Higgins-Cirovski Heads Home As Terps Open Year In Seattle
8/26/2003 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 26, 2003
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ARENA SPORTS PAC-10/ACC CHALLENGE
#23 MARYLAND at WASHINGTON
FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2003 * 7:00 p.m. (PT)
HUSKY SOCCER FIELD (2,100/Grass), SEATTLE, Wash.
#23 MARYLAND vs. WASHINGTON STATE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2003 * 11:00 a.m. (PT)
HUSKY SOCCER FIELD (2,100/Grass), SEATTLE, Wash.
Higgins-Cirovski Heads Home As Terps Open Year In Seattle
* It will be a homecoming for Maryland head coach and 2002 Soccer Hall of Famer Shannon Higgins-Cirovski as she leads the Terps out to her hometown of Seattle, Washington for the Arena Sports Pac-10/ACC Challenge this weekend. The No. 23 Terps will play the host Huskies on the first day of action, Friday, August 29 at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) to close out a doubleheader which begins with No. 2 North Carolina against Washington State at 4:30 p.m. The tournament wraps up as Maryland takes on Washington State at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) on Sunday, August 31 followed by North Carolina and Washington at 1:30 p.m.
* Higgins-Cirovski grew up in Seattle suburb Kent, Washington and attended Mount Rainier High School, where she was a three-time high school All-American in soccer, who also played basketball and ran track, leading to her recruitment to North Carolina by coach Anson Dorrance. Shannon Higgins led the Tar Heels to four consecutive national championships and scored the game-winning goal in three of the title games as she was twice national player of the year (1988 and 1989). She also played for the 1991 Women's World Cup championship team and garnered 51 international caps as a member of team USA from 1987-91. Higgins-Cirovski became the third woman and the youngest person ever inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame Oct. 14, 2002. Her parents still make their home in Kent, and the Terps will make a visit to the Higgins' household on Saturday on the off-day between games of the Challenge.
* "It's going to be very exciting to have a chance to coach in front of my family, relatives and friends. I'm proud to show off this team to my hometown and feel they have the talent to do special things this season," said Higgins-Cirovski, always with an eye on the task at hand -- the first two games of the 2003 Terps' season, she added, "we are playing two very good teams. Washington's team that narrowly missed the NCAA tournament and a Washington State team that made the tournament. We have two very tough west-coast type teams on the schedule, so it should be a good test to open the season."
* In her fifth season at Maryland, Higgins-Cirovski was named ACC Coach of the Year for the second time in four seasons last year (the other came in her first year at Maryland, 1999). She picked up her 100th career win as a coach last season, leading the Terps to a 5-2 win at Rutgers on Sept. 6, 2002. Overall, she has a 111-95-15 record and is 42-36-4 at Maryland in four seasons.
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Maryland
2002 Record: 13-8-1 (3-3-1 ACC/5th) 2002 NCAA Tournament: 2nd Rd., lost to Penn State, 2-1 2003 Ranks: NSCAA (23rd), S. Amer. (18th), S. Buzz (14th) Head Coach: Shannon Higgins-Cirovski (UNC '90) Coach's Record: 111-95-15 (.536)/12th season Coach's Record at UM: 42-36-4 (.537)/5th season Ass't Coach: Kerry Dziczkaniec (George Washington '93) Ass't Coach: Steve Campbell (Maryland '96) Leading Ret. Scorer: Ali Andrzejewski (9 g,2 a, 20 pts.)
Washington
Washington State
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* Maryland has never played Washington or Washington State. Head Coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski has also never coached against Washington or Washington State.
* The trip is the Terps' first-ever to the Evergreen State and marks their second-ever trip to the Great Northwest, as they travelled to Portland, Oregon for the 1995 NCAA Quarterfinals, where they lost to the host Pilots, 1-0 on Nov. 25, 1995.
