Nov. 13, 2003

Complete Release With Player Notes and Stats in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

MARYLAND (11-8-1) vs. RUTGERS (10-6-4)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2003 * 5 p.m.
JEFFREY FIELD (3,500/Grass), UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.
Possible Live Stats: www.umterps.com

Maryland Faces Rutgers In NCAA First Round
* The Maryland Terrapins (11-8-1 overall) women's soccer team returns to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in nine seasons as it travels to University Park, Pa., to face Rutgers (10-6-4) in the first round of the NCAA Women's College Cup this Friday at 5 p.m., at Jeffrey Field on the Penn State campus. Big Ten regular-season champion and No. 5 seed Penn State (16-2-3 overall) will take on Patriot League champ Navy (17-4-1) in the second match Friday at 7:30 p.m. The winners of Friday's first-round matches will meet in the second round Sunday at 2 p.m.

* Live stats may possibly be provided over the Internet at www.umterps.com for the Maryland match, please check the website for updates. Should the Terps advance to Sunday's game, it is likely that the game will be broadcast on live audio via the internet, again please check umterps.com for the latest info.

* The Terps, ranked No. 22 by Soccer America, are hot heading into the 2003 Tournament, having posting a 4-2 record in their last six games -- with two wins over Top 25 teams -- and have not allowed an opponent to score more than one goal in the last nine games.

Terps Back In The Tournament For Eighth Time
* The Maryland women's soccer team returns to the NCAA Women's College Cup for the third consecutive year and eighth time in nine years. The Terps hold a 6-7 all-time record in the tournament, playing in five straight events from 1995 to 1999. Maryland has a 5-2 record all-time in first-round NCAA games after last season's 1-0 win over American at Ludwig Field on Nov. 15, 2002.

* The Terps have won at least one game in each of their previous appearances except in 1997 and 2001. Maryland advanced to the Quarterfinals twice in 1995 and 1996. The Terps also made it through to the second round in 1998, 1999 and 2002.

Top 5 Terp Tidbits * Kimmy Francis leads the Terps in goals (9), assists (6) and points (24). Four of her six assists this season have come on corner kicks. * The Terps play the second-toughest schedule in the nation based on opponent win pct. * Maryland has not allowed more than one goal in a game over the last nine games (0.88 GAA). * Maryland has won the last four games in the series with Rutgers including last season's 5-2 win in New Jersey. * Maryland has scored the first goal of the game in 10 of its last 16 games, with all of those goals coming in the first 18 minutes of action -- and seven of the 10 within the first 6:20.

Top-Notch Terps
* The 2003 season has been one of major achievements and accomplishments for the Maryland women's soccer team. Here are a few of the notable events and moments.

* Four Terps were honored by the ACC last week for their outstanding achievements this season. Senior midfielder Jen Biscoe (Baltimore, Md.) and sophomore midfielder Mallory Mahar (Medina, Ohio) were named to the All-ACC Second Team. Both players have 10 points apiece and have been keys to the Terps' success all season. Freshman defender Ashly Kennedy (Edgewater, Md.) was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. She has started 19 games and been a stalwart in helping Maryland to a 1.23 goals against average. Sophomore midfielder/forward Kimmy Francis (Richboro, Pa.) was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team after she scored both goals in the 2-1 first-round win over Clemson on Nov. 5. Overall, Francis leads the Terps in every offensive category with 24 points, nine goals and six assists as well as four game-winning goals.

* The Terps have posted four wins over Top 25 teams this season as they have beaten No. 23 Tennessee (3-1 on Sept. 20), No. 24 Clemson (2-1 on Oct. 10), No. 16 Wake Forest (5-1 on Oct. 25) and No. 23 Clemson (2-1 on Nov. 5 in the ACC Tournament). The four wins over ranked teams marked the first time since 1999 that Maryland accomplished that feat. Overall, the Terps have 37 wins over Top 25 teams with 14 of them coming since 1999 when Shannon Higgins-Cirovski took over at Maryland.

