Terps Head To Duke For Critical ACC Showdown This Friday
10/29/2003 7:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 29, 2003
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MARYLAND (9-6-1, 2-4) at DUKE (11-5-1, 3-3)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003 * 7:00 p.m.
KOSKINEN STADIUM (7,000/Grass), DURHAM. N.C.
Live Audio: wmucsports.com * Live Stats: umterps.com
NAVY (14-3-1) at MARYLAND (9-6-1)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2003 * 7:00 p.m.
LUDWIG FIELD (4,500/Grass), COLLEGE PARK, Md.
Live Audio: wmucsports.com * Live Stats: umterps.com
Terps Head To Duke For Critical ACC match; Host Navy On Sunday
* Maryland finishes its 2003 regular season this week with a pair of very important matches. The Terps (9-6-1 overall, 2-4 ACC) head to Durham, N.C. this Friday, Oct. 31, for their final ACC match of the season to take on Duke (11-5-1, 3-3 ACC) at Koskinen Stadium at 7 p.m. Then Maryland returns home for its 2003 regular-season finale against Navy (14-3-1 overall) on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. Sunday's match will be Senior Night at Ludwig Field. Both games are expected to be broadcast live on WMUCSports.com and live stats will be available on umterps.com for both games.
* The Maryland/Duke match is one of four ACC matches left this season and it will have a major impact on the final standings this season which set the seedings for the 2003 ACC Women's Soccer Championships to be held in Cary, N.C., next week. First round matches will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 5, a day earlier than in past seasons to allow the teams a full day off between games.
* The Terps, ranked No. 19 by Soccer America, can finish as high as fourth in the league with the following combination of events: Maryland beats Duke, Virginia beats Clemson, the other two games between North Carolina/Florida State and Wake Forest/NC State could end in any result. That would give Maryland a fourth place finish and they would face fifth-place Clemson in the first round. If the Terps beat Duke and Clemson beats Virginia, then the Terps would finish fifth and face Virginia in the ACC first round. If Maryland and Duke tie or if Duke beats Maryland, then the Terps would most likely finish sixth in nearly every scenario.
* The Maryland/Navy match is also a huge regional match-up for possibly NCAA Tournament berths. Currently, the Terps are No. 4 in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic region and Navy is No. 8.
Looking Back At The Huge WIn Over Wake Forest
* The Terps come into the week on a huge high as they picked up one of the biggest wins in years with a 5-1 thumping of No. 16 Wake Forest, last Saturday at Ludwig Field. The win was the Terps' biggest in the ACC since a 5-0 win over NC State on Sept. 20, 1998. It also marked most goals they had scored in an ACC match since that shutout of the Wolfpack six seasons ago.
* The 5-1 win over the No. 16 team in the nation also marked the Terps largest margin of victory and most goals vs. a ranked team since a 6-1 win over No. 17 James Madison on Nov. 18, 1995 in the NCAA Tournament First Round.
* The win was the Terps' third over a ranked team this season and 36th all-time. They have also knocked off then-No. 23 Tennessee and then-No. 24 Clemson earlier this season. Both teams are currently ranked in the top 25 of the NSCAA Coaches poll as Tennessee is No. 16 and Clemson is No. 23.
* Maryland got on the board early and often -- as they have done much of the season -- against Wake Forest as Jen Biscoe scored just 19 seconds into the match for their fastest goal to start a game this season. They had built a 3-0 lead by 7:15 into the match. Ali Andrzejewski and Kimmy Francis scored the goals to make it 3-0. Katie Ludwig made it 4-0 in the 68th minute and the scoring finished with an own goal in the 79th minute. Both Andrzejewski and Ludwig finished with three points on a goal and assist. In goal, Kristen Barnhill made six saves for her eighth win of the year.
* Francis now leads the Terps in all three major scoring categories -- goals (6), assists (6) and points (18). Ludwis is second with 13 points on five goals and three assists. She has also moved into eighth place all-time at Maryland in goals (18) and points (47).
