Hot Terps Face Florida State On Friday In Televised Game
9/23/2003 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 23, 2003
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MARYLAND (5-2-1) at FLORIDA STATE (4-4)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2003 * 7:00 p.m.
SEMINOLE SOCCER COMPLEX (1,500/Grass), TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
TV: Sunshine Network (DirecTV Ch. 632, Dish Network Ch. 422)
Hot Terps Face Florida State On Friday In Televised Game
* Coming off the championship of the 2003 Maryland/adidas Classic, the Maryland women's soccer team heads to Tallahassee to take on Florida State this Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. The opening conference game for two of the ACC's hottest teams will be televised on Sunshine Network and will be available in the Baltimore/Washington region on DirecTV (Channel 632) and Dish Network (Channel 422).
* The Terps -- ranked No. 14 by Soccer America -- are riding a four-game undefeated streak (3-0-1) as they stand at 5-2-1 overall after knocking off No. 23 Tennessee to capture their home tournament last weekend. The win was the Terps' 34th all-time win over a Top-25 NSCAA ranked team and 11th under head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski since she took the helm in 1999.
* Florida State is 4-4 overall, but has won its last three games after starting 1-4. The Seminoles come off their own home tournament championship as they defeated No. 21 Mississippi, 2-1 in overtime, on Sunday to win the Nike/Seminole Classic. The Noles have outscored their opponents 15-3 during the three game-win streak.
Francis Named ACC Player of the Week
* Sophomore midfielder/forward Kimmy Francis was named this week's Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Week after leading the Terps to the Maryland/adidas Classic title over the weekend.
* Francis, a Richboro, Pa., native was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player of the Classic, having led Maryland to wins over Loyola and No. 23 Tennessee. Versus the Greyhounds, the sophomore dished out an assist on the game-winning goal, knocking off Loyola, 1-0. Later in the weekend, the midfielder/forward recorded the game-winning goal against the Lady Vols.
* Francis leads Maryland in scoring with 13 points on five goals and three assists this season. Francis has a four-game scoring streak, as she has nine points on three goals and three assists on the team's 3-0-1 run. She has already passed her entire goal total of last season when she had four. She's Maryland's first ACC Player of the Week since Audra Poulin earned the honor on Oct. 16, 2001.
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Top 5 Terp Tidbits
* The Terps are 3-0-1 in their last four games as ACC Player of the Week Kimmy Francis, has at least one point in each game for a total of 9 points on 3 goals and 3 assists. * Maryland picked up its 34th all-time win over a NSCAA Top 25 team, when they beat No. 23Tennessee, last Saturday. * 11 of those wins have come under coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski, since she became head coach in 1999. * Maryland has scored the first goal of the game, in its last four games, with all of those goals coming in the first 16 minutes of action -- and three of the four within the first three minutes. * The Terps won both games they played on television last season, including a 4-2 win at Florida State in the ACC Tournament, televised by Sunshine.
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* The Terps captured the title of the 2003 Maryland/adidas Classic last Saturday at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md., as they downed No. 23 Tennessee (ranked No. 11 by Soccer America), 3-1. It was Maryland's first home tournament championship since 1997.
* Sophomore midfielder Kimmy Francis continued her red-hot scoring streak as she netted the game-winning goal with a blast from the top of the box in the 31st minute to put the Terps ahead for good, 2-1 against Tennessee. Francis was named the Classic's Offensive MVP as she also assisted the only goal in Wednesday's first-round win over Loyola, 1-0, at Ludwig Field.
* Senior midfielder Jen Biscoe (Baltimore, Md.), senior goalkeeper Kristen Barnhill (Charlottesville, Va.) and sophomore forward Ali Andrzejewski (Lutherville, Md.) were named to the All-Tournament team along with Francis. Biscoe was an engine in the Terps' midfield in both wins, and set up Audra Poulin (Silver Spring, Md.), on the Terps' third goal in the win over the Lady Vols to seal the victory. Barnhill made seven saves as she picked up two wins in the Classic, including four vs. Loyola, as she posted her fifth career shutout. Andrzejewski assisted the Terps' first two goals in the win over Tennessee as she celebrated her 19th birthday on Saturday.
* The tournament was played over three days in a four-day stretch and at two locations, due to Hurricane Isabel, the women's World Cup opening game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., on Sunday and a conflict with the Maryland/West Virginia game at Byrd Stadium on Saturday. Tennessee took second place as they defeated William & Mary, 2-1, on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Florida St.-Maryland Series History
* The Terps and Seminoles have met 10 previous times, once each season from 1995-2000 and twice each of the last two seasons. Overall, the Terps lead the series, 6-4, outscoring the Noles, 22-16 in the 10 games. Maryland broke a three-game losing streak to the Seminoles with a 4-2 victory in last season's ACC Tournament First Round game played in Tallahassee, and televised by Sunshine Network. They meet for the second time this season, the second year in a row they have played twice.
