tournament Semifinals last season in Orlando. In last season's regular-season game, Maryland dropped its first game of the season, 7-2, at Charlottesville on March 31.

o In 2000, Virginia topped the Terps 11-6 on March 31 and 11-7 in the ACC Championship at Byrd Stadium on April 23.

o The Terps captured their first ACC Tournament championship defeating Virginia, 14-11 in Charlottesville on April 19, 1998, the same year Maryland won its last regular-season title with a win over Virginia, 14-9 on March 28.

o During the 1990s, Virginia won nine of the 16 meetings. Half of those games were decided by one goal with each team winning four of the cliff-hangers.

o Maryland has won all three meetings in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps topped the Cavaliers in a pair of first round game in 1978 and 1983 and won a 1997 quarterfinal game, 10-9.

LAST 10 TERP-CAV GAMES
Apr. 20, 2001 Maryland 12, Virginia 8 (ACC SF)
Mar. 31, 2001 Virginia 7, Maryland 2
Apr. 23, 2000 Virginia 11, Maryland 7 (ACC F)
Mar. 31, 2000 Virginia 11, Maryland 6
Apr. 23, 1999 Virginia 15, Maryland 6 (ACC SF)
Apr. 3, 1999 Virginia 13, Maryland 4
Apr. 19, 1998 Maryland 14, Virginia 11 (ACC F)
Mar. 28, 1998 Maryland 14, Virginia 9
May 17, 1997 Maryland 10, Virginia 9 (NCAA QF)
Mar. 29, 1997 Virginia 15, Maryland 14, 2 OT

INDIVIDUAL TERPS VS. VIRGINIA
o With the Terps and Wahoos playing twice a year for the last six years, many Maryland players have scored against Virginia.

o Both Dan LaMonica and Mike Mollot have five points on four goals and an assist against Virginia in their careers. Each posted hat tricks in the ACC Semifinal win in Orlando last season.

o Matt Urlock has four career goals against the Cavaliers scoring two goals in each game played in 2000.

o Head coach Dave Cottle has a 3-5 record vs. Virginia, all while he was the coach at Loyola, but none of the games came against a Dom Starsia-led team. The last time Cottle coached against Virginia came in 1991, finishing a run of eight games in a nine-year span.

o Both Starsia and Cottle began their head coaching careers in 1983, Cottle at Loyola and Starsia at Brown. Despite both coaches running major programs for the last 20 years, they have only coached against each other four times with Starsia winning three of the four games, including his last game at Brown, a 19-12 win in the NCAA Tournament first round in 1992.

TERPS VS. CAVS
Dan LaMonica 4-1-5
Mike Mollot 4-1-5
Matt Urlock 4-0-4
Nate Watkins 2-1-3
Mike LaMonica 1-1-2
Alex Poole 0-2-2
Matt Brock 1-0-1
Craig Hochstadt 1-0-1
Mike Morsell 0-1-1

HOWLEY NAMED TEWAARATON CANDIDATE
o Terps junior defenseman Michael Howley is one of 12 players named as a candidate for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the most cherished and prestigious award a varsity lacrosse player can receive and a symbol of excellence in college lacrosse.

o The Tewaaraton Trophy is presented annually following the collegiate season to the top female and male varsity collegiate lacrosse players in the United States. Scholarship money is given to the award recipient's college or university general scholarship fund. The Foundation committee honors Native American heritage with the name "Tewaaraton," the name the Mohawk nation gave to their game and the progenitor of present day lacrosse and has received approval from the Mohawk Council of Elders.

o Every eligible male and female college varsity player in Divisions I, II and III is considered a nominee. Nominations are requested from all varsity coaches. A selection committee comprised of coaches for both male and female candidates oversees the voting process. There are five wild-card spots left open for a new candidate(s) who emerges during the season. The five finalists will be announced in May.

o The Tewaaraton Trophy Awards Dinner will be presented at The University Club of Washington, DC on June 5, 2002 at a banquet honoring the finalists and winners. Hofstra's Doug Shanahan won last year's trophy.

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.

THREE GAMES ON WMAR-TVBR> 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.

WMUC (88.1) TO BROADCAST GAMESBR> 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.

MEDIA INFORMATIONBR> 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 experiencing technical difficulties. It will be rectified soon.

TERPS' 77TH SEASON OF LACROSSEBR> o The Terps begin the third season of the new century with an all-time record of 622-198-4, 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.