* Prior to the huge win over Wake, the Terps broke a tough two-game losing streak with a 2-0 win at regional rival George Mason on Oct. 22. Freshman sensation Ashly Kennedy scored her first career goal at George Mason, but Kennedy should be in high consideration for ACC Rookie of the Year as she has been a defensive stalwart all season. Kennedy has started all 16 games in her first collegiate season, playing a team-high 1,446 minutes. She has been off the field for just 30 minutes this year.
Senior Night Set For Nov. 2 Navy Game
* Maryland will host its annual Senior Night at its regular-season finale, Sunday, Nov. 2 against Navy. That game will start at 7 p.m. at Ludwig Field. Maryland will honors its senior class featuring goalkeeper Kristen Barnhill, midfielder Jenny Biscoe, defender Lindsay Givens, forward Katie Ludwig and midfielder Audra Poulin. The team will also honor a pair of players whose careers were ended prematurely due to injury. Defender Carly Viher has missed the last three seasons after suffering several knee injuries. Midfielder/defender Valerie Lawrence will also be recognized after serving as an undergraduate assistant coach this season. Lawrence played three seasons with the Terps (1999-2001).
Terps' Strength Of Schedule Among the Nation's Toughest
* The Terps play the third-toughest schedule in the nation based on opponents' win percentage through last weekend's play. Maryland's foes have a 181-95-30 record for a 645 win percentage. Only Florida State (67.4) and North Carolina (64.5) have played opponents with a better win percentage. Maryland plays a tougher schedule than the following Top 5 teams in the nation: No. 2 Notre Dame (55.5), No. 3 UCLA (58.1), No. 4 Portland (54.8) and No. 5 Virginia (62.1). Overall, 14 of the 18 Terp opponents have winning records.
The Series With Duke
* Duke holds a 10-9-2 in the all-time matchups with Maryland. In one of the fiercest rivalries, the unranked or lower-ranked team has won the last eight games in the series. In this week's NSCAA poll, both teams are in other receiving votes, but Duke is ranked 10th by Soccer America and Maryland is 19th in that poll.
* Maryland has won six of the last seven in the series against Duke and has a 7-2-1 record in the last ten contests. All of those five wins came when the Blue Devils were ranked: No. 22 (on Sept. 27, 2002), No. 17 (on Sept. 2, 2001), No. 21 (on Nov. 4, 1999 in the ACC Tournament), No. 9 (on Sept. 19, 1999), No. 8 (on Sept. 18, 1998) and No. 9 (Nov. 7, 1997 in ACC Tournament).
* Last season, the Terps posted a 3-2 win at a windy and rainy Ludwig Field on Sept. 27. Kim King blasted a penalty kick past Duke keeper Thora Helgadottir in the 66th minute for the decisive goal. Maryland was awarded the kick after forward Katie Ludwig was taken down in the box by Duke's Kate Seibert. Duke had cut the Terrapin lead to 3-2 in the 73rd minute as midfielder Liz Wagner found the net off a scramble in front of the Terrapin goal, but Maryland held off several late Duke challenges to capture the win. Ludwig gave Maryland their second lead of the game as she outraced three Duke defenders on a breakaway and deposited the ball into the Blue Devil net in the 58th minute to give the Terps a 2-1 lead. Maryland jumped on top early as Lindsay Givens' long throw-in went through the hands of Helgadottir in the 6th minute for an own goal. Helgadottir was playing in her first game of the year after returning from a stint with the Icelandic national team.
* In the last game in Durham, the Terps continued the lower-ranked team winning trend, as they went to Durham and upset No. 17 Duke, 2-0 on Sept. 2, 2001. Kim King scored the game-winner in the seventh minute as she banged home the Terps' first shot of the game. Audra Poulin and Katie Ludwig were credited with assists on the goal. Then, Duke-killer Sara Gustafson scored her fourth career goal against the Blue Devils to clinch the game in the 56th minute off an assist from Valerie Lawrence.
* The Blue Devils last picked up a victory in the series in the 2000 meeting at Ludwig Field, winning 2-1 on Sept. 1, 2000. Ali Kopfman broke a 1-1 tie late in the fist half to give Duke the win. Kim King scored the Terps lone goal.
