March 4, 2003
Complete Release With Player Profiles and Statistics in PDF Format
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No. 3 MARYLAND (1-0) at No. 17 TOWSON (1-1)
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2003 * 1:00 p.m.
MINNEGAN FIELD at TOWSON STADIUM (11,000/Turf), TOWSON, MD.
Live TV: WMAR-Channel 2 * Live Audio: WMUCSports.com
No. 3 Terps Head To No. 17 Towson For Local Battle On WMAR-TV
* The Maryland men's lacrosse team heads 40 miles north up I-95 for its annual battle with the Towson Tigers this Saturday, March 8 at Towson Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on WMAR Channel 2 in Baltimore and on WMUC radio (88.1 FM) and accessible on WMUCSports.com. The TV broadcast is the first of three appearances by the Terps on WMAR -- Maryland will also have its Johns Hopkins (April 12) and UMBC (April 25) games televised live by the broadcast team of Scott Garceau, Keith Mills and Quint Kessenich.
* The Terps come into the game ranked No. 3 in the newly-released USILA Coaches' Poll after a complete 13-7 victory over ACC rival Duke last Sunday afternoon in Maryland's season opener. Terps' senior goalie Danny McCormick (McLean, Va.) posted a career-high 17 saves in the win and was named ACC Player of the Week for his performance. McCormick and the Terps' defense held Duke scoreless for a span of 38 minutes from the early second quarter through the late fourth quarter. McCormick had a span of 50 minutes in which he stopped 16 of 17 Blue Devils shots on goal.
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No. 3 Maryland:
2003 Record: 1-0 (1-0 ACC)
2002 Record: 9-4 (1-2 ACC)
2003 Ranks: 3rd (USILA), 5th (Media) 3rdT (Sun/WMAR)
Head Coach: Dave Cottle (Salisbury '78)
Coach's Record: 191-74 (.721)/21st season
Coach's Record at UM: 10-4 (.714)/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 Scorers (G-A-P): B.Hunt, D. LaMonica (3-1-4)
No. 17 Towson:
2003 Record: 1-1 (1-0 CAA)
2002 Record: 7-5 (4-2 CAA)
2003 Ranks: 17th (USILA), 14th (Media) 18th (Sun/WMAR)
Head Coach: Tony Seaman (Cortland '65)
Coach's Record: 194-101 (.658)/22nd season
Coach's Record at TU: 30-28 (.715)/5th season
Ass't Coach: Stan Ross (Loyola '96)
Ass't Coach: Jeff Doolan (Salisbury '95)
Ass't Coach: Andrew "Buggs" Combs (Maryland '01)
Leading Scorer (G-A-P): Ryan Obloj (6-5-11)
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* In the Maryland win over Duke, which avenged a pair of one-goal overtime losses last season, the offense was powered by graduate student Brian Hunt (West Chester, Pa.) and junior Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md.) as each posted hat tricks and added an assist for four-point games. The Terps converted on four-of-six man-up opportunities with three of the goals coming from Hunt and LaMonica. Senior Ryan Moran (Setauket, N.Y.) also scored twice as the Terps and Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) added the other man-up goal and an assist for two points. Mollot now stands in 19th place all-time at Maryland in points with 135, passing Dave Dempsey (1970-74), who had 134.
* Towson enters Saturday's game with a 1-1 record after pounding Sacred Heart, 18-6 last Saturday at home. They are ranked No. 17 in the USILA Poll. Leading scorer Ryan Obloj posted three goals and three assists for six points and now has a team-high 11 points on six goals and five assists through two games. Drew Pharr netted his first three goals of the year in the win over Pioneers. The Tigers lost their season-opener at Rutgers, 10-9, in overtime, Towson outshot Rutgers, 54-29 in that game, but had to rally from a 9-4 deficit late in the third quarter with five straight goals to tie the game and sent it to overtime.
The Maryland-Towson Series
* In games against Towson, Maryland holds a 19-5 (.792) all-time record in the series that dates to 1971. The Terps have won the last eight regular-season meetings, including last season's 15-10 victory at Byrd Stadium on March 9, 2002. That win gave the Terps a measure of revenge after Towson ousted them from the NCAA Tournament in the spring of 2001 with a 12-11 win over the Terps in the NCAA Quarterfinals at Byrd Stadium on May 20, 2001.
