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Feb. 25, 2003

No. 5 MARYLAND (0-0) vs. No. 7 DUKE (2-0)
SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2003 * 1:00 p.m.
ARTIFICIAL TURF FACILITY (1,000/Turf), COLLEGE PARK, MD.
Live TV: WMAR Channel 2 * Live Audio: WMUCSports.com

No. 5 Terps Battle No. 7 Duke In ACC Clash On WMAR-TV Channel 2
* The No. 5 Maryland men's lacrosse team will look to open its 2003 regular season this Saturday, March 1, as the Terps host No. 7 Duke at 1 p.m., in a game that will be televised live on WMAR-TV Channel 2 in Baltimore. The game will also be broadcast live on the internet through WMUCSports.com.

* The Terps were scheduled to open its 2003 season last Saturday, Feb. 22, against No. 6 Georgetown, but the game was postponed due to unplayable field conditions at Maryland's Artificial Turf Facility. The game will be rescheduled in April on a date to be determined. Despite the snow storm earlier in the week and the rain overnight, the game was still scheduled to go on as planned. But after the officials walked the field prior to the 11 a.m., start time it was decided the turf was too dangerous with all of the water from the snow and rain beginning to seep under the playing surface causing it to be uneven and wavy.

* Maryland comes into the season after a 9-4 campaign in 2002 when they lost all four games by just one goal, including three in overtime.

* ACC rival Duke comes to College Park with a 2-0 record after winning the championship of the Denver Pioneer Face-Off Classic last weekend. The Blue Devils topped Air Force, 13-8 on Feb. 22 and host Denver, 11-8, for the title on Feb. 23. Kevin Cassese was named the tournament MVP and ACC Player of the Week after he piled up six goals and three assists in the wins. Last season, Duke went 8-7 overall, advancing to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals, falling to Syracuse, 10-9.

No. 5 Maryland: 2003 Record: 0-0 (0-0 ACC) 2002 Record: 9-4 (1-2 ACC) 2003 Rankings: 5th (Coaches) / 5th (Sun/WMAR) Head Coach: Dave Cottle (Salisbury '78) Coach's Record: 190-74 (.720)/21st season Coach's Record at UM: 9-4 (.692)/2nd season Ass't Coach: Dave Slafkosky (Johns Hopkins '74) Ass't Coach: Paul Cantabene (Loyola '93) Ass't Coach: Steve Gorski (UMBC '96) Leading Ret. Scorer: Mike Mollot (23g, 23a, 46pts.) No. 7 Duke: 2003 Record: 2-0 (0-0 ACC) 2002 Record: 8-7 (1-2 ACC) 2003 Rankings: 7th (Coaches) / 9th (Sun/WMAR) Head Coach: Mike Pressler (Washington & Lee '82) Coach's Record: 194-82 (.703)/19th season Coach's Record at DU: 119-62 (.657)/13th season Ass't Coach: Joe Alberici (Alfred '91) Ass't Coach: Jon Lantzy (Michigan State '91) Leading Scorers: Kevin Cassese (6 g, 3a, 9 pts.)

Series History With Duke
* Maryland and Duke battle for the 62nd time on Friday night. The Terps hold a 49-12 edge (.803) in the series that dates back to 1940. Maryland's 49 wins against the Blue Devils are the most against any opponent. Ten of the last 22 games in the series have been decided by one goal and six of the last 10 including both of last year's games with Duke winning twice in overtime. The teams have played twice each of the last three seasons.

* The Blue Devils won last year's regular-season game, 9-8 in double overtime on March 2, 2002, as Matt Monfett scored in the second OT with just two seconds left. Ryan Moran (Setauket, N.Y.) scored his first three career goals for his first career hat trick in the loss. Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) added a goal and three assists for a team-high four points.

* Duke came back to win the match-up in the ACC Tournament, 8-7, in overtime on April 19, as freshman Matt Rewkowski scored with four seconds left in the first overtime to the then-No. 12 Blue Devils to the win over No. 6 Maryland. Moran once again posted a hat trick for six career goals vs. Duke.

THE LAST 10 VS. DUKE Overall Series Maryland leads 49-12 Apr. 19, 2002 Duke 8, Maryland 7 (ot) (ACC SF) Mar. 2, 2002 Duke 9, Maryland 8 (2ot) Apr. 22, 2001 Duke 10, Maryland 6 (ACC F) Mar. 4, 2001 Maryland 13, Duke 5 Apr. 21, 2000 Maryland 7, Duke 6 (ACC SF) Mar. 4, 2000 Duke 8, Maryland 7 Mar. 7, 1999 Duke 11, Maryland 10 Feb. 28, 1998 Maryland 15, Duke 9 Apr. 18, 1997 Duke 17, Maryland 10 (ACC SF) Mar. 1, 1997 Duke 11, Maryland 10

* In the last game at Maryland, which was also televised by WMAR Channel 2, the Terps topped the Blue Devils, 13-5 on March 4, 2001 at Byrd Stadium. Andrew "Buggs" Combs scored five times and the man-down defense allowed just one goal on 16 chances. Prior to that game, three straight Maryland-Duke games were decided by one goal.