* On defense, the Terps have battened down on the backline, as they have allowed just eight goals over the last nine games for a 0.88 GAA. No opponent has scored than one goal on Terp goalkeeper Kristen Barnhill (Charlottesville, Va.) over the last nine games. Maryland has allowed just 25 goals this season after giving up 33 last year.

* The Terps have had a knack for scoring the early goal this season. On 10 occasions, Maryland has scored within the first 18 minutes of a game and seven of those coming in the first 6:20 of the game. Overall, the Terps are 10-1-1 when they score the first goal. * Maryland has reached the double-figure win total for the 11th time in history and eighth in the last nine years -- all the NCAA Tournament berths.

About Rutgers
* Rutgers comes into the tournament with a 10-6-2 record. The Scarlet Knights are making their second NCAA appearance in three years as they made a run to the Sweet 16 in 2001 with wins over Boston University and Princeton before losing to eventual champion North Carolina. They also lost in the first round in 1987 to UConn.

* Rutgers comes in the NCAA's following a 2-1 loss at No. 22 Boston College in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals Nov. 2. Junior All-American Carli Lloyd leads the Scarlet Knights with 24 points on 11 goals and two assists. Sophomore Kelly Evans is second with 13 points on six goals and one assist. No other Rutgers player has more than four points. Rutgers has played solid defense all season behind freshman goalkeeper Robyn Jones. She has posted a 0.82 goals-against average and a .742 save percentage for RU in goal.

About Penn State
* The host Nittany Lions (16-2-3 overall) come into the tournament as the No. 5 seed -- the program's highest-ever seed. They are ranked in the top seven in every major poll -- No. 5 by Soccer Buzz and Soccer Times, No. 6 by the NSCAA and No. 7 by Soccer America. Six-time defending Big Ten regular-season champion, Penn State is coming off a first-round exit at the Big Ten Championships in Madison, Wisc., as No. 8 seed Wisconsin knocked the Nittany Lions out in the first round again this season with a shootout win after a 0-0 tie through regulation and overtime.

* Penn State is led by a trio of high-scorers including M.A.C. Hermann Trophy candidate and Big Ten Player of the Year Joanna Lohman, who has 35 points on 15 goals and five assists. All-Big Ten selection Tiffany Weimer leads the team in all offensive categories with 19 goals, seven assists and 45 points. Overall, 107 of the Lions 160 points have come from three players and 45 of their 58 goals have come from the same trio: Weimer, Lohman and Heidi Drummond (11 goals, 27 points). In goal Amanda Brown has a 0.85 GAA in 19 starts.

* The Nittany Lions are making their ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and have a 15-8 record in their previous outings. They reached the national semifinals last season falling to eventual champion Portland, 2-0 in the final four in Austin, Texas. They made two runs to the quarterfinals in 2000 and 2001 after also reaching the national semifinals in 1999, when they defeated Maryland in the second round, 1-0 at PSU.

About Navy
* Navy (17-4-1) is one of 10 teams making its first NCAA appearance this season. The team's selection marks the first time any women's team at Navy has been selected for an NCAA Tournament bid. The Mids captured the Patriot League's automatic qualifier with a 4-1 win over defending league champion American.

* Navy's head coach Carin Gbarra is one of three women along with Terp coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski to be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

* The Mids are led by a fierce forward tandem of Stacy Finley and Amelia Sheveland. Finley is Navy's all-time leading scorer, producing 51 goals and 24 assists for 126 points. A three-time First-Team All-Patriot League selection, Finley leads the Mids with 35 points on a team-best 12 goals, as well as a team-high 11 assists. The sister of Terp freshman goalkeeper Anna Sheveland, Amelia Sheveland, meanwhile, is fourth on the Mids' all-time scoring list with 94 points on 37 goals and 20 assists. She was named the Patriot League Tournament MVP after assisting on the game-winning goal in the tournament semifinals and scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist in the Patriot League Tournament Championship game vs. American. The two-time Second-Team All-Patriot League honoree is the Mids' second-leading scorer this fall, producing 11 goals and five assists.