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LAST 15 TERP-TIGER GAMES
Mar. 9, 2002 Maryland 15, Towson 10
May 20, 2001 Towson 12, Maryland 11 (NCAA QF)
Mar. 10, 2001 Maryland 9, Towson 7
Mar. 11, 2000 Maryland 13, Towson 12
May 5, 1999 Maryland 15, Towson 11
Mar. 7, 1998 Maryland 17, Towson 6
Mar. 12, 1997 Maryland 17, Towson 9
Mar. 12, 1996 Maryland 7, Towson 5
Mar. 11, 1995 Maryland 6, Towson 5
Mar. 12, 1994 Towson, 14, Maryland 7
May 4, 1993 Maryland 11, Towson 8
Mar. 14, 1992 Towson 13, Maryland 9
May 25, 1991 Towson 15, Md. 11 (NCAA SF at Syr.)
Mar. 16, 1991 Maryland 17, Towson 16
Mar. 17, 1990 Towson 8, Maryland 7
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* Maryland won the last game at Towson, 9-7, on March 10, 2001. Terp senior
Jamie Daue (Lutherville, Md.) scored two key goals in that game including the game-winner.
* Towson has never beaten Maryland at home, winning four times in College Park: May 20, 2001 - Towson,12-11, March 12, 1994 - Towson, 14-7, March 14, 1992 - Towson, 13-9 and March 17, 1990, Towson, 8-7.
* The Tigers also topped Maryland in the teams' first NCAA Tournament match-up, 15-11, in the NCAA Semifinals at Syracuse on May 25, 1991.
Towson-Maryland Connections
* Of course when two schools are located less than an hour away there are many connections with the teams. Here are a few:
* The mother of Maryland's junior Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md.) is Towson gymnastics coach Lynda Filbert. Dan's brother Mike LaMonica completed his Maryland career last spring, finishing with 78 career goals and 88 points in four years.
* First-year Maryland assistant coach Paul Cantabene spent the last four years as the offensive coordinator under Tony Seaman at Towson. This season, Cantabene has been reunited with his college coach -- Maryland head coach Dave Cottle, whom he played for at Loyola. Cantabene graduated from Loyola in 1993, when he was a second-team All-American at midfield. He also helped the Hounds to the 1990 NCAA finals, which was also Cottle's first trip to the national championship game.
* Towson assistant coach Andrew "Buggs" Combs, is in his first year on the sidelines after a standout playing career at Maryland. Combs was a 2001 Terp lacrosse All-American , who became the second player in the storied history of Maryland lacrosse to score 50 goals in a season, which he did two years ago. Combs is also the son of Towson football coach Gordy Combs.
* Towson assistant coach Stan Ross played his college lacrosse for Maryland head coach Dave Cottle, when he was the head coach at Loyola. Ross, a 1996 Loyola grad, was a two-year starter under Cottle in helping the Greyhounds to NCAA bids in each of his seasons in Baltimore.
* Former Maryland coach Dick Edell, who retired from the school on Sept. 3, 2001, is a 1968 Towson graduate and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1980.
* Many Terps and Tigers have been high school teammates as well. Most prominently, three Terps (Jamie Daue, Dan LaMonica and Scott Slosson) all played at Boys' Latin where Towson midfielder Hunter Lochte and freshman Mike Cheek also played. Fellow Severna Park High School graduates Paul Gillette and Dave Wagner of Maryland will face Towson's Adam Baxter and Josh Cornett and his brother Jerry Cornett. Long Island natives from Baldwin, Matt Aksionoff and Casey Cittadino will be on opposing sidelines after playing together in high school.
Individual Terps Vs. Towson
* Seven players on the current Maryland roster have recorded points against Towson.
* Mike Mollot leads the pack with 17 points in four games on seven goals and 10 assists. Mollot set his career-high in goals with five vs. Towson last season and added two assists to tie his career-high of seven points for the third time in his career. Mollot was named the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse, Baltimore Sun and ACC Player of the Week after his seven-point game vs. the Tigers last season. In 2000, he set his career high with five assists in a game vs. Towson, all of which came in the first half. He added two more assists in the 2001 regular-season game. He scored to put the Terps ahead 9-8 in the third quarter against Towson in the NCAA Quarterfinals last May.
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Dan LaMonica has had productive days against the school which employs his mom, Tigers gymnastics coach Lynda Filbert. He has five goals and six assists for 11 points in three games. He posted a career-high six points in last season's game as he scored three times and added three assists in the 15-10 win. In 2001, he had two goals and two assists in the NCAA Quarterfinal on May 20, leading the Terps with four points in the game.
