Game Notes: Field Hockey Takes on UNC for Key ACC Matchup
10/23/2003 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 23, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Game 17: #3 Maryland (14-2, 1-2) vs. #4 North Carolina (11-3, 2-1)
Saturday, October 25, 2003 * 1 p.m.
Francis E. Henry Stadium (1,086/Turf)
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Terps Travel to UNC For Key ACC Matchup
* In their final regular-season conference game of the year, the No. 3 Terps travel to No. 4 North Carolina for a key ACC matchup. The Terps stand just one game back from the Tar Heels who stand in second place heading into the weekend.
* UNC heads into the weekend having lost its last two games, its longest losing streak of the season. This game will be a tough challenge for the Terps as the Heels boast the best offense in the nation and the second-best defense.
* Saturday's game is a rematch of the 2002 ACC Tournament semifinal in which Maryland came out victorious, 3-2, in overtime, to advance to the title game.
Terps on TV
* Maryland's 3-1 win over Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge will air several more times on CSTV. Check DirecTV listings for more information. Schedule is as follows:
Sun, Oct. 26 - 3:00 pm Mon, Oct. 27 - 3:00 am Mon, Oct. 27 - 3:00 pm Tue, Nov. 4 - 9:00 pm Wed, Nov. 5 - 5:00 am Wed, Nov. 5 - 1:00 pm
A Look At The Terps
* With Maryland's back-to-back 7-0 victories against Rutgers and Pacific in the Terrapin Invitational, 16th-year head coach Missy Meharg recorded her 250th-career victory and boasts a 258-83-9 (.750). A 1985 graduate of Delaware, Meharg was named Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2002. During her tenure, she has led the Terps to two national championship titles (1993 and 1999) and five Atlantic Coast Championship crowns. Maryland's all-time winningest coach, she has been named National Coach of the Year four times.
* The team's goal and points leader since the beginning of the season, freshman Paula Infante has 14 goals and 35 points. Infante went on a tear to open the season, scoring at least a goal in the Terps' first six games of the season. Sophomore Jackie Ciconte has also posted double-digit goals, leading the team with 15. Junior Anja Boettcher had back-to-back goals in two games last weekend and now has 14 tallies. Eleven different Terps have scored goals with six tallying at least five goals. Sophomore All-American Lauren Powley and junior Emily Boyer each lead the team with 13 assists.
* Ranked 9th in the nation in goals against average, sophomore Tori Cano boasts a 1.07 average and team-leading 28 saves in 915 minutes played. She posted her first shutout of the season against No. 15 Delaware. Redshirt freshman Christina Restivo has allowed just three goal in 212:24 minutes. In her first-career start, she defeated No. 7 Old Dominion. The Terps goalkeepers have recorded seven shutouts this season.
* Maryland has been peppering its opposing goalies, outscoring its opponents 70-17 and outshooting them 354-79. The third-ranked offense in the nation, the Terps are scoring 4.35 goals per game.
* The Terps return 11 letterwinners from last year's 17-5 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and reached the ACC Tournament finals. Seven starters return, including 2002 NFHCA second team All-American and 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year Colleen Barbieri. Barbieri is the team's top-returning scorer. Maryland also welcomes 10 newcomers to the squad who have made an immediate impact.
Terps' Last Time Out
* The Terps swept two top-15 teams on back-to-back games. Maryland held on for a 3-2 victory over then-No. 7 Old Dominion to sweep the home-and-home series for the first time ever. Junior Anja Boettcher led the Terps with two tallies, including the game winner. Redshirt-freshman Christina Restivo posted the win and a career-high five saves in her first-career start. Boettcher scored two more times in the 4-0 win over then-No. 15 Delaware the next day.
A Look at the Tar Heels
* A 1979 graduate of West Chester State College, Karen Shelton is in her 23rd year at North Carolina. Carrying a record of 373-104-9, she ranked sixth in all-time wins heading into the 2003 season. Shelton has been named National Coach of the Year three times and ACC Coach of the Year six times, winning 14 conference crowns and four NCAA Championships.