* Maryland picked up two of its biggest wins in the 1999 season against Duke. The Terps defeated the-then No. 9 Blue Devils in the regular season meeting on Sept. 19, 4-3 in overtime as Sara Gustafson notched the game winner 7:14 into the first overtime. Maryland also knocked the Blue Devils out of the ACC Tournament with a 2-1 win as Gustafson scored for the third time against Duke in 1999. Jackie Mynarski tallied the game-winner with 13:48 left in regulation.
* Prior to beating No. 4 Penn State in 2000, Maryland's win over a highest ranked team came against then-No. 7 Duke on Oct. 1, 1995 when the Terps topped the Blue Devils, 2-1 in Durham.
The Series Against Navy
* Maryland has recorded shutout victories in all four meetings against Navy, all in College Park, outscoring the Mids 15-0. Maryland shutout Navy 4-0 in the first game in 1987. After a nine-year hiatus, the Terps blanked Navy 4-0 on Oct. 22, 1996, 5-0 on Oct. 26, 1997 and 2-0 in the last game on Oct. 10, 1999.
* In the last meeting, Jackie Mynarski and Sara Gustafson scored in the win at Ludwig Field on Oct. 10, 1999.
* The game pits Soccer Hall of Famers Carin Gbarra against Maryland's Shannon Higgins-Cirovski. It will also have sisters on opposite benches as freshman goalkeeper Anna Sheveland faces senior forward Amelia Sheveland of the Mids.
Scoring Early and Often
* Maryland has had a knack for the early goal this season. The Terps have scored the game's opening goal -- all within the first 16 minutes of action -- in nine of the last 12 games. In seven of those instances, the goal came in the first 6:20 of action: Ali Andrzejewski scored 2:54 into the 3-2 win over Towson, Katie Ludwig scored 1:14 into the 1-0 win over Loyola, Simone Dekker scored 2:13 into the 3-1 victory over No. 23 Tennessee, at Florida State, Mallory Mahar headed in a throw-in from Lindsay Givens just 4:38 into the match, and Mahar turned the trick again as she headed in the first goal off a Kimmy Francis' corner kick just 3:39 into the win over James Madison. Andrzejewski scored 10:15 into the 2-1 win over Clemson. Ashly Kennedy opened the scoring at George Mason just 6:20 into the game as she banged in a Francis' corner kick. In their last game, the win over Wake Forest, the Terps scored their fastest goal of the year, as Jenny Biscoe headed home a pass from Andrzejewski just 19 seconds into the match. Overall, the Terps have scored the first goal in the game 10 times this season and are 8-1-1 in those games.
Ludwig Moves Up All-Time Scoring, Goals Charts
* With her three -point game vs. Wake Forest, senior Katie Ludwig is now eighth on Maryland's all-time scoring chart with 47 points. With her goal in the win over the Demon Deacons, she is also tied for eighth all-time in career goals with 18.
* Ludwig moved past Audra Weber (1991-94), who had 44 career points. She is seven points away from Kelly Amonte, brother of long-time NHL star Tony Amonte, who had 54 points in her four-year career from 1992-95.
* On the goals list, Ludwig moved past WUSA star Emily Janss of the New York Power, who also had 17 from 1996-99. Ludwig tied Weber on the goals list and is two more tallyies from tying Amonte for seventh.
* Jenny Biscoe is close to cracking the all-time scoring list as she has 39 points, three off Janss, who had 42.
Terps Moving Up Assist Chart
* Three Terps have moved up the Maryland career assist chart this season. Jenny Biscoe and Lindsay Givens are now tied for fifth in assists with 17. Biscoe picked up her 17th career helper assisting Katie Ludwig's late goal in the win over James Madison. Next up on the list is Michelle Salmon (1994-97), who had 19.
* Givens got her last helper in the Clemson win -- her third of the season -- all on throw-ins this season. Her last two throws set up Mallory Mahar goals.
* Kimmy Francis now has 14 career assists and is tied for eighth on the list in just her second year with the Terps. She six assists this season -- four on corner kicks. Overall eight of her 14 career assists have come in corner kicks.