* In the last meeting, No. 16 Maryland beat the No. 19 Seminoles, 4-2, on Nov. 7, 2002 in the ACC Tournament First Round at the Seminole Soccer Complex. Four Maryland freshmen scored in the win last season, Mallory Mahar (Medina, Ohio) and Kimmy Francis scored in the first 35 minutes to put the Terps ahead, 2-0. FSU's Erica Lewis scored an unassisted goal to make it 2-1 before halftime. But, Ali Andrzejewski answered 8:33 into the second half to out the Terps ahead 3-1. Camie Bybee made to 3-2 and Simone Dekker (Ringwood, N.J.) sealed the win, as she scored with 10 minutes left in the game.
* Florida State won last season's regular-season match on Oct. 25 to dampen Maryland's Senior Night, 1-0. FSU's Cindy Schofield scored on a penalty kick in the second minute for the game's only goal.
Scoring Early and Often
* Maryland has had a knack for the early goal over its recent undefeated streak. The Terps have scored the game's opening goal -- all within the first 16 minutes of action -- in each of the last four games. In three of those instances, the goal came in the first three minutes of action: Ali Andrzejewski scored 2:54 into the 3-2 win over Towson, Katie Ludwig (Mount Laurel, N.J.) scored 1:14 into the 1-0 win over Loyola and Simone Dekker scored 2:13 into the 3-1 victory over No. 23 Tennessee. Overall, the Terps have scored the first goal in the game, five times this season and 4-0-1 in those games.
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Maryland
2003 Record: 5-2-1 (0-0 ACC) 2003 Ranks: Soccer America (14th) Soccer Times (24thT) Head Coach: Shannon Higgins-Cirovski (UNC '90) Coach's Record: 117-97-16 (.543)/12th season Coach's Record at UM: 48-38-5 (.555)/5th season Ass't Coach: Kerry Dziczkaniec (George Washington '93) Ass't Coach: Steve Campbell (Maryland '96) Leading Scorer: Kimmy Francis (5-3=13)
Florida State
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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 season. Last season, Maryland was 2-0 in TV games, winning 5-2 at Rutgers in a game broadcast by CN8 and 4-2 at Florida State on Sunshine Network.
* This week's 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 Channel 632 and Dish Network Channel 422. 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 which started with its home opener vs. UCLA on Sept. 5, a 1-0 Terp win before a Ludwig Field record crowd of 6,143.
Terps Moving Up Assist Chart
* Two Terps have moved up the Maryland career assist chart this season. Jenny Biscoe and Lindsay Givens (Downingtown, Pa.) stand fifth and sixth, respectively, on the Terps' all-time list. Biscoe picked up her 16th career helper assisting Audra Poulin's late goal in the win over Tennessee.
* Givens is tied with current Towson coach Leslie Kehrin Wray with 15. Givens moved into a tie with her throw-in assist at Washington in the season opener on Aug. 29.
* Kimmy Francis now has 11 career assists and is on the verge of breaking on to the top 10 in just her second year with the Terps. She has three assists in her last four games.
* Givens has 10 of her 15 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, 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 Shannon 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 (3-0 loss on Sept. 7). 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 seven teams in this week's NSCAA poll including three in the top seven. The Terps face No. 1 North Carolina (Oct. 5), at No. 6 Washington (2-1 loss in overtime on Aug. 29), at No. 7 Virginia (Oct. 14), No. 13 Penn State (3-0 loss on Sept. 7), at No. 14 Duke (Oct. 31). The following opponents are listed in other receiving votes in the NSCAA poll or are ranked in other polls: Clemson (Oct. 10), Tennessee (3-1 win on Sept. 20) and Wake Forest (Oct. 25).
* The win over No. 23 Tennessee marked the 34th victory for the Terps over a ranked team since the program started in 1987, all of those wins have come since 1991. The win was the 11th over a ranked team with Higgins-Cirovski as the Terps' head coach.
* 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.
The 2003 Captains
* Maryland will have a trio of team captains this season: midfielder Jen Biscoe and defenders Lindsay Givens and Jennifer Lovecchio (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 in 2001.
What's Up With Women's Soccer
* Maryland sophomore midfielder Danielle Malagari (Clarksburg, Md.) is writing this season's team journal, "What's Up With Women's Soccer." The sophomore opened the diary with a five-day journal from the team's team to Seattle to open the season. She has continued with periodic updates during the season.
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, Eric Gladstein (color commentary), Jordan Weinstein and Jared Hopkins (color commentary/stats).
* 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: 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.
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 in 2002.
* 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. Kimmy Francis and 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.