* The Terps dominated the series from 1955 through 1988, winning all 27 meetings.

* The teams have met twice in the NCAA Tournament with Maryland winning 13-11 in 1992 and Duke retaliating 14-9 in 1994.

Individual Terps Vs. Duke
* Mike Mollot leads the Terps in career scoring vs. Duke with 17 points on six goals and 11 assists in six meetings vs. Duke. In last season's regular-season game, he had a goal and three assists and followed that up with a goal and assist vs. Duke in ACC Tournament. He had three goals and an assist in the March 4, 2001 meeting at Byrd and a goal and an assist in the ACC final that April as he was named to the ACC All-Tournament team. Mollot totaled five assists in 2000's two meetings.

* Dan LaMonica has four goals and four assists for eight points vs. Duke in his four games. He posted his first of six career hat tricks against Duke on March 4, 2001.

* Ryan Moran has six of his career 15 goals vs. Duke. He posted the first three goals of his career for his first hat trick in last season's regular-season game. He followed that up with three more vs. Duke in the ACC Tournament last April.

* Graduate student Brian Hunt (West Chester, Pa.) had two goals and two assists vs. Duke, while he was with Yale in the 2001 meeting on April 8.

* Goalie Danny McCormick has a 7.73 goals against average in two games vs. Duke. He made 12 saves and allowed nine goals in his first game vs. Duke, the double-overtime loss earlier last regular-season. He made six saves and allowed eight goals in the ACC Tournament game. * Coach Dave Cottle has a 4-6 career record against Duke while coaching at Loyola and Maryland. He was 4-4 vs. Duke while at Loyola. He led the Greyhounds to a 10-8 win at Duke two seasons ago on March 10, 2001. He also led the Hounds to a one-goal 11-10 win over Duke, three years ago on March 11, 2000.

Terps' 78th Season of Lacrosse
* The Terps begin the fourth season of the new century with an all-time record of 625-201-4, dating back to the first varsity team in 1924 (a team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II). Maryland has finished every one of its previous 77 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 9-4. The program's 600th win came against Duke on April 21, 2000, 7-6 in the ACC Semifinals at Byrd Stadium.

* In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland recorded its most wins in any decade with a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland's win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage.

Maryland In Season Openers
* Maryland has a 73-3-1 (.955) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last nine openers and 17 of the last 18, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993.

* Last season, Maryland defeated Hobart, 13-6 at the Artificial Turf facility on Feb. 23, in coach Dave Cottle's debut with the Terps. Maryland shutout the Statesmen for the first three quarters building a 9-0 lead. Dan LaMonica had two goals and three assists for five points and Mike Mollot had a hat trick and added an assist for four points.

* After losing their 1925 opener to Yale, 5-3, the Terps went on to win 40 consecutive season openers from 1926 through 1967. The streak was broken when Maryland tied Princeton, 6-6, in the 1968 opener. Following the deadlock, Maryland went on to win its next 14 openers, giving the Terps a 54-0-1 record over a 57-year span (Maryland did not field a team in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.)

The Last Nine Openers
* The Terps enter the 2003 season riding an nine-game winning streak in season openers. Five of those wins came against Villanova (1994-98) and the last four over Denver, Mount St. Mary's, Air Force and Hobart. Over the nine-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 132-44 (an average score of 15-5) in those games. Maryland last lost a season opener in 1993, when it fell to Duke 9-5 on March 6.

Six Terps Named Preseason All-Americans
* The Maryland men's lacrosse team has placed six players on the Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America list. Senior defenseman Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.) and junior defender Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) were both named to the preseason first team. Last season Howley was a USILA second-team All-American and Passavia was a member of the third team.

* Senior midfield/attackman Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) was named a second team preseason All-American after he was a USILA second teamer last season. Junior attacker Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md.) was also named to the second team. Last season, he was a USILA honorable mention All-American.

* Goalie Danny McCormick (McLean, Va.) was named to the preseason honorable mention list after being a USILA honorable mention All-American last year. Newcomer attackman Brian Hunt (West Chester, Pa.), who comes to Maryland as a graduate student after playing at Yale, was also named a preseason honorable mention All-American as he makes his debut as a Terp this spring. Hunt missed all of last year with a broken ankle.

Leading Scorers All Around
* It is believed that the 2003 Maryland men's lacrosse team is in the process of making NCAA sports history as the Terps have a roster unlike any other in the history of college athletics. Maryland has a roster that has four players who led their respective teams in scoring in their last seasons of action. It is still being researched by the NCAA, but it is believed that this is the first instance of its kind in any sport.