TERPS IN THE NCAA'S Overall Record: 6-7 Nov. 18, 1995 #9 Maryland 6, #17 J. Madison 1 First Round at College Park Nov. 25, 1995 #2 Portland 1, #9 Maryland 0 Second Round at Portland, Ore. Nov. 16, 1996 #9 Maryland 2, G. Washington 0 First Round at College Park Nov. 24, 1996 #9 Maryland 1, San Diego 0 Second Round at College Park Dec. 1, 1996 #1 Notre Dame 2, #9 Maryland 0 Elite Eight at South Bend, Ind. Nov. 16, 1997 George Mason 2, #16 Maryland 1 First Round at College Park Nov. 11, 1998 Maryland 4, Fairfield 3 First Round at College Park Nov. 15, 1998 William & Mary 2, Maryland 0 Second Round at Newport News, Va. Nov. 10, 1999 #25 Maryland 6, Long Island 0 First Round at College Park Nov. 14, 1999 #6 Penn State 3, #25 Maryland 2 Second Round at University Park, Pa. Nov. 16, 2001 Dayton 1, Maryland 0 First Round at Morgantown, W.Va. Nov. 15, 2002 #17 Maryland 1, American 0 First Round at College Park Nov. 17, 2002 #12 Penn State 2, #17 Maryland 1 Second Round at College Park

* The Big 12 Conference leads all conferences with eight teams in the tournament. Seven teams will represent the ACC, six teams will represent the Big East Conference and the Big Ten Conference each.

* The ACC has three of the top 11 seeds. No. 1 North Carolina hosts High Point, No. 7 seed Virginia hosts William & Mary, No. 11 seed Florida State hosts Dartmouth, Clemson faces Georgia in Knoxville, Tenn.; Duke plays Stephen F. Austin in College Station, Texas, and Wake Forest plays UNC Greensboro at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Against The Field
* Maryland has played 14 games against teams in the NCAA Tournament this season and has a 7-7 mark against those foes. The Terps have wins over Clemson (2-1 twice), No. 14 Tennessee (3-1), Wake Forest (5-1), Navy (2-1), Loyola (1-0) and William & Mary (2-1).

* Only North Carolina (16) and Florida State (15) have played more games against teams in the field.

* Rutgers has only faced 10 teams in the field of 64, and has a 2-5-3 record in those games. They have wins over Oklahoma (2-1) and Villanova (1-0). They also have ties vs. No. 5 Penn State (0-0), Boston College (0-0) and Princeton (2-2).

* Penn State is 7-2-2 in games against the field winning three games against Big Ten squads as well as non-conference games vs. Maryland (3-0), Florida State (2-1), USC (3-2) and West Virginia (4-1). They also tied Rutgers (0-0) and Santa Clara (2-2).

* Navy has played two teams in the NCAA Tournament, losing to North Carolina (1-0) and Maryland (2-1).

Against Maryland's Opponents
* Maryland and Rutgers have played two common opponents: Penn State and Loyola. Maryland fell to Penn State, 3-0, while they beat Loyola, 1-0. Rutgers tied the Nittany Lions, 0-0, and lost to the Greyhounds, 1-0.

* Penn State and Maryland have also played two common foes -- Florida State and James Madison. The Terps beat JMU, 6-0 and lost to Florida State twice, 2-1 in the regular-season and 1-0 in the ACC Semifinals. Penn State beat both the Dukes (4-1) and Seminoles (2-1).

* Maryland and Navy have played three games vs. the same opponents: Towson, North Carolina and NC State. The Terps went 1-2 vs. those teams, beating Towson (3-2) and losing to both UNC (0-4) and NC State (0-1). Navy also went 1-2 beating Towson (2-0) and falling to UNC (0-1) and NC State (0-3).

