No. 3 Field Hockey Closes Out Nine-Game Home Stretch
9/30/2003 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 30, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The third-ranked Maryland field hockey team closes out a nine-game homestand this weekend, hosting ACC opponent Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 4, and Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 5 as part of the Aeropostale ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
"This is going to be a great hockey weekend. Friday will be our second league game and UVA is always a strong team," said Terrapin head coach Missy Meharg. "It's great to have Ohio State on the schedule. They are always in the top five in the Big Ten. We're looking forward to playing them."
Maryland, who has been ranked third all season in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Top 20 Poll, looks to even its ACC record against the 15th-ranked Cavaliers. The Terps fell to the top-ranked team in the nation Wake Forest, 3-1, in UM's ACC opener on Sept. 28, snapping a 10-game win streak. The Terps lead the all-time series against UVA 24-19-2, but neither team has strung together more than a four-game win streak since 1977. Maryland has won the last seven of nine meetings with three of those matches going to overtime. The last meeting between the teams in College Park was in 2001 and was decided on penalty strokes, with the Cavaliers emerging victorious, 3-2.
The Terps host the Buckeyes for the first time since 1979. Maryland leads the all-time series 2-0, but has not played Ohio State since 1984. OSU is receiving votes in this week's NFHCA poll. This game pits former teammates Meharg and OSU mentor Anne Wilkinson. Both were teammates on the field hockey and lacrosse teams at the University of Delaware in the early 1980's. In 1982, the Blue Hens advanced to the national semifinal game and then won a national championship in lacrosse that spring in 1983.
The nation's top scoring offense belongs to the Terps, scoring at a pace of 5.04 goals per game. Leading the team are a few underclassmen. Posting an ACC-best 29 points is freshman Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile). Her 29 points is also second in the nation. Infante (12) and sophomore Jackie Ciconte (Wilmington, Del.) (11) are ranked fourth and fifth in the nation, respectively, in goals. Sophomore All-American Lauren Powley (Mountaintop, Pa.) continues to lead the nation in assists, tallying 13 helpers. Protecting the cage is sophomore goalkeeper Tori Cano (Sea Cliff, N.Y.). Her 0.95 goals against average is sixth in the country.
UVA enters the weekend with a 5-4 overall record. The Cavaliers suffered a 5-1 setback to No. 2 North Carolina but the loss does not count against Virginia's conference record. Virginia has put together a strong defense with Cavalier goalkeeper Logan Carr leading the ACC with 46 saves. Teammates Katie Jo Gerfen and Erin Hayes will help the UVA cause from the backfield. Both are ranked seventh in the nation in defensive saves.
The Buckeyes have a couple of standout forwards. Vanessa Immordino and Lucy Clayton are tied for third in the nation with 2.89 points per game, with each scoring 11 goals on the season which is tied for fifth. OSU is 6-3 overall and is coming off of a 1-0 overtime upset win of then-No. 20 Northwestern.
Saturday's conference tilt against UVA begins at 12 p.m. at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. There is an $8 charge for parking due to the Maryland-Clemson football clash which begins at 3:30 p.m. Parking for Sunday's matchup, which starts at 2 p.m., is free. That game will also be broadcast by CSTV on tape delay on Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. Admission for all Maryland field hockey games is free.
