Feb. 25, 2004
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#5 MARYLAND (0-0) at #6 GEORGETOWN (0-0)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2004 * 1:00 p.m.
HARBIN FIELD (2,400/Grass), WASHINGTON, D.C.
Live Audio: www.wgtb923.com
No. 5 Terps Open 2004 Lax Regular Season At No. 6 Georgetown
* Coming off a trip to the NCAA Semifinals, the preseason No. 5 Maryland men's lacrosse team opens its 2004 regular season at local rival No. 6 Georgetown. The game marks the first-ever meeting between the teams at Georgetown as they started a new series last season at Maryland. The Terps won that meeting, 9-5 on April 28, 2003 after the original meeting set for Feb. 22, was postponed due to unplayable field conditions at Maryland's Artificial Turf Facility due to a driving rain storm. That game marked the first-ever regular season match-up between the schools located less than 15 miles apart. The teams had scrimmaged each other for many years over the last decade before agreeing to start a regular-season series last season. The teams met just once in history prior to last season, the 1997 NCAA Tournament, as the Terps downed the Hoyas, 14-10 at Towson.
* The game will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.wgtb923.com, which is Georgetown's student radio station.
* Maryland -- under the leadership of Dave Cottle, now in his third year with Maryland -- comes into the season after a 12-4 campaign in 2003 as they advanced to the NCAA Semifinals. The Terps topped Ohio State and UMass in the NCAA Tournament before advancing to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to play before a record crowd of 37,823 in the NCAA Semifinals against Virginia.
* Georgetown reached the NCAA Quarterfinals last season and finished 11-4 overall. They topped Rutgers, 9-6, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Virginia, 12-7 in the quarterfinals at Johns Hopkins.
Defense on Display
* The Maryland/Georgetown game pits two of the nation's most renowned defenses. Last season, Maryland finished sixth in the country, allowing just 7.25 goals per game while the Hoyas were seventh, allowing 7.33 goals per game.
* Maryland features a pair of preseason first team All-American defensemen in senior captains Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and Lee Zink (Rowayton, Conn.). Last season, Passavia was a USILA Second Team All-American while Zink was a Third Team member. Passavia and Zink will be joined by senior captain David Wagner (Severna Park, Md.), who drew two starts last season and has been a key man-down defender for the past few seasons.
* In goal, the Terps figure to turn to newcomer and graduate student Tim McGinnis (Ellicott City, Md.), who was a three-time USILA All-American at Division III Gettysburg College. McGinnis was named the 2002 National Goalie of the Year and was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation's top player in leading the Bullets to their second straight NCAA Championship game. McGinnis is looking to fill the shoes of USILA Third Team All-American Danny McCormick, who graduated last season. Overall, in three seasons, McGinnis has a tremendous 7.01 goals against average and a 63.2 save percentage while compiling a 44-9 win-loss record. Maryland can also turn to freshman sensation Harry Alford (Washington, D.C.), who helped Team USA to the International Lacrosse Federation Under-19 World Championship last summer at Towson University. Alford was a high school All-American at St. Albans School in the District, along side twin brother Thomas Alford.
* Senior captain Paul Gillette (Severna Park, Md.) heads up the defensive midfield at short-stick and is one of the most unheralded players in the nation with selfless two-way play. Last season, he led the Terps in groundballs with 66. He will see more time on offense this season as part of the second midfield. Junior Tyler Hereth (Glastonbury, Conn.) has secured the starting long-pole position.
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Top 5 Terp Tidbits
* Both All-American defensemen Chris Passavia and Lee Zink are on the Tewaaraton Trophy "Watch List" for the nation's top lacrosse player award.
* Maryland has won 10 consecutive season openers and has a 74-3-1 (.955) all-time record in the first game of each season dating to 1924.
* With the addition ofsophomore transfer Xander Ritz from Delaware, the Terps have two of the top 10 freshman scorers from 2003 in Ritz (2.67 ppg) and defending ACC Rookie of the Year Joe Walters (2.88 ppg).
* Graduate goalie Tim McGinnis was a three-time All-American in Division III with Gettysburg College where he led the Bullets to the 2001 and 2002 NCAA Championship game.
* Sophomore Bill McGlone and freshman Harry Alford helped Team USA to the ILF Under-19 World Championships last summer at Towson.
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The Terps' New Offense
* Maryland lost 16 players from last season's final four team, most notably on offense, where six of the top eight scorers will not be back. Included in that groups are 2003 All-American midfielders Mike Mollot and Ryan Moran. The only two players back from the top eight as sophomore attacker Joe Walters (Rochester, N.Y.) and senior midfielder Justin Smith (University Park, Md.).
* A preseason honorable mention All-American, Walters was the 2003 ACC Rookie of the Year as he led Maryland with 33 goals and 46 total points. He ranked fifth among all freshman in points per game (2.88). Walters' 33 goals were the second-most all-time by a Maryland freshman, only Matt Hahn (36) had more in 1995. He was also the first UM freshman to lead the team in scoring since Mollot in 2000.
