Nov. 6, 2003
2003 ACC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL
#25 ranked/#6 seed MARYLAND (11-7-1) vs.
#19 ranked/#2 seed FLORIDA STATE (12-6-1)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2003 * 5:30 p.m. * SAS SOCCER STADIUM (7,000) * CARY, N.C.
Live Stats: www.umterps.com and www.theacc.com
No. 25 TERPS FACE No. 19 FLORIDA STATE IN ACC SEMIFINALS
* The No. 25/No. 6 seed Maryland women's soccer team faces No. 19/No. 2 seed Florida State this Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the first of two semifinals at the 2003 ACC Women's Soccer Championships at SAS Stadium in Cary. N.C. No.1/No. 1 seed North Carolina takes on No. 4 seeded Duke in the second game at 8 p.m. The semifinal winners will meet in the ACC Championship game on Sunday, November 9 at 1:30 p.m. The title game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet, Sunshine Network and FOX Sports South.
* Maryland is aiming for its first trip to the ACC Championship Game since 1997 and just third all-time (1995 was the other), as they fell to champ UNC both times. It is the Terps' eighth trip to the ACC Semifinals (1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002 & 2003). It is the first time the semifinal game is not against a team from the state of North Carolina as they have played UNC four times and once each vs. Duke, WakeForest and NC State.
* The Terps are now in great position for their eighth NCAA Tournament berth in the last nine years as they have four wins over Top 25 teams (Clemson twice, Tennessee and Wake Forest). Overall, the Terps have 3 7 program victories over Top 25 teams -- 14 of which have come under coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski in the last five seasons.
* Friday's game pits the teams that play the toughest schedules based on opponent win percentage as Maryland (64.0) is second to only Florida State (66.5) in strength of schedule. In fact, four of the top five schools are from the ACC -- No. 4 UNC (63.4) and No. 5 Clemson (63.4). UConn is third at 63.5.
* Maryland advanced to the ACC Semifinals for the second year in a row with a 2-1 victory over No. 23/No. 3 seed Clemson on Wednesday afternoon. Sophomore leading scorer Kimmy Francis scored both goals -- one in each half to lift the Terps. Francis continues to lead the Terps in all offensive categories, as she has nine goals, six assists and 24 total points. She also has four game-winning goals to top the Terps. Maryland has now won four of its last five games overall.
* Florida State also reached the ACC Semifinals with a 2-1 victory as they beat No 7 seed Wake Forest in the opening game of the ACC Tournament. All-ACC first team selection Leah Gallegos scored both goals as Francis did in their teams' wins.
* Friday's game marks the third consecutive year that Maryland and Florida State have played in the ACC Tournament. Both of the other games came in the first round, as the Seminoles beat the Terps, 7-2 in 2001 at Wake Forest. Maryland returned the favor with a 4-2 win over the host Noles in Tallahassee, last season. In the ACC first round win last season, four Maryland freshman scored to lift the Terps to the win -- Kimmy Francis, Ali Andrzejewski, Mallory Mahar and Simone Dekker.
* Overall, Maryland leads the all-time series with the Seminoles, 6-5. The teams have split their ACC Tournament games. The Terps have outscored Florida State, 23-18 in the 11 previous games.
* In this season's regular-season game at the Seminole Soccer Complex, Florida State beat Maryland 2-1 in a game marred with a controversial call. After Mallory Mahar had given Maryland a 1-0 lead on a header just 4:38 into the match. The Seminoles tied the game as Leah Gallegos scored in the 10th minute. In the 14th minute, Maryland had appeared to take a 2-1 lead as Mahar headed in a Kimmy Francis corner kick, but the goal was not called despite the fact that it clearly crossed the line. The was then handed out of the FSU goal which could have resulted in a red card and a penalty kick, but neither was called an play continued. Florida State's Camie Bybee scored the eventual game-winner in the 71st minute on a pass from Kelly Rowland for the 2-1 win.
UPDATING THE TERPS
Kimmy Francis became the second Terps ever to score two goals in an ACC Tournament game on Wednesday, as she equaled Randi Goldblatt's mark set in 1991 in a 2-1 win over Duke in the Quarterfinals.
* Kimmy Francis now has 40 career points in just two seasons as a collegian, that stands tied with senior Jenny Biscoe for 11th all-time in career scoring. New York Power star Emily Janss is 10th on the list with 42 career points from 1996-99. Senior Katie Ludwig ranks eighth all-time on the career scoring list with 47 points and is also eighth in career goals with 19. Next on the points list is Kelly Amonte (1992-95), who had 54 points. Amonte is also Ludwig's next target on the goals list, as she had 20 in her career.
* Kimmy Francis now has 10 points in her last five games, and at least two in four of those games. Earlier this season, she had a run of 13 points in a seven-game span from Aug. 3-1 through Sept. 20.
* With her assist on Kimmy Francis' second goal vs. Clemson, Lindsay Givens moved back into a tie with Jenny Biscoe for fifth all-time in career assists at Maryland with 18. For Givens, 12 of the 18 assists have come on throw-ins including three of the four this season. Next on the assist list is Michelle Salmon (1994-98), who had 19 to stand fourth.
* With her start vs. Florida State on Friday, Lindsay Givens will move into a tie for 10th all-time in career games played as Terps with her 83rd game -- all of which have been starts. She will tie Laura Varela (1995-98) and Courtney Beirne (1998-2001), who also played 83.
* The Terps now have a 10-1-1 record when they score the first goal of the game after the Clemson win in the Quarterfinals. Three of those first goals have come from Francis, who also has a team-high four game-winning goals this season. The Terps have won six straight games in which they scored the first goal. Wednesday's first goal came in the 30th minute -- a little later than normal for the Terps, as they have scored the game's first goal in the first 18 minutes on 10 occasions including six times in the first 6:20.
* Behind solid defense anchored by goalkeeper Kristen Barnhill, the Terps have not allowed more than one goal in their last eight games. They are 5-3 in that stretch with all three losses coming by 1-0 scores. Coincidentally, junior captain Jennifer Lovecchio moved into the starting lineup eight games ago on defense after coming off an MCL injury at the start of the year which limited her early on.
* Three Terps were honored by the ACC coaches for their outstanding play this season. Senior Jenny Biscoe and sophomore Mallory Mahar were named to the All-ACC Second Team, while freshman Ashly Kennedy was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.