Higgins-Cirovski In NCAA's
* Maryland head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski is in her fifth NCAA Tournament as a coach and fourth with Maryland. She led George Washington to its first-ever NCAA bid in 1996 where the Colonials, ironically, lost to Maryland 2-0.

* She is 2-4 in NCAA matches with the win in a 1999 first round win over Long Island in her initial playoff game as the Terps' coach. She also lost in the second round of the '99 tournament, 3-2 at Penn State. Last season, she beat American in the first round before also falling to Penn State in the second round, 2-1. Overall, Higgins-Cirovski is 122-103-16 in 12 years, seven at George Washington and five at Maryland.

* As a player, Higgins-Cirovski won four national championships at North Carolina from 1986-89. She scored the game-winning goal in three title games in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

United States U-21 Reunion At Penn State
* Maryland sophomore Ali Andrzejewski (Lutherville, Md.) will face a pair of her teammates from the United States U-21 National Team which she played with all summer in Penn State's Joanna Lohman and Rutgers' Carli Lloyd. Lohman was the team captain in leading the United States to the Nordic Cup -- the World Championship for all Under-21 teams. Lohman scored both goals to lead the U.S. to victory over Sweden in the final.

Sister-To-Sister
* This weekend will also allow the Sheveland family of Farmer's Branch, Texas, to have one destination as sisters Anna Sheveland and Amelia Sheveland will both be playing at Penn State in the two first-round games as Anna's Maryland team faces Rutgers and Amelia's Navy team takes on host Penn State. The family made a trip to College Park when Maryland and Navy played on Nov. 2 with the Terps winning, 2-1.

Hall of Famers In The House
* Two of the three women in the National Soccer Hall of Fame will also be in Happy Valley this weekend. Navy coach Carin Gbarra and Maryland's Shannon Higgins-Cirovski will coach their teams in action on Friday night. Gbarra, who starred collegiatly at UC Santa Barbara, finished as the NCAA's all-time leading scorer with 102 career goals and 60 assists in 1986. She played for the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal Team and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001.

* Higgins-Cirovski was a two-time national player of the year at North Carolina and captured four National Championships with the Tar Heels, never losing a game at 89-0-6. She also scored the game-winner in three title games. She helped the U.S. to the 1991 World Cup title. She was inducted into the Soccer Hall of Fame as the third woman and youngest person in October of 2002.

Current Terps In The NCAA Tournament
* Eleven active Terps on the roster have played in the NCAA Tournament with Simone Dekker (Ringwood, N.J.) and Kimmy Francis posting goals in last year's event. Francis scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over American in last year's tournament. Jen Biscoe was credited with an assist on the goal. Against Penn State in the second round, Dekker scored in the 38th minute as she slammed in a rebound off a Kim King shot.

* Senior Lindsay Givens (Downingtown, Pa.) lead the way with five games played in the 1999, 2001 and 2002 events. Givens is the only active Terp who played in that 1999 second-round loss at Penn State. Carly Viher (Mentor, Ohio) and Valerie Lawrence (Silver Spring, Md.), who are still with the team, also played in the game in '99, but will not play this season due to injuries which forced both players to have their collegiate careers ended early.

* Valerie Lawrence, who is serving as an undergraduate assistant coach this season, tied the school record for assists in a tournament game with two vs. LIU in 1999.

The Maryland-Rutgers Series
* Maryland holds a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series with Rutgers, having won the last four matches over the previous four seasons. The Mid-Atlantic region teams did not schedule a game this season after Maryland defeated the Scarlet Knights in those four straight games: winning 2-0 in 1999, 1-0 in 2000, 3-2 in overtime in 2001 and 5-2 in 2002. Rutgers' only win came way back in 1989, 6-1 at the WAGS Tournament in Fort Belvoir, Va.

* In last season's meeting, the Terps gave head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski her 100th career coaching victory with a 5-2 win at Yurcak Field on Sept. 6, 2002. In the televised game, Ali Andrzejewski scored two goals and added an assist for five points as she was named the CN8 Star of the Game. New Jersey natives Katie Ludwig and Simone Dekker also scored in the win along with Kim King. The Terps scored four second-half goals to break open a 1-1 halftime game. Jenny Biscoe tied the school record for assists in a game with three in the win.

