Sept. 17, 2002
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MARYLAND (4-2) at No. 8 WAKE FOREST (7-0)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2002 * 7:00 p.m.
SPRY STADIUM (3,000/Grass), WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
Game Coverage: Live Stats on umterps.com
GEORGE WASHINGTON (2-2) MARYLAND (4-2)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2002 * 4:30 p.m.
LUDWIG FIELD (4,000/Grass), COLLEGE PARK, MD.
Live Audio: wmucsports.com link off umterps.com
Terps Head To Undefeated No. 8 Wake Forest For Friday ACC Tilt
* Maryland opens its ACC schedule this Friday night as the Terps travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to take on the undefeated No. 8 Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who are off to a 7-0 start, their best since 1996, when they started 8-0. Wake is one of 13 teams in the country to be undefeated and untied. The Terps stand at 4-2 following a tough 5-2 loss to No. 11 Notre Dame last Sunday in the final match of the 2002 Maryland/FILA Classic.
* The Terps will have a chance to end Wake Forest's perfect start as they did in 1996, as well. With Wake Forest off to that 8-0 start in 1996, Maryland traveled to Winston-Salem and handed the Deacs their first loss, 4-0 on Sept. 29, 1996. That win moved Maryland's record to a perfect 11-0 on their way to a 14-0 start in 1996.
* Maryland has started with a 4-2 record for the third year in a row, but this time with a more potent scoring punch. The Terps have tallied 17 goals in six games after netting just 24 all of last season, when they went 10-7-2 and reached the NCAA Women's College Cup for the sixth time in seven years.
Looking To Knock Off A Top-10 Team
* The Terps are aiming for their 10th win over a Top-10 ranked team in the history of the program, when they take on No. 8 Wake Forest this Friday night.
* During each of Shannon Higgins-Cirovski's seasons at Maryland, she has led the Terps to at least one upset of a top-10 ranked team, leading Maryland to a 4-3 win at No. 9 Duke on Sept. 19, 1999 and a 2-1 victory over Clemson on Oct. 17, 1999; a 3-1 win over No. 4 Penn State on Aug. 29, 2000 and a 1-0 overtime over No. 8 Clemson, last season on Oct. 13.
* In the current NSCAA poll of Sept. 16, Maryland will play or has faced seven teams in the top 25, all of which are ranked in the top 16: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 12 Penn State, No. 13 Connecticut, No. 15 Duke and No. 16 Virginia. Clemson is also listed among others receiving votes.
* Maryland takes on 12 teams that played in last season's Women's College Cup including three teams that advanced to the NCAA national quarterfinals including runner-up North Carolina. In addition to the Tar Heels, Maryland will also take on 2001 NCAA qualifiers (Clemson, Connecticut, Duke, Florida State, Loyola, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia, Wake Forest and William & Mary). Of those 12 teams, eight were ranked in the top 20 of the final NSCAA poll.
* "The only way to be the best is to play the best," said head coach Higgins-Cirovski. "We have added high caliber teams such as Connecticut, Notre Dame and Penn State to go along with the challenging ACC schedule. I think we have one of the best schedules in the country.
* In taking on preseason No. 9 UConn in the second game of the season, Maryland got a quick taste of what much of its season will be like -- games against top ranked teams. Once again, Higgins-Cirovski has scheduled one of the nation's competitive schedules. The Terps take on eight teams in the preseason NSCAA poll including five in the top nine. The Terps face No. 2 North Carolina (Nov. 1), No. 6 Virginia (Oct. 11), No. 7 Notre Dame (L, 5-2 on Sept. 15), No. 8 Penn State (Oct. 8), No. 9 Connecticut (L, 3-1 on Sept. 1), No. 14 Clemson (Oct. 20), No. 17 Florida State (Oct. 25) and No. 19 Rutgers (W, 5-2 on Sept. 6).