* Maryland has played nine games "out west" all-time with a 4-5 record. After losing to Portland in 1995, the Terps defeated St. Mary's and host Hawaii in a tournament to start the 1996 season in Honolulu. They then won the championship of the Colorado Buffalo Tournament in 1998 beating Texas and the host Buffs. In its last two trips to California, the Terps have lost to national powers USC, UCLA, Santa Clara and Stanford.
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 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 (Sept. 7 at 5:30 p.m.). The Terps will also face challenges from NCAA qualifiers and ACC foes Florida State (Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.), Clemson (Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. - Alumni Night), Virginia (Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.) and Wake Forest (Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.).
* Once again, Higgins-Cirovski has scheduled one of the nation's competitive schedules. The Terps take on six teams in the preseason NSCAA poll including five in the top 15. The Terps face No. 2 North Carolina (Oct. 5), No. 7 Virginia (Sept. 7), No. 11 Virginia (Oct. 14), No. 14 Tennessee (Sept. 20), No. 15 Florida State (Sept. 26) and No. 20 Clemson (Oct. 10). Duke is also ranked in the preseason Soccer America and Soccer Buzz polls.
* 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.
Terps In Season Openers
* Maryland holds a 9-7 record in season openers, dating back to 1987. They have won seven of the last eight overall.
* The Terps have won their last four season openers -- three away from home and all four via shutout during the Higgins-Cirovski era. The Terps defeated George Washington, 2-0 on Aug. 29, 1999, in Shannon Higgins-Cirovski's Maryland coaching debut. They also won the 2000 opener, 1-0 at Rutgers on Carly Viher's first-career goal. In 2001, the Terps topped Towson, 3-0 on, Aug. 31, 2001 as Katie Ludwig scored twice and Lindsay Givens was credited with her first career goal. Last season, the Terps posted a 5-0 win over Fordham at the UConn Classic in Storrs, Conn., as Melissa Anderson, Ali Andrzejewski, Mallory Mahar, Audra Poulin and Katie Ludwig scored.
* The Terps are 10-5 in home openers. Maryland has won eight straight home openers, dating back to 1994. Over that eight-game stretch the Terps have outscored their opponents, 31-5.
Upcoming Schedule
* The Terps will travel to Williamsburg, Va. for its annual battle with the Tribe of William & Mary on Friday, Sept. 5. The game has been moved to a 4 p.m. start at Burch Field as the completion of William & Mary's new soccer field has been delayed. The game originally set to start at 7 p.m.
* Maryland will open its home season as the third game in a tripleheader on Sunday, Sept. 7, as the Terps re-match with the team that eliminated them from the 2002 NCAA Tournament -- Penn State. The Maryland women's game is slated to start at 5:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the men's Maryland/adidas Classic featuring No. 1 Maryland, UCLA and Virginia.
Terps On TV Twice on 2003
* For the second year in a row, Maryland's women's soccer team will be on television at least two times during the regular-season.
* The Maryland-Florida State game in Tallahassee will be televised live on Sunshine Network on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. That game can be seen in Maryland on DirecTV and Dish Network. Last season, Maryland knocked off the host Seminoles in the first round of the ACC Tournament in a game televised live on Sunshine Network.
* The Maryland-North Carolina game at Ludwig Field will be shown live on Comcast SportsNet and CN8-TV as part of the network's "Game of the Week" package. The Terps and Heels will be broadcast live on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. Maryland's men's soccer team will have three game broadcast live as part of the same package starting with its home opener vs. UCLA on Sept. 5.
Maryland Picked Fifth In ACC Poll
* The Terps have been picked to finish fifth in the preseason women's soccer poll of conference coaches. Maryland finished with 34 votes, just three short of third place behind No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 Clemson. Last season, Maryland defeated Virginia, Florida State and Clemson, while tying North Carolina.
Looking Back At The 2002 Season
* The 2002 season was one of major improvements and achievements for the Maryland women's soccer team this season. Here are a few of the notable events and moments.
