Game Notes: #24 Terps Head To William & Mary; Host No. 13 Penn St. On Sunday
9/3/2003 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 3, 2003
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#24 MARYLAND (1-1) vs. WM. & MARY (1-1)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2003 * 4:00 p.m.
BARKSDALE FIELD (1,100/Grass), WILLIAMSBURG, Va.
#24 MARYLAND (1-1) vs. #13 PENN STATE (1-1)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2003 * 5:30 p.m.
LUDWIG FIELD (4,500/Grass), COLLEGE PARK, Md.
Live Audio: wmucsports.com * Live Stats: umterps.com
#24 Terps Head To William & Mary; Host No. 13 Penn St. On Sunday
* The No. 24 Maryland women's soccer team begins the east coast portion of its schedule this weekend as the Terps head to William & Mary for a 4 p.m., match with the Tribe (1-1) this Friday at Barksdale Field. The Terps then return to the friendly confines of Ludwig Field for their 2003 home opener against No. 13 Penn State (1-1) on Sunday, Sept. 7. That match will kick off at 5:30 p.m., as the third game in a tripleheader of action at Ludwig Field beginning with men's soccer's 2003 Maryland/adidas Classic featuring the top two teams in the nation in Maryland and UCLA. The women's Penn State match is sure to be a grudge match as the Nittany Lions eliminated the Terps from the 2003 NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 victory at a wet Ludwig Field on Nov. 17, 2002.
* Maryland returned to College Park this past Monday after a five-day trip to Seattle, where they went 1-1 at the Arena Sports Pac-10/ACC Challenge. The Terps lost their season opener to Washington, 2-1 in overtime on Friday night. Sophomore forward Simone Dekker (Ringwood, N.J.) scored the Terps' goal in the 37th minute off a throw-in by senior Lindsay Givens (Downingtown, Pa.) In goal, senior Kristen Barnhill (Charlottesville, Va.) had a career-high 10 saves. Coupled with their 2-1 loss to No. 2 North Carolina in overtime on Sunday, Washington rose to No. 10 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll released on Monday.
* The Terps rallied back for a solid 3-0 victory over Washington State on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Kimmy Francis (Richboro, Pa.) scored two goals in 1:11 midway through the first half and Dekker added her second goal of the weekend to secure the insurmountable lead. Barnhill made four saves for her fourth career solo shutout -- just one day after her 21st birthday on August 30.
* Overall, the trip to the Great Northwest was one of bonding and fun for the Terps as they visited many of the Seattle sites including the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle as well as an outing to the home of the parents of head coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski. Sandy and Ken Higgins welcomed the Terps into their home on Saturday and Sunday after the Washington State win. Maryland took full advantage of the waterfront home as several players went crabbing, tubing in the sound, built a camp fire for cooking s'mores and hung out near Puget Sound. For complete details and photo galleries of the trip visit the women's soccer page at umterps.com. Sophomore Danielle Malagari (Clarksburg, Md.) wrote daily entries about the team's trip in her column, What's Up With Women's Soccer." Photo galleries are included for each day as well.
Terps In The Polls
* After the solid showing in Seattle, despite a loss to Washington, the Terps are still ranked in the top 25 in all major soccer polls. They fell from No. 23 to No. 24 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll. The team which defeated Maryland, Washington earned respect and went from unranked to No. 10.
* The Terps stayed at No. 18 in the Soccer America poll and dropped from No. 14 in the preseason Soccer Buzz poll to No. 21.
* Penn State is ranked in the 13th in the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz polls and 14th in the Soccer America poll. The Nittany Lions opened the year ranked seventh (NSCAA), eighth (Soccer America) and ninth (Soccer Buzz). The fell a few spots after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Florida on Saturday before rebounding with a 2-1 win at Florida State on Sunday.
* William & Mary is not ranked in any of the polls.
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Maryland
2003 Record: 1-1 (0-0 ACC) 2003 Ranks: NSCAA (24th), S. Amer. (18th), S. Buzz (22nd) Head Coach: Shannon Higgins-Cirovski (UNC '90) Coach's Record: 112-96-15 (.536)/12th season Coach's Record at UM: 43-37-4 (.536)/5th season Ass't Coach: Kerry Dziczkaniec (George Washington '93) Ass't Coach: Steve Campbell (Maryland '96) Leading Scorer: Simone Dekker (2-1-5)
William & Mary
Penn State
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The Series With William & Mary
* Maryland and William & Mary have met 16 times since 1987 including an NCAA Tournament match in the second round of the 1999 with the Tribe holding an 11-5 advantage.
* Maryland has won two games in a row in the series after dropping six in row from 1996-2000. The Terps have won the last two games, winning 2-1 in the last game at William & Mary on Oct. 21, 2001 and last season on Sept. 29, 2002, 1-0.