TERP WINS OVER TOP 10
Oct. 8, 1993 Maryland 2, #8 William& Mary 1
Oct. 1, 1995 #12 Maryland 2, #7 Duke 1
Oct. 12, 1997 #19 Maryland 2, #9 Clemson 0
Nov. 7, 1997 #18 Maryland 2, #8 Duke 1
Sept. 18, 1998 Maryland 3, #9 Duke 1
Sept. 19, 1999 Maryland 4, #9 Duke 3 (OT)
Oct. 17, 1999 Maryland 2, #9 Clemson 1 (OT)
Aug. 29, 2000 #23 Maryland 3, #4 Penn State 1
Oct. 13, 2001 Maryland 1, #8 Clemson 0 (OT)
A Quick Look At The Terps
* Maryland's offense has kicked it into high gear this season with 17 goals in the first six games. Last season, Maryland scored 24 goals the entire season in 19 matches. Freshman forward Ali Andrzejewski (Lutherville, Md.) and junior forward Katie Ludwig (Mount Laurel, N.J.) lead the Terps in scoring with four goals apiece. Ludwig leads in overall points with 10, having added two assists. Andrzejewski has scored the game-winning goals in three wins (Fordham, Rutgers and Loyola) while Ludwig had the winner in the victory over VCU. Junior midfielder Audra Poulin (Silver Spring, Md.) also has three goals in the first six games, equalling her total for all of last season. Junior midfielder Jen Biscoe (Baltimore, Md.) is tied for the team lead in assists with four including a school-record tying three-assist performance at Rutgers on Sept. 6. Freshman forward Kimmy Francis (Richboro, Pa.) also has handed out four helpers. Freshman Simone Dekker (Ringwood, N.J.) has also provided immediate results with two goals including one in her first college start vs. Loyola on Sept. 13.
* The Terps' defense has been strong as well with freshman goalkeeper Mariel Wilner (Owings Mills, Md.) in the net. Wilner has a 2.09 goals against average and a .571 save percentage in her first collegiate season. Aiding her on the backline is junior All-ACC selection Lindsay Givens (Downingtown, Pa.) along with sophomores Jennifer Lovecchio (Vineland, N.J.), Lindsay Niehaus (Cincinnati, Ohio) and freshmen starters Mallory Mahar (Medina, Ohio) and Kristin McHugh (Gaithersburg, Md.).
* The Terps were ranked No. 25 in the NSCAA poll of Sept. 16, but fell out after their defeat to Notre Dame on Sept. 15.
Higgins-Cirovski Wins 100th Career Game
* With the Terps' 5-2 win at Rutgers on Sept. 6, Maryland head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski picked up her 100th career college coaching victory. Higgins-Cirovski currently has a 102-89-14 career mark at George Washington and Maryland. She went 69-59-11 at George Washington from 1991-97 in leading the Colonials to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. At Maryland, Higgins-Cirovski has led the Terps to NCAA bids in 1999 and 2001 and has a 33-30-3 mark in three-plus seasons on the sidelines.
The Series With Wake Forest
* Maryland and Wake Forest have split 10 meetings dating back to the first meeting in 1994. The Demon Deacons have won the last three battles, by the score of 1-0 including last season's game on Sept. 23, 2001 at Ludwig Field. Sarah Kate Noftsinger scored off her former high school teammate Maryland goalkeeper Ali Wolff in the 76th minute. Maryland outshot the Deacs, 12-10 in that match.
* In the last game at Spry Stadium, Wake downed Maryland 1-0 on Sept. 22, 2000. Lindsey Griffin scored on a penalty kick in the 38th minute for the only goal.
* In the 1999 regular-season meeting between the teams at Ludwig Field, the Terps upset Wake Forest, 1-0 when they were ranked No. 11 on Oct. 22, 1999. Maryland midfielder Emily Janss scored the game-winning goal as she netted the only goal with 19:51 left in regulation.
