Top-Ranked Terrapins Face No. 15 Princeton, No. 14 Cal This Week

Sept. 26, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 1 Maryland field hockey squad (8-1, 0-1 ACC) faces a pair of NFHCA top 15 opponents this week, first concluding its string of four straight road matches at No. 15 Princeton before coming home to meet No. 14 California. The Terps and Tigers square off at the Class of 1952 Stadium in Princeton, N.J. on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. The Bears make their way to College Park to complete a three-match East Coast swing on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.

The Terrapins enter the weekend's matches after posting a 2-1 record in a five-day, three-city away trip. The Terps handled then No. 14 Delaware in a 3-1 victory before receiving their first setback of the season, 2-1 in overtime, at the hands of then-No. 5 Wake Forest. Maryland regrouped, however, to bury Virginia Commonwealth under a barrage of shots in a 1-0 victory on the turf in downtown Richmond.

Maryland maintained its No. 1 ranking in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll (NFHCA) for the third week in a row, released Tuesday. The Terrapins began the season 7-0 and join only Michigan State with eight season victories to date. Maryland's matches with No. 15 Princeton and No. 14 Cal will mark the fifth and sixth matches in which the Terps have faced a ranked opponent. Maryland has defeated four teams that received votes in this week's poll in addition to its victories over then-No. 2 Old Dominon and then-No. 14 Delaware.

Topping The Charts Again

The youthful Maryland field hockey squad maintained the nation's top ranking in the third STX/NFHCA poll of the 2002 season, released Tuesday. The Terrapins have been ranked No. 1 in all three coaches polls this year after being tabbed the top team in six out of eight polls a season ago. 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, 2-1, on Sept. 21.

All five ACC field hockey schools made this week's top 20, with Wake Forest (5-2) ranking third and North Carolina (5-3) listed seventh. Also joining the Terps, Demon Deacons and Tar Heels in the top 20 is No. 13 Duke (5-2) and 18th-ranked Virginia (4-3).

Including the Terps' Friday match against No. 15 Princeton and Sunday meeting with No.14 California, Maryland plays a total of 10 regular season matches against teams listed in the third top 20 of 2002. Four 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 8-1 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 two assists for 20 points, which places her first in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Senior All-American Carissa Messimer (Mountaintop, Pa.) follows with six goals and one assist for 13 points, while all-region senior Kateri Simon (Fallston, Md.) totals a team-leading seven assists. Eight different Terrapins have scored goals in Maryland's first nine games, as the Terps have outscored their early and mid-season opponents 22-5.

Defensively, the Terrapins are off to a fine start, ranked third in the nation limiting opponents to a 0.55 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 235-77-9, 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. The inaugural program aired live on Sept. 14. Check www.WMUC.com or www.umterps.com for the archived version.

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.

Honda hopeful 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 13 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 is tied for sixth in the nation 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 (Malvern, England). 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 transferred 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 a goal 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 one game-winning goal in 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 tied for 12th in the nation.

Hail To The Chief

Sophomore Kerry "The Chief" 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 fifth among the nation's leaders.

Hearsey's five shutouts also are tops in the ACC, while her save percentage of .828 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. 15 Princeton

A national semifinalist from 2001, No. 15 Princeton (3-1) followed a season-opening loss to Ohio with wins over Ivy opponents Yale, Columbia and Dartmouth. The 2001 Ivy League champions posted a 17-3 record a season ago, including postseason loss to national champion Michigan in Kent, Ohio.

International All-America senior Ilvy Friebe, the nation's top scorer in 2001, once again leads the nation with 5.7 points per game in 2002. Friebe has scored seven goals and three assists in just four games for the Tigers. Freshman Ashley Sennet has scored five goals, helping Princeton to rank as the country's top-rated offense at 6.0 goals per game.

All-America senior goaltender Kelly Baril is back in the cage for the Tigers. She owns a 1.31 goals against average and a .783 save percentage to date.

Now in her 16th season, head coach Beth Bozman is six wins shy of 200 for her career at 194-71-6. She has been the Tigers' head coach for 15 seasons.

The Terrapins own a narrow advantage in the all-time series with Princeton at 6-4-1. Maryland has won in the last four meetings dating to the 1999 season, including at Princeton in 2000 and in the 2000 NCAA Second Round in College Park.

Scouting No. 14 California

The No. 14 Cal Bears (5-1) face Maryland on Sunday as part of a four-day, three-game road swing. The Bears meet Georgetown on Thursday and Virginia on Friday before taking a day off to battle the Terrapins and wrap up their trip. The Bears are coming off a solid 3-2 victory over then-No. 8 Iowa on Sept. 21.

The Bears captured first place in the NorPac a season ago, posting a 14-5 overall record and falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Syracuse in College Park.

The Cal offense is led by senior Pooja Mehta, who netted two goals against Iowa and totals four on the season. International junior Nora Fedderson, a native of Berlin, Germany, has a team-leading four assists and is tied for second on the squad with six points.

Sophomore goalie Kelly Knapp is in the midst of a breakout season, ranking second in the nation with a 0.50 goals against average and leading the country with a .932 save percentage. She is a big reason why Cal ranks second in the country in team defense.

The Bears are coached by Shellie Onstead, who owns a 75-48 record in her ninth season with Cal.

Maryland is 3-0 all time against the Bears, including an 8-0 season-opening victory in 2001.

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."

Top-Ranked Terrapins Face No. 15 Princeton, No. 14 Cal This Week

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