* Joining Walters on attack will be a similarly strong sophomore in Xander Ritz (Radnor, Pa.), who transferred to Maryland after his rookie season at Delaware. Ritz was the Blue Hens' second-leading scorer with 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points. His 1.53 assists per game, was the third highest average for all freshman in the country and overall, his 2.67 points per game, ranked ninth among all collegiate rookies. Along with the sophomore sensations will be steady and speedy senior J.R. Bordley (Vienna, Va.), who started 10 games on attack back in 2002.
* The first midfield will also feature a senior and two sophomores, headed up by Smith, who is a preseason honorable mention All-American. Smith, who moved up to the first midfield late last season, is the highest scoring returning midfielder with 12 goals and 16 points. He has 29 goals in his last 23 games spanning the last two seasons, as he transferred to Maryland prior to last year.
* Smith will work with talented second-year players in
Brendan Healy (Great Falls, Va.) and
Bill McGlone (Swarthmore, Pa.). Healy scored his first collegiate goal in the NCAA Semifinal loss to Virginia has been cited by coach
Dave Cottle as one of the hardest working players in the program. McGlone had a great summer as he helped Team USA to the U-19 World Championships at Towson. He scored seven goals in the six games.
* The second midfield will feature Healy's brother junior Ian Healy (Great Falls, Va.), junior Andrew Schwartzman (Pikesville, Md.) and senior captain and two-way player Paul Gillette.
Maryland-Georgetown Series History
* This will mark just the third-ever meeting between the local schools with the Terps holding the 2-0 advantage.
* Last season, Brian Hunt, Ryan Moran and Mike Mollot each netted two goals and Lee Zink's first-career goal and strong defense propelled the Terrapins to a 9-5 victory in the regular season home finale on April 28, 2003.
* In the first game between the schools, Maryland defeated Georgetown, 14-10, in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament at Towson. The Terps jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first quarter and never looked back as they began their run to the second of three trips to the NCAA championship game in a four-year span. The game marked Georgetown's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
* All-American Scott Hochstadt, the school's 17th all-time leading scorer, led the way for Maryland as he posted five goals. Andrew Whipple added three for Maryland as the Terps outshot the Hoyas, 42-25. Georgetown was led by Kevin Hubschmann, who had three goals. Goalie Brian Hole had a sensational game, making 22 saves.
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TERPS BY THE NUMBERS
1 - This will be Maryland's first trip to Georgetown for a regular-season game. The teams scrimmaged for many years.
2 - Maryland features two preseason first team All-Americans and Tewaaraton Trophy candidates in Chris Passavia and Lee Zink.
2-0 - Maryland is 2-0 all-time against Georgetown, winning in 1997 and last season at Byrd Stadium.
3 - The Terps will be featured on WMAR-TV three times this season: March 13 vs. Towson, April 10 vs. Navy and April 17 vs. Pennsylvania.
7.25 - The Terps' goals against average was 7.25 last season, sixth-best in the nation.
10 - Maryland has won 10 consecutive season openers dating to 1994.
12-0 - Coach Dave Cottle is 12-0 all-time vs. Georgetown at both Loyola and Maryland.
29 - Senior midfielder Justin Smith has 29 goals in his last 23 games over two seasons.
33 - Joe Walters had 33 goals last season, second-most for goals by a freshman in a season, set by Matt Hahn (36) in 1995.
79 - This is the 79th season of Maryland lacrosse, the Terps are 637-205-4 all-time.
86- Sophomore attackers Xander Ritz and Joe Walters combined for 86 points in their first collegiate seasons in 2003.
95.5 - Maryland has won 95.5 percent of its season openers dating to the start of the varsity program in 1924.
100 - Maryland will play Johns Hopkins for the 100th time in history this season on April 17, 2004.
202 - Coach Dave Cottle's lifetime record in 23 years as a head coach is 202-78.
1975 - Maryland last won the NCAA Championship in 1975.
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Individual Terps Vs. Georgetown
* As the Terps and Hoyas have played once since 1997, only a few players have point against Georgetown.
* Senior Justin Smith faced the Hoyas twice while he was with UMBC in 2001 and 2002. He scored two goals and added an assist in his first game vs. the Hoyas on March 17, 2001 and also recorded a goal and assist in the game last season on March 16. In last season's game, Joe Walters had a goal and an assist while Lee Zink scored his first career goal.
Terps' 79th Season of Lacrosse
* The Terps begin the 2004 season with an all-time record of 637-205-4, dating back to the first varsity team in 1924 (a team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II). Maryland has finished every one of its previous 78 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 12-4. The program's 600th win came against Duke on April 21, 2000, 7-6 in the ACC Semifinals at Byrd Stadium.
* Since 2000, Maryland is 45-16 for a .738 win percentage. In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland recorded its most wins in any decade with a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland's win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage.
Maryland In Season Openers
* Maryland has a 74-3-1 (.955) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 10 openers and 18 of the last 19, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993, when it fell to Duke 9-5 on March 6.