* Maryland head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski became just the third woman and the youngest person ever to be inducted in the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Oct. 14. Higgins-Cirovski continued to earn the accolades as she was named ACC Coach of the Year for the second time in four seasons.
* The Terps were honored with five individual player honors at the ACC Awards Banquet held on Nov. 6 in Tallahassee, Fla., as Katie Ludwig was named to the All-ACC first team. Redshirt freshman Kimmy Francis and freshman Mallory Mahar were both named to the All-ACC second team. Mahar and leading scorer Ali Andrzejewski were named to the ACC All-Freshman team, also.
* Ludwig was named to the NSCAA All Mid-Atlantic second team and Mahar was named to the third team.
* Mahar was named as a finalist for the Soccer Buzz National Freshman of the Year. She was honored as the Soccer Buzz Mid-Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year. Mahar was also named a first team Soccer Buzz Freshman All-American as well as earning a spot on the All Mid-Atlantic First Team and All Mid-Atlantic Freshman Team. Joining Mahar on the All Mid-Atlantic First Team was Ludwig. On the All Mid-Atlantic Freshman Team, Mahar was joined by Francis and Andrzejewski. Francis was also named a Soccer Buzz Third Team Freshman All-American.
* The Terps won 13 games in 2002, finishing 13-8-1, for its most wins since 1996, when the team went 19-5-2. Maryland posted 11 regular-season victories, the most it has garnered since went 11-7-1 in 1997.
* The 13 wins is the highest total for coach Higgins-Cirovski in her four years at Maryland, her previous best was in her first year when she went 11-10-1. She also equaled her career high for wins a season in 13, which came in her final year at George Washington, when she went 13-6-2.
* The Terps scored 47 goals in 2002, nearly doubling the total of 24 last season. The total was the most since they scored 55 in 1998 and the most under Higgins-Cirovski.
* On the field, Maryland advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in eight years and reached the second round for the first time since 1999 with a 1-0 victory over American in the first round at Ludwig Field on Nov. 15. The Terps fought valiantly but lost, 2-1, to eventual NCAA Women's College Cup participant Penn State in a rain-soaked, frigid battle on Nov. 17 at Ludwig Field.
* Maryland advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals for the first time in three years in 2002, as they knocked off host Florida State, 4-2 on Nov. 7, before a television audience on Sunshine Network. All four goals in the win came from freshmen: Ali Andrzejewski, Simone Dekker, Kimmy Francis and Mallory Mahar.
* The Terps had their first-ever positive result against the storied North Carolina women's soccer program, as they tied them 1-1 on Nov. 1. In tied the No. 2 Heels, the Terps also picked up their best ever result against a team ranked in the top two in the nation. The highest ranked team Maryland has ever beaten was No. 4 Penn State on Aug. 29, 2000.
* Maryland won at Clemson for the first-time in school history after five previous losses at Riggs Field dating to 1994. The Oct. 20 win by the score of 3-2, was a dramatic one as junior captain Jen Biscoe scored with 6:33 left in regulation as her diving header off a rebound from a Katie Ludwig shot beat the Tiger keeper for the major victory.
Terps Moving Up Assist Chart
* Two Terps are ready to move up the Maryland career assist chart this season. Lindsay Givens and Jenny Biscoe are tied with Kelly Amonte (1992-95) for sixth all-time with 14 assists.
* Givens has nine of her 14 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.
The 2003 Captains
* Maryland will have a trio of team captains this season: midfielder Jen Biscoe (Baltimore, Md.) and defenders Lindsay Givens (Downingtown, Pa.) and Jennifer Loveccshio (Vineland, N.J.). Givens has served as a captain for the past two seasons while Biscoe is in her second season as a captain and Lovecchio her first. Both Biscoe and Givens were both named to the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic team for last season. Viher returns to action this season after sitting out last year as suffering a torn ACL just prior to the start of the year.
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.
* 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: 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.