* Maryland returns its own leading scorer from 2002 in senior Mike Mollot, who had 46 points on 23 goals and 23 assists last season. The Terps have added three new players who join the team from other Division I programs where each of them led their respective teams in scoring in their last year of action.

* Graduate student Brian Hunt topped Yale's scoring chart in 2001 and finished fourth in the nation in points with 58 on 28 goals and 30 assists.

* Joe Parker, who is also a graduate student, played one year of lacrosse at Colgate last season, where he also led the team in points with 48 on 29 goals and 19 assists.

* Finally, junior transfer Justin Smith, who comes to the Terps from UMBC, was the Retrievers' leading scorer last season with 24 points on 18 goals and six assists.

Mollot Looks To Move up Top 20 Scoring Chart
* Senior captain Mike Mollot enters the season as the 20th all-time leading scorer in Maryland's storied lacrosse history with 133 points. With two points vs. Duke, he can pass Dave Dempsey (1970-74), which had 134. Mollot currently has 57 goals and 76 assists for 133 points in three-plus seasons.

* Mollot became the 30th player in Maryland history to surpass the 100-point plateau with the seven points against Towson on March 9, 2002.

* Mollot is four assists shy of the Terps' top 14 in career assists. Brendan Hanley had 80 from 1985-88 to rank 14th.

* Junior Dan LaMonica is on track to become the 31st Terp with 100-plus points in his career as he comes into action with 90 career points on 40 goals and 50 assists in two-plus seasons.

* Graduate student Brian Hunt piled up 128 points in his three seasons at Yale and ranks 10th all-time in Bulldog history in scoring. He had 78 goals and 50 assists from 1999-2001 with Yale.

2003 Schedule Notes
* For 2003, Maryland has added several new opponents including Georgetown; Stony Brook, Butler and Notre Dame. The Terps will also continue their long-time rivalries with ACC foes Duke, North Carolina and Virginia along with local battles against Johns Hopkins, Navy, Towson and UMBC.

* The Terps will appear on the WMAR Channel 2 Television Game of the Week for a school-record four occasions. Maryland will be featured in the first two games of the package as they host Duke on March 1 at 1 p.m. and travel to Towson on March 8 for a 1 p.m. face-off. The greatest rivalry in lacrosse renews once again on WMAR for the sixth year in a row as Johns Hopkins comes to College Park for a Saturday, April 12, prime time match-up. The Terps will also play in a televised prime-time game as they host UMBC on April 25 at 7:30 p.m.

* "We are very excited about our schedule for the spring of 2003," said Dave Cottle, who enters his second season at the helm of the Terps' program. "We feel we have added some games against top-quality opponents that make it one of the toughest schedules in the nation."

* The Terps take on seven teams that finished in last season's final USILA/STX Poll (No. 1 Johns Hopkins, No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 Georgetown, No. 9 Duke, No. 12 North Carolina, No. 15 Navy and No. 18 Towson). They also play five teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2002: Duke, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Stony Brook and Virginia.

* The games with Georgetown, Stony Brook, Butler and Notre Dame will all be the first regular-season meetings against those teams. The Terps have faced the Hoyas, Bulldogs and Fighting Irish each once before, all in NCAA Tournament games.

* The ACC Tournament will be held in Charlottesville, Va., on April 18 and 20, 2003 at the University of Virginia, the site of the Terps' last ACC title in 1998.

Terps No. 5 In Preseason Poll
* The Maryland men's lacrosse team is ranked No. 5 in the Inside Lacrosse magazine 2003 preseason top 25 coaches poll released Dec. 6, 2002. The Terps, who finished the 2002 season at No. 10, join fellow ACC schools Virginia, Duke and North Carolina, which are ranked No. 4, No. 7 and No. 9, respectively, in dominating this year's top 10.

* Maryland will face nine teams ranked in the preseason top 25 during the 2003 season: No. 3 Johns Hopkins (Apr. 12), No. 4 Virginia (Mar. 29), No. 6 Georgetown (Feb. 22), No. 7 Duke (Mar. 1), No. 9 North Carolina (Mar. 22), No. 13 Towson (Mar. 8), No. 14 Navy (Apr. 5), No. 17 Notre Dame (May 3) and No. 24 Bucknell (Mar. 11).

* They also scrimmaged No. 1 Syracuse (losing 15-14) and No. 2 Princeton (tying 6-6) prior to the regular season.

Media Information
* Email Straight To You: If you would like the latest Maryland men's lacrosse news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email men's lacrosse contact Jason Yellin at jyellin@wam.umd.edu with the message "Men's Lacrosse Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed about the team.