* North Carolina boasts the best offense in the nation (4.40) and the second-best defense (0.99). Kelsey Keeran leads the way with a team-high 37 points on 15 goals and seven assists. She ranks in the top 10 in points along with teammate Rachel Dawson who has collected 35 (17 goals, 1 assist). Dawson's 17 tallies is fourth in the nation, while Keeran is ranked seventh. Laura Douglas has dished out 18 assists on the season to lead the nation. * Directing the defense is goaltender Katy Tran. Her 0.991 goals against average is fifth in the nation.
* LAST MEETING: In the semifinal of the ACC Tournament, the Terps topped the Tar Heels, 3-2, in overtime, to advance to the championship game. Maryland overcame a 2-0 first-half deficit to win the game. Jackie Ciconte scored the game-winning and game-ending goal on a assist from Colleen Barbieri on the 83rd minute.
Series versus...
* NORTH CAROLINA: North Carolina leads the all-time series, 28-15, with 14 of those games going into overtime, including seven of the last nine meetings.
Terps Among Nation's Best
* Maryland's offense and defense rates among the top 10 in the nation. Offensively, the Terps 4.35 scoring rate is third and the 1.06 goals allowed is tied for sixth, helping UM to a third-best 3.29 margin of victory. Maryland's .875 winning percentage (14-2) is also second in the nation.
* Freshman Paula Infante is the highest-ranked Terp in the nation in scoring. Her 35 points and 2.33 points per game is eighth. Infante and sophomore Jackie Ciconte is tied for seventh with a team-leading 15 goals, while sophomore All-American Lauren Powley and Emily Boyer are tied for fourth with 13 assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Tori Cano is in the top 10 in goals against average, rating 9th with a 1.07 GAA. In all, six different Terps are among the nation's top 20 in several different categories. For a full list, check out the right margin of page three.
In The ACC Stats
* In the ACC statistical categories, freshman Paula Infante had led the league in points for most of the season now she is tied for third with 35, just three points behind the league leaders. Sophomore All-American Lauren Powley and junior Emily Boyer are tied for fifth with 0.81 assists per game.
* Sophomore Tori Cano is third in the conference with a 1.07 goals against average and her 28 saves is fifth. Sophomore Jackie Ciconte (31 pts, 6th; 0.94 gpg T3rd), and juniors Colleen Barbieri (0.67 gpg, 10th) and Anja Boettcher (29 pts, T9th; 0.88 gpg, 6th) are also among the top 10 in the league in points and goals per game.
* The Terps average 4.37 goals per game is third in the ACC. The team's seven shutouts is tied for third. Maryland ranks fourth in points per game (12.00), and fourth in assists per game (3.25) and goals against average (1.06).
Terp Attack
* The formidable attack from two years ago seems to be back. Maryland has scored more goals than it had all last season. With three regular-season games left, the Terps have scored 70 goals. In 22 games last year, the Terps scored 59 goals.
* Two years ago, the Terps were the top-ranked offense in the nation. Maryland ranked 14th at the end of last season.
Terps "D" Up
* Seven of Maryland's 14 wins have come by virtue of shutout. The Terps have allowed only 17 goals this season, allowing more than one goal to opponents six times. The shots and penalty corners have been hard to come by for opponents as well. Maryland opponents average 4.94 shots per game and 2.63 penalty corners per game. It's no wonder the Terrapin defense has been so hard to penetrate. The backfield is tied for sixth in the nation in scoring defense at 1.06.
Ciconte Not Slumping
* Jackie Ciconte does not know the meaning of "sophomore slump" because she is having a breakout year. Playing in every game and starting all but one match this season, she is the team's goal leader with 15 tallies, while posting 31 points. All are career bests. She also has a career-high four game-winning goals, tallying her fourth in the 3-1 victory over Ohio State. With her two-goal performance against the Buckeyes, Ciconte is tied for second on the team with four multiple-goal games.
* Ciconte played 19 of the Terps' 22 games last year, making four starts. She totaled six goals, one assist, 13 points and three game-winning goals.
Nearing the Century Mark
* A first team All-American last year, junior Colleen Barbieri is on the verge of breaking the 100-career point plateau. She currently has 95 points. She has also scored 40 career goals and is two away from tying for 10th on Maryland's all-time list.