* Later that season, the Demon Deacons got a measure of revenge in the 1999 ACC Tournament, as they eliminated the Terps with a 1-0 win in Chapel Hill. Wake Forest's Anne Shropshire notched the game's only goal with 1:07 left in the first half off a cross from Joline Charlton.
* The Terps have outscored the Deacs 21-8 overall in the nine all-time matches. Eight of the 10 matches all-time have ended in shutouts for the Terps or Deacs.
UM-WFU SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Series tied 5-5
10/1/94 Maryland 6, Wake Forest 0
9/17/95 Maryland 3, Wake Forest 0
9/29/96 Maryland 4, Wake Forest 0
9/12/97 Maryland 4, Wake Forest 0
10/25/98 Wake Forest 3, Maryland 2
11/5/98 W. Forest 2, Maryland 1 (ACC 1st R)
10/22/99 Maryland 1, Wake Forest 0
11/5/99 W. Forest 1, Maryland 0 (ACC SF)
9/22/00 Wake Forest 1, Maryland 0
9/23/01 Wake Forest 1, Maryland 0
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* WMUCSports.com will air the Shannon Higgins-Cirovski show every other Thursday at 7 p.m. The first show ran on Sept. 12 with Higgins-Cirovski joined by junior Katie Ludwig. The next show will air on Thursday, Sept. 26. The shows are available on umterps.com and WMUCSports.com with hosts Josh Maurer & Josh Madden.
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Coach Higgins-Cirovski Faces Former School, Top Player
* For the fourth year in a row Maryland head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski will coach against her former school, George Washington, when the Colonials come to College Park next Sunday. Higgins-Cirovski goes against the school she coached at for seven years (1991-97).
* Last season, the Terps posted a 2-0 win as Kim King (Media, Pa.) posted her first career two-goal game, scoring in the 37th and 68th minute. Jenny Biscoe and Jenny Boyd assisted both goals. Ali Wolff made seven saves in the win.
* In 2000, the Terps blanked the Colonials, 3-0 on Sept. 12 as senior Julie Nelson scored her first and only career hat trick.
* In 1999, Higgins-Cirovski coached her first game as Maryland's head coach against her old school and defeated the Colonials, 2-0 on Aug. 29, 1999.
* In addition to having coached at GW, the Colonials are now guided by the top player Higgins-Cirovski coached at the D.C. school, third-year head coach Tanya Vogel. Vogel was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 1996 as she and Higgins-Cirovski led the Colonials to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. To make it even more intertwined, the Colonials faced Maryland in that NCAA Tournament game, a 2-0 Maryland win on Nov. 16, 1996 at Ludwig Field.
* Higgins-Cirovski made her name as a college coach at George Washington, becoming the school's all-time leader in coaching wins with a 69-59-11 record. She was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1996. When she took over the reigns at George Washington in 1991, Higgins was the youngest head coach in the country at 23 years old.
* Also of note, Maryland assistant coach Kerry Dziczkaniec was a standout goalkeeper for the Colonials from 1989-92, where she played for the then-Shannon Higgins first as an assistant coach in 1990 and then in 1991 and 1992, when Higgins was the head coach of the Colonials. Dziczkaniec was the Colonials' starting goalkeeper in 1991 and 1992, serving as team captain both years. She also earned team MVP honors in 1991. She posted a career-best 1.20 goals against average in 1992.
The All-Time Series With GW
* The Terps and Colonials have met 16 times overall and in every season since Maryland women's soccer first became a varsity sport in 1987. George Washington is one of three teams to have played Maryland every year since 1987, with the other two being North Carolina and Virginia.
* Maryland leads the all-time series, 8-6-2, and has not lost in the last eight meetings (7-0-1), dating to 1995. The Terps have won the last five games played in College Park.
* In the only NCAA Tournament matchup between the teams, Maryland topped GW, 2-0 on Nov. 16, 1996 in the Colonials' first NCAA appearance.