* In the 2001 game Jamie Daue (Lutherville, Md.) scored the game-winner as one of his two in the game, which equals his career-high in a game.
* J.R. Bordley (Vienna, Va.) scored in the 2002 game and Ryan Moran added a pair of assists in the win at Byrd. Brian Hunt scored a goal in his only game vs. Towson, which came during his freshman year at Yale, on April 15, 1999.
Mollot Moves up Top 20 On Terp Scoring Chart
* Senior captain Mike Mollot moved into 19th place all-time on Maryland's scoring charts in the program's storied lacrosse history with 135 points. With two points vs. Duke, he passed Dave Dempsey (1970-74), who had 134. Mollot currently has 58 goals and 77 assists for 135 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 three 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 vs. Towson with 94 career points on 43 goals and 51 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. With the Terps, Hunt scored three goals and added an assist in his Maryland debut and now has 132 career points on 81 goals and 51 assists.
Terps Move Butler Game to Florida; Face Georgetown on Apr. 28
* The Maryland-Butler game originally scheduled for April 28 in College Park will now be played on March 25 at 7 p.m. in Boca Raton, Fla., at the St. Andrew's School. Both teams will be in Florida during spring break and will play the game during their time in the Sunshine State. It will be the Terps' second trip to the Sunshine State in three years, as they played the 2001 ACC Championships in Orlando.
* With the movement of the game with Butler, the Maryland-Georgetown game has now been rescheduled for April 28 at Byrd Stadium at 7 p.m.. The Terps and Hoyas were planning to open the 2003 season on Feb. 22, but the game was postponed due to unplayable field conditions at Maryland's Artificial Turf Facility. It will be the first regular-season game between the teams.
Terps' 78th Season of Lacrosse
* The Terps, now in the fourth season of the new century, have an all-time record of 626-201-4, 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. This decade, the Terps are now 34-12 (.739).
Maryland In Season Openers
* With the 13-7 win over Duke, Maryland has a 74-3-1 (.955) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 10 openers and 18 of the last 19, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993.
* 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 Terps now have a 10-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, Hobart and Duke. Over the 10-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 145-51 (an average score of 15-5) in those games.
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.
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.
* "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 will appear on the WMAR Channel 2 Television Game of the Week for a school-record three occasions. Maryland will be featured in the first game of the package as they 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.
* Maryland was scheduled to open the WMAR broadcast schedule on March 1 against Duke, but the game was unable to be aired due to its rescheduled date and time on March 2.
* 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.
* Scores on your cell phone: Maryland 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.
PROBABLE STARTERS
ATTACK
2 Brian Hunt Gr., 6-0,181 3-1-4 133 career pts., 4 in UM debut
15 Joe Walters Fr., 6-0,185 0-2-2 6 goals vs. Syr. on 2/13
11 Dan LaMonica Jr., 5-10,170 3-1-4 94 career pts., 11 vs. TU
FIRST MIDFIELD
1 Mike Mollot R-Sr., 5-11,190 3-1-4 135 career pts., 17 vs. TU
28 Willy Passavia Sr., 5-10,180 1-0-1 Scored first UM goal of '03
34 Ryan Moran Sr., 5-11,180 2-0-2 17 career goals in last 12g.
SECOND MIDFIELD
4 Ian Healy R-So., 5-7,170 1-0-1 Goal in return from inj.
22 Justin Smith Jr., 6-1,220 1-0-1 18 goals in last 8 games
33 Jamie Daue Sr., 6-5,195 0-0-0 Game-winner vs. TU in '01
FACE-OFF MIDFIELD
13 Brett Harper (LSM) Sr., 5-11,186 2 GB, 2 CT 100th career GB vs.Duke
34 Ryan Moran (F-O) Sr., 5-11,180 8/12, 4 GB Won 61.5% vs.Duke
18 Paul Gillette (SSM) Jr., 5-10,165 7 GB, 3 CT Career-hi 7 GB vs.Duke
CLOSE DEFENSE
29 Lee Zink Jr., 6-4,195 3 GB, 4 CT Team-high 4 CT vs. Duke
40 Chris Passavia Jr., 6-1,210 3 GB, 3 CT Preseason 1st Team AA
42 Michael Howley Sr., 6-1,205 4 GB, 1 CT Preseason 1st Team AA
GOALIES
3 Dan McCormick R-Sr., 5-9,170 7.00 GAA, 17 sv. ACC Player of Wk.