Seeing Double
* Six different Terps have scored at least two goals in a game. Team scoring leader freshman Paula Infante has had the most two-goal performances, scoring a pair in five games. Sophomore Jackie Ciconte has accomplished that feat four times. Junior Anja Boettcher recorded back-to-back two-goal games this past weekend to tie Ciconte with four multiple-goal games. She is also the only Terp this season to record a hat trick. Junior All-American Colleen Barbieri, junior co-captain Sara Silvetti and sophomore Amber McQuillan have recorded two two-goal games.
* The Terps' offense ranks third in the nation, scoring 4.35 goals per game.
Meharg Reaches 250
* Maryland's 7-0 win over Pacific on the final day of the Terrapin Invitational gave head coach Missy Meharg her 250th-career victory. Already the program's all-time winningest coach, she boasts a record of 258-82-9 in 16 years. On Sept. 20, 1998, Meharg became Maryland's winningest coach with a 3-0 win vs. UMass, chalking up her 153rd career triumph.
Terps to Named to U.S. Team
* Four former Terps were selected for the U.S. National Team's residency program. Katie Kauffman-Beach ('97), Carissa Messimer ('03) Dina Rizzo ('02) and Keli Smith ('01) were named to the 19-player roster which was selected after open tryouts held at the team's training site in Virginia Beach, Va. The U.S. will begin preparations for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, March 19-28, 2004, in Auckland, New Zealand, including hosting the International Atlantic Cup which features four of the top 10 ranked teams in the world.
* Kauffman-Beach, Rizzo and Smith each played for the U.S. team this summer, helping the Stars & Stripes capture a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Kauffman-Beach was named team captain of that squad. Messimer is making her debut on the senior squad, having been a member of the 2001 Junior World Cup Team and 1999 Under-20 squad.
Tough Schedule
* The Terps continually play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. A season-high 11 Maryland opponents appear in the NFHCA Top 20 poll this week, with the top four slots being occupied by ACC teams. Wake Forest remains the top team in the nation followed by Duke. The Terps moved up to No. 3 after spending a week at No. 4, its lowest ranking of the season. North Carolina is coming off of two losses and is ranked four. Virginia rounds out the conference teams and is tied for 20th.
* The top four teams in the nation, besides Maryland, are featured on the Terps' schedule. After the top four spots which are occupied by ACC teams, Michigan, which the Terps defeated 4-2, is fifth. The Terps have defeated No. 8 Princeton, No. 9 Old Dominion (twice), No. 15 Harvard, No. 17 Delaware and No. 18 Ohio State. Maryland hosts No. 19 American in its final regular-season home game on Oct. 28.
Terps in Openers
* The Terrapins are 25-3-2 in season openers since program's first year in 1974. Maryland went unbeaten the first 15 years, going 13-0-2 before losing back-to-back openers in 1989 (at Virginia) and 1990 (at Old Dominion). UM has won the last seven opening games of the season.
* When opening the home slate, the Terps are 24-4-2 all-time, having won the last five home openers in a row.
Infante Earns Conference Honor
* Freshman defender Paula Infante was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week for the opening week of the season on Sept. 1. The Santiago, Chile, native tallied three goals and two assists in the Terps' first two wins of the season. She also contributed to Maryland's defensive effort which allowed just three shots and one penalty corner combined over both games.
Maryland No. 3 in First Poll of the Year
* The Maryland Terrapins were ranked third in the initial National Field Hockey Coaches Association Top 20 poll of the year which was released on Sept. 9. Prior to that announcement, the Terps were 4-0, including posting a 2-1 victory over arch-rival Old Dominion.
Terps Name Captains
* Juniors Sara Silvetti and Kristin Harris have been named captains for the 2003 season. Silvetti, a redshirt junior, is a back and has started every game for the Terps the last two seasons. Harris is a midfielder who has started all but one game the last two seasons and was named second team NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Region.
Up Next
* Maryland returns home and closes out the regular-season home slate hosting 19th-ranked American on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m.