* Last year, the Terps scored the game's only goal on a set piece as freshman Mallory Mahar (Medina, Ohio) headed home a Kimmy Francis' corner kick in the 69th minute. Maryland's defense backstopped by keeper Mariel Wilner (Owings Mills, Md.) kept the Tribe at bay all afternoon, making five saves and posting her first collegiate solo shutout.
* In the last game in Williamsburg, the Terps ended a six-game losing streak to William & Mary with a 2-1 win. The Terps had never won in Williamsburg dating to 1988 and had not beat the Tribe since 1995 before the win on Oct. 21, 2001. In the win, Jenny Biscoe scored the game-winner in the 59th minute as she headed home a pass from Jenny Boyd, which began with a Lindsay Givens throw-in.
The Series With Penn State
* In a re-match from the 2003 NCAA Tournament's Second Round, the Terps and Nittany Lions will meet for eighth time in history next Sunday. Penn State holds a 4-3 lead in the all-time series which dates to 1996. The teams have played at least one game each season except for 2001 over the last seven years, meeting twice last season.
* In last season's NCAA match at Ludwig Field, the No. 12 Nittany Lions ended Maryland's season for the second time in four years, as Heidi Drummond scored in the 88th minute off a pass from National Player of the Year Christie Welsh. Playing in heavy rains and chilly temperature, PSU grabbed the lead as Joanna Lohman scored off a pass from Tiffany Wiemer in the 32nd minute. Maryland's Simone Dekker responded in the 38th minute to tie the game at halftime, setting the stage for the dramatic ending.
* Last year's regular season match in University Park, saw Maryland fall to No. 13 Penn State 1-0 on Oct. 8 as Lohman scored in the 67th minute.
* In the last regular-season meeting at Ludwig Field between the teams, Maryland beat Penn State for its only program win over a top-five ranked team. In the game between the clubs in College Park, No. 23 Maryland upset No. 4 Penn State, 3-1 on Aug. 29, 2000. In that dramatic win Sara Gustafson netted a hat trick for all three goals.
U.S. U-21 National Team Mates Square Off
* Maryland sophomore Ali Andrzejewski will face her teammate from the United States U-21 National Team which she played with all summer in Penn State's Joanna Lohman. Lohman, the Soccer Buzz Preseason National Player of the Year was the team captain in leading the United States to the Nordic Cup -- the World Championship for all Under-21 teams. Lohman scored both goals to lead the U.S. to victory over Sweden in the final.
Terps In Season Openers
* 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. Last season, Maryland topped VCU, 2-1 on Sept. 8, 2002 as Audra Poulin (Silver Spring, Md.) and Katie Ludwig (Mount Laurel, N.J.) scored for the Terps in the win.
* Maryland holds a 9-8 record in season openers, dating back to 1987. They have won seven of the last nine overall after falling at Washington to open the 2003 season, 2-1 in overtime on August 29.
* 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.
Upcoming Schedule
* The Terps will host Towson, next Friday, Sept. 12 as Terp alum Leslie Kehrin Wray (Class of '95) returns to face her alma mater at 7 p.m. Shannon Higgins-Cirovski then leads her current club against her former team as the Terps travel to George Washington to battle the Colonials at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14.
* Maryland hosts its annual tournament, the Maryland/adidas Classic on Sept. 18 & 20. In the Thursday, Sept. 18 games at Ludwig Field in College Park, Tennessee faces William & Mary at 5 p.m., followed by the host Terps against Loyola at 7:30 p.m. The second day of action will be played at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md., on Saturday, Sept. 20 as William & Mary faces Loyola at 5 p.m. followed by the Terps and Lady Vols at 7:30 p.m. The Sept. 20 games were moved to Germantown to avoid a potential conflict with the Maryland-West Virginia football game at Byrd Stadium and to allow Maryland soccer fans to attend the first game for the United States Women's Soccer National Team which will take place on Sunday, Sept. 21 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
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.
Terps Moving Up Assist Chart
* Two Terps are ready to move up the Maryland career assist chart this season. Lindsay Givens and Jenny Biscoe stand tied for fifth and seventh, respectively on the list. Givens moved into a tie with current Towson coach Leslie Kehrin Wray with her throw-in assist at Washington in the season opener on Aug. 29. Biscoe is tied for seventh with Kelly Amonte (1992-95) with 14 assists
* 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.
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.
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 seven teams in this week's NSCAA poll including four in the top 10. The Terps face No. 1 North Carolina (Oct. 5), No. 8 Virginia (Oct. 14), No. 10 Duke (Oct. 31), No. 10 Washington (2-1 loss on Aug. 29), No. 16 Tennessee (Sept. 20) and No. 20 Clemson (Oct. 10). Florida State is also among others receiving votes in the several 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.
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.
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.