* Givens has 12 of her 17 career assists on throw-ins. Biscoe led the squad in assists last season with nine including a school-record tying three at Rutgers on Sept. 6, 2002. Dana Jarzyniecki set the record originally vs. Howard on Oct. 11, 2000.
* Biscoe also stands fourth on the career chart for career game-winning goals with seven entering her senior season. She needs just one to tie Jackie Mynarski (1996-99) for third all-time with eight. Keri Sarver holds the school record with 17.
PLAYING THE BEST
* The Terps, who reached the second round of the NCAA Women's College Cup last season, will take on 11 teams that played in the 2002 College Cup. They will also face six teams that finished the 2002 season ranked in the NSCAA Top 25 including three from the top ten in No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Penn State and No. 10 Tennessee.
* "I strongly believe this 2003 women's soccer team is going to be the best yet in my time here at Maryland," said Shannon Higgins-Cirovski. "We have an incredibly challenging schedule again. I am excited to be playing some of the best teams in the nation, as the only way to be the best is to play the best -- and that's what we are striving to do again."
* Maryland will host two of the four teams that advanced to the NCAA College Cup Semifinals in North Carolina (Oct. 5, at 1 p.m.) and Penn State (3-0 loss on Sept. 7). The Terps will also face challenges from NCAA qualifiers and ACC foes Florida State (2-1 loss on Sept. 26), Clemson (2-1 win on Oct. 10), Virginia (1-0 loss on Oct. 14) and Wake Forest (5-1 win on Oct. 25).
* Once again, Higgins-Cirovski has scheduled one of the nation's competitive schedules. The Terps take on seven teams in this week's NSCAA poll including four of the top 12. The Terps face No. 1 North Carolina (4-0 loss on Oct. 5), at No. 5 Virginia (1-0 loss on Oct. 14), No. 8Penn State (3-0 loss on Sept. 7), at No. 14 Washington (2-1 loss in overtime on Aug. 29), No. 16 Tennessee (3-1 win on Sept. 20), No. 18 Florida State (2-1 loss on Sept. 26) and No. 23 Clemson (2-1 win on Oct. 10). The following opponents are listed in other receiving votes or are ranked in other polls: Duke (Oct. 31), Wake Forest (5-1 win on Oct. 25) and NC State (1-0 loss on Oct. 19).
* The wins over No. 23 Tennessee and No. 24 Clemson marked the 34th and 35th victories for the Terps over a ranked team since the program started in 1987, all of those wins have come since 1991. Those wins were the 11th and 12th over a ranked team with Higgins-Cirovski as the Terps' head coach. She added to the list with the 5-1 pounding of Wake Forest on Oct. 25.
* During each of Higgins-Cirovski's seasons at Maryland, she has led the Terps to at least one upset win or tie 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; a 1-0 overtime over No. 8 Clemson on Oct. 13, 2001 and a 1-1 tie at No. 2 North Carolina last season, on Nov. 1, 2002.
* Maryland has played the No. 1 team in the country on 17 occasions, 16 vs. North Carolina and once vs. Notre Dame in 1996 and is still seeking its first victory in a game vs. the No. 1 team.
What's Up With Women's Soccer
* Maryland sophomore midfielder Danielle Malagari (Clarksburg, Md.) is writing this season's team journal, "What's Up With Women's Soccer." The sophomore opened the diary with a five-day journal from the team's team to Seattle to open the season. She has continued with periodic updates during the season.
Media Information
* WMUC Radio: Maryland's student radio station WMUC (88.1 FM) will broadcast up to 11 Maryland women's soccer games in 2003. 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. Ariel Agami will handle the play-by-play, Eric Gladstein (color commentary), Jordan Weinstein and Jared Hopkins (color commentary/stats).
* 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@umd.edu with the message "Women's Soccer Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed about the team.
* Scores on your cell phone: Fans can now get score updates sent directly to their cell phones! Just go to any schedule page at www.umterps.com to sign up for the service.
* 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.