* Two years ago on Oct. 24 at Ludwig Field, Jen Biscoe headed home a corner kick in the first overtime to lift Maryland to a 3-2 win. In the game, Rutgers came back twice to tie the game after Maryland had taken a one-goal lead (1-0 and 2-1).

* Also of note, Rutgers head coach Glenn Crooks coached his first NCAA Tournament game against Maryland, when he was at the helm of Long Island University, which lost to the Terps, 6-0 in the 1999 first round at Ludwig Field.

The Maryland-Penn State Series
* In a possible re-match from the 2002 NCAA Tournament Second Round, the Terps and Nittany Lions could meet for ninth time in history on Sunday. Penn State holds a 5-3 lead in the all-time series which dates to 1996. The teams have played at least one game each season except for 2001 over the last seven years, meeting twice last season.

* In the regular-season game this season, Penn State beat the Terps 3-0 at Ludwig Field. The game was close throughout with the Nittany Lions holding a 1-0 lead until there were just under three minutes remaining. Tiffany Weimer, Heidi Drummond and Stephanie Smith scored for PSU. * In last season's NCAA match at Ludwig Field, the No. 12 Nittany Lions ended Maryland's season for the second time in four years, as Heidi Drummond scored in the 88th minute off a pass from National Player of the Year Christie Welsh. Playing in heavy rains and chilly temperatures in the 30s, PSU grabbed the lead as Joanna Lohman scored off a pass from Tiffany Wiemer in the 32nd minute. Maryland's Simone Dekker responded in the 38th minute to tie the game at halftime, setting the stage for the dramatic ending.

* Last year's regular-season match in University Park, Pa., saw Maryland fall to No. 13 Penn State 1-0 on Oct. 8 as Lohman scored in the 67th minute.

* In the last NCAA game between the teams at Jeffrey Field, Penn State beat Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with a 3-2 win on Nov. 14, 1999. Lindsay Basalyga scored both goals in that tough defeat for Maryland.

The Maryland-Navy Series
* Maryland has a perfect 5-0 record against Navy all-time after a 2-1 win in this year's regular-season finale at Ludwig Field on Nov. 2. All-time, the Terps have outscored Navy 17-1 in the five meetings with shutout victories on four occasions. The Terps beat 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, 199,7 and 2-0 in the last game on Oct. 10, 1999.

* On 2003 Senior Night, sophomores Kimmy Francis and Ali Andrzejewski scored in the 2-1 win.

Terps' Strength Of Schedule Among the Nation's Toughest
* The Terps play the second-toughest schedule in the nation based on opponents' win percentage through last weekend's play. Maryland's foes have a 211-114-35 record for a 63.3 win percentage. Only Florida State (66.5) has a higher percentage. Overall, 14 of the 18 Terp opponents have winning records.

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 18 minutes of action -- in 10 of the last 16 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 12 times this season and are 10-1-1 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 tallies from tying Amonte for seventh.

* Jenny Biscoe and Kimmy Francis are close to cracking the all-time scoring list as each has 40 points, two 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 18. Biscoe picked up her 18th career helper assisting Kimmy Francis' opening goal in the win over Navy. Next up on the list is Michelle Salmon (1994-97), who had 19.

* Givens got her last helper in the ACC Tournament win over Clemson -- her fourth of the season -- and first not on a throw-in this season.

* 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 18 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, have played 11 teams that played in the 2002 College Cup this season. They will have faced 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.

* Maryland hosted two of the four teams that advanced to the NCAA College Cup Semifinals in North Carolina (4-0 loss on Oct. 5.) and Penn State (3-0 loss on Sept. 7). The Terps also faced 2002 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).

* 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. In the ACC Quarterfinals, Maryland beat No. 23 Clemson, 2-1, for the 37th program win over a top-25 team.