Game Notes: Field Hockey Travels to Old Dominion for Highly Anticipated Match
9/4/2003 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 4, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
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MARYLAND (3-0) vs. Old Dominion (1-1)
Saturday, September 6, 2003 * 2 p.m.
Foreman Field (20,000/Turf), Norfolk, Va.
Lady Monarchs Host Terps in Highly Anticipated Match
* In a highly anticipated matchup, perennial power Old Dominion will host another perennial power in Maryland for the opening game of the home-and-home series between the teams on Sept. 6.
* One of Maryland's biggest rivals, the Terrapins have faced the Lady Monarchs the most of any non-conference school and the third-most of any team, behind Virginia and North Carolina.
* If history holds true, this game should be a barn-burner. Six of the last eight meetings have been decided by one goal and twice in those games, an overtime period was necessary to decide the outcome.
A Look At The Terps
* Head coach Missy Meharg is in her 16th season at the Maryland field hockey helm. Nearing the 250-win plateau, she boasts a 247-81-9 (.747) record over her 16 years las head coach. A 1985 graduate of Delaware, Meharg was named Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year in 2002. During her tenure, Meharg has led the Terps to two national championship titles (1993 and 1999) and five Atlantic Coast Championship crowns. Maryland's all-time winningest coach, she has been named National Coach of the Year four times.
* ACC Player of the Week freshman Paula Infante leads the team with five goals and 12 points. She has scored at least a goal in all three of the Terps' games, including knocking in a pair against New Hampshire and Quinnipiac. Sophomore Jackie Ciconte has also recorded at least a goal in each of Maryland's three games, scoring a career-high two against Massachusetts. Five different Terps have scored at least two goals, with seven overall Terps tallying at least one.
* After not recording an assist all season last year, All-American sophomore Lauren Powley leads the team with five helpers.
* In the cage, sophomore Tori Cano and redshirt-freshman Christina Restivo have split time, with Cano logging most of the minutes while being named the starter in all three games. Both have combined for three shutouts and four saves, with Cano leading the way at three stops.
* The Maryland attack looks to be in top form, showing signs of the top-ranked offensive team it was two years ago. Last year, Maryland was ranked 14th in scoring offense but in three games this year, the Terps outscored their opponents 21-0 and outshot them 94-5.
* The Terps return 11 letterwinners from last year's NCAA Tournament second round team that went 17-5 and reached the ACC finals. Seven starters return, including 2002 NFHCA second team All-American and 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year Colleen Barbieri. Barbieri is the team's top-returning scorer. Maryland also welcomes 10 newcomers to the squad who have made an immediate impact.
Terps' Last time Out
* The Terps swept their three opening-season games at Garber Field in Amherst, Mass., site of the 2003 NCAA Tournament semifinal and championship games, over the Labor Day weekend. Maryland kicked off the 2003 season with an 8-0 rout of New Hampshire, the most goals scored by the Terps since a 1-0 win over Rutgers on Oct. 7, 2001. UM followed up with a 7-0 stomping of UMass before closing out the weekend with an easy 6-0 victory over Quinnipiac.
* Seven different Terps tallied goals over the three games at Garber Field, led by freshman Paula Infante who scored five, recording goals in all three games. Sophomore Jackie Ciconte also scored in every game, including a career-high two against the Minutewomen. Junior Anja Boettcher posted the season's first hat trick against the Minutewomen.
* Goalkeeper Tori Cano got the starting nod in all three games. She and fellow goalkeeper Christina Restivo combined for three shutouts.
A Look at the Lady Monarchs
* Old Dominion is guided by legendary head coach Beth Anders. In her 22 years as the Lady Monarchs' mentor, she has compiled a 430-64-7 record, becoming the winningest coach in NCAA history. Her teams have won nine national titles and 11 of 12 Colonial Athletic Association crowns.