UM-GW SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Maryland leads, 8-6-2
The Last 10 Meetings:
10/13/93 Maryland 6, G. Washington 3
9/21/94 G. Washington 2, Maryland 0
10/25/95 Maryland 5, G. Washington 1
9/4/96 Maryland 5, G. Washington 0
11/16/96 Maryland 2, G. Washington 0 (NCAA)
9/26/97 Maryland 2, G. Washington 2
10/28/98 Maryland 3, G. Washington 2 (OT)
8/29/99 Maryland 2, G. Washington 0
9/12/00 Maryland 3, G, Washington 0
9/21/01 Maryland 2, G. Washington 0
Terps Moving Up Assist Chart
* Three Terps are moving up the Maryland career assist chart. Lindsay Givens is tied for eighth all-time with 12 assists after picking up her first of the 2002 season on a throw-in to a Mallory Mahar goal against Notre Dame on Sept. 15.
* Dana Jarzyniecki (Rochester, N.Y.) has 10 in her career to stand 12th all-time at Maryland. With her fast start this season Jenny Biscoe now has nine career assists.
* Biscoe tied the school record for assists in a game with three at Rutgers. Jarzyniecki set the record originally vs. Howard on Oct. 11, 2000.
Higgins-Cirovski Heads for Hall of Fame
* The National Soccer Hall of Fame announced on June 24, 2002, the selection of three champion midfielders slated for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2002. Current Maryland women's soccer head coach and 1991 Women's World Cup champion Shannon Higgins-Cirovski, former NASL/Cosmos star Vladislav "Bogie" Bogicevic and veterans U.S. men's captain Adolph Bachmeier will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. on October 14, 2002.
* "These great midfielders represent three distinct eras in U.S. soccer history," said National Soccer Hall of Fame President Will Lunn. "Bachmeier captained the U.S. during the difficult building period of the 1960's and 70's, Bogicevic was a star with the Cosmos of the North American Soccer League of the 1970's and 80's and Higgins-Cirovski was the standout midfielder for the U.S in the 1980's and early 90's and a key to the USA's victory at the first FIFA Women's World Championship in 1991. We look forward to welcoming them into the Hall of Fame and honoring their accomplishments."
* Higgins-Cirovski, who starred collegiately at the University of North Carolina is just the third women to enter the Hall as a player (joining April Heinrichs and Carin Jennings-Gabarra) and is the youngest person to enter the hall at just 34 years old.
* "This really puts what being a pioneer is, into perspective," said Higgins-Cirovski. "It is truly an amazing honor, obviously as you move past your playing days and reflect on them, they seem to move further away. It is so nice of the committee to recognize my accomplishments. To think of all of the players that I watched, such as Bogicevic and other Hall of Famers ... to be joining them is such an honor."
Media Information
* WMUC Radio: Maryland's student radio station WMUC (88.1 FM) will broadcast up to 11 Maryland women's soccer games in 2002. A pregame show will air approximately 30 minutes prior to kickoff. WMUC's broadcasts can be heard live on the Internet at wmucsports.com and will be linked to umterps.com. Josh Madden will handle play-by-play. He will be assisted by Mark Zaner and Ariel Agami
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* Email Straight To You: If you would like the latest Maryland women's soccer news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email women's soccer contact Jason Yellin at jyellin@wam.umd.edu with the message "Women's Soccer Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed about the team.
* Terrapin Fan Phone: For up-to-date reports, comments from coaches, and other Maryland athletic department information, phone the Terrapin Fan Phone at (301) 314-TERP.
The Shannon Higgins-Cirovski Show
* WMUCSports.com will air the Shannon Higgins-Cirovski show every other Thursday at 7 p.m. The first show ran on Sept. 12 with Higgins-Cirovski joined by junior Katie Ludwig. The next show will air on Thursday, Sept. 26. The shows are available on umterps.com and WMUCSports.com with hosts Josh Maurer & Josh Madden.