* Old Dominion comes into the game with a 1-1 overall record and are coming off of a 3-1 victory over Louisville. The Lady Monarchs opened the season with a surprising 6-2 loss to NCAA finalist Penn State.Senior Angie Loy scored three of ODU's five goals. Classmate Tina Walker has played all 140 minutes in goal and has a 4.50 goals against average with seven saves.
* The Lady Monarchs went 21-4 last year, advancing to the NCAA Tournament semifinals and winning the Colonial Athletic Association title with a 7-0 record. ODU returns 11 letterwinners and five starters. The Monarchs lose the nation's second leading scorer from a year ago Tiffany Snow (30 goals) but return Angie Low who was third in that nation with 25 tallies. ODU had the country's top attack, averaging 5.14 goals per game. Tenth in the nation in scoring defense in 2002, Old Dominion also has to deal with the loss of goaltender Marybeth Freeman. She ranked eighth in the nation with a 1.18 goals against average.
* LAST MEETING: The Lady Monarchs won 4-1 over Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Norfolk, Va. Tiffany Marsh scored the Terps' only goal in the 54th minute. UM attempted 11 shots, but ODU goalkeeper Marybeth Freeman put up six saves to help her team advance to the NCAA semifinals. Earlier in the year, the teams split the home-and-home series, with Maryland winning the first meeting, 2-0, in September. The Lady Monarchs returned the favor in October, topping the Terps, 2-0.
Series versus...
* OLD DOMINION: One of four teams to have a winning record against the Terps (min. five games), Old Dominion leads the all-time series, 20-10-1. Maryland has played the Lady Monarchs the most of any non-conference foe and the third-most overall. The teams have built up this rivalry, battling every year since the series began in 1982. The home-and-home series began in 1999 and the team's have met multiple times in a season eight times, including three clashes in 1999 and 2002. Of the 31 games, almost half have been decided by a goal, one was decided by penalty strokes and four went to overtime.
Terp Attack
* Maryland outscored its opponents in Amherst, Mass., 21-1 to open the 2003 season. In last year's first three games of the year, the Terps only outscored their opponents, 10-2, and it took eight team games (Sept. 21) for UM to score 21 goals.
Meharg Approaching Milestone
* In her 16th season as head coach of the three-time national champion Maryland field hockey team, Missy Meharg is just three wins away from the 250-career wins mark. Carrying a record of 247-81-9 entering the 2003 season, she became the program's all-time winningest head coach, chalking up her 153rd career victory, on Sept. 20, 1998 with a 3-0 win vs. UMass.
Infante Earns Conference Honor
* Freshman defender Paula Infante was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week for the opening week of the season on Sept. 1. The Santiago, Chile, native tallied three goals and two assists in the Terps' first two wins of the season. She also contributed to Maryland's defensive effort which allowed just three shots and one penalty corner combined over both games.
Terps in Season Openers
* The Terrapins are 25-3-2 in season openers since program's first year in 1974. Maryland went unbeaten the first 15 years, going 13-0-2 before losing back-to-back openers in 1989 (at Virginia) and 1990 (at Old Dominion). UM has won the last seven opening games of the season.
Reunion at Norfolk
* Making a return to Norfolk, Va., after calling it home for the last four years is Assistant Coach Marybeth Freeman. A 2003 graduate of Old Dominion, Freeman was a four-year starter for the Lady Monarchs from 2000-03 and helped them to an 81-17 record during that span. As the top netminder of the team, ODU captured four-straight Colonial Athletic Association titles and the 2000 National Championship.
Terps Name Captains
* Juniors Sara Silvetti and Kristin Harris have been named captains for the 2003 season. Silvetti, a redshirt junior, is a back and has started every game for the Terps the last two seasons. Harris is a midfielder who has started all but one game the last two seasons and was named second team NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Region.
Up Next
* The Terps are home for a nine-game home stretch beginning with the debut of the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on Sept. 13 in the second game of the Terrapin Invitational against Rutgers. American and Pacific sqaure off on Sept. 12. The final day of the home tournament pits American and Rutgers at 12 p.m. on Sept. 14 followed by the Terps' game against Pacific at 2 p.m.