* Last season, the original season-opener scheduled against Georgetown on Feb. 22, 2003, was postponed due to unplayable field conditions. The Terps then opened the season against ACC rival Duke on March 2, 2003 and posted a 13-7 victory at the Artificial Turf Facility. Brian Hunt and Dan LaMonica each had three goals and one assist. Then-newcomers Bill McGlone, Justin Smith and Joe Walters all scored in the win.
* After losing their 1925 opener to Yale, 5-3, the Terps went on to win 40 consecutive season openers from 1926 through 1967. The streak was broken when Maryland tied Princeton, 6-6, in the 1968 opener. Following the deadlock, Maryland went on to win its next 14 openers, giving the Terps a 54-0-1 record over a 57-year span (Maryland did not field a team in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.)
The Last 10 Season Openers
* The Terps enter the 2004 season riding a 10-game winning streak in season openers. Five of those wins came against Villanova (1994-98) and the last five over Denver, Mount St. Mary's, Air Force, Hobart and Duke. Over the 10-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 145-51 (an average score of 14.5-5) in those games.
* The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 10 years. Maryland has not allowed an opponent to score 10 or more goals in a season opener since Syracuse beat the Terps, 16-13 on March 9, 1983.
Terrapin/Hoya Connections
* The Terps and Hoyas have several former high school teammates suiting up for Saturday's match-up.
* Notably, Former Landon School products will square off as the Terps' brother combo of Brendan and Ian Healy along with J.R. Bordley will face Kevin Shooshan of the Georgetown. All four were coached by Bordley's father Rob.
* Freshmen Ryan Clarke and Christian Trunz will meet after finishing their careers with the Flyers last spring.
Passavia & Zink Up For Tewaaraton
* Maryland All-American defensemen Chris Passavia and Lee Zink are among the 26 men named to the 2004 Tewaaraton Watch List. This preseason list highlights the players to watch, as all NCAA Division I, II and III players vie for the most coveted and prestigious award in varsity lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Trophy.
* The Tewaaraton Trophy is presented annually following the collegiate season to the top female and male varsity collegiate lacrosse players in the United States. The trophy will be presented in Washington, D.C. on June 3, 2004 at a banquet honoring the finalists and trophy winners. The ceremony will be held at the National Geographic Society Auditorium and broadcast by CSTV. Former Maryland coach Dick Edell is serving as the Chair of the committee which presents the award. Scholarship money is given to the recipient's college or university general scholarship fund. The Foundation committee honors Native American heritage with the name "Tewaaraton," the name the Mohawk nation gave to their game and the progenitor of present day lacrosse and has received approval from the Mohawk Council of Elders.
Four Terps Named Preseason All-Americans
* The Terps placed two players on the Face-Off Magazine Preseason All-American list. Maryland will be led by its pair of preseason first-team All-American defenseman, Chris Passavia and Lee Zink . Both Passavia (second team) and Zink (third team) were USILA All-Americans last season. The Terps also feature two preseason Honorable Mention All-Americans in attacker Joe Walters and midfielder Justin Smith.
2004 Team Captains: Gillette, Passavia, Wagner, Zink
* The Terps have named a quartet of captains for the 2004 season. They will be led by seniors: midfielder Paul Gillette (Millersville, Md.), defenseman Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.), defensman David Wagner (Severna Park, Md.) and defensman Lee Zink (Rowayton, Conn.). All four players are defensive standouts for the team and were voted captains by their teammates during the fall season.
100th Maryland/Hopkins Game: April 17, 2004
* Maryland will play Johns Hopkins for the 1000th time in lacrosse history on April 17, 2004. The game will be played at Hopkins' Homewood Field in Baltimore. It will be televised live on WMAR Channel 2 in Baltimore and nationally on College Sports Television (CSTV).
* Maryland and Hopkins are the two most storied lacrosse programs in the nation, with the rivalry beginning with back in 1895 as Hopkins defeated the Maryland Agricultural College. The Blue Jays (32) and Terps (26) have played in the first and third most NCAA Tournaments since the event began in 1971, respectively. Maryland (108) and Hopkins (172) have produced the most first team All-Americans in the history of lacrosse dating to the first awards in 1922.
* This year's historic event will feature both teams wearing "throwback jerseys." The Terps will wear the mode of the early 70s when they won two NCAA championships including the 1973 title when they beat the Blue Jays in double-overtime, 10-9 on June 2, 1973.
* The logo to the right will be worn by both teams on their commemorative jerseys. Following the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off for charity with Maryland's funds going to the Ronald McDonald House of Baltimore. Hopkins' money will go to the Hopkins Children's Hospital.
* Overall, Hopkins holds a 62-36-1 lead in the series. Since the Terrapins elevated to a varsity sport in 1924, Maryland has a 36-52-1 record against Johns Hopkins. There has been at least one Maryland-Hopkins game every year since 1924 with the exception of 1944 and 1945 when World War II kept the schools from fielding teams.
Terps On WMAR-TV Three Times In 2004
* WMAR-TV (channel 2) in Baltimore will continue its bold concept of telecasting college lacrosse in the state of Maryland by presenting the TOYOTA Lacrosse Game of the Week. Beginning Saturday, March 6 and continuing through Saturday, May 8, WMAR will broadcast 10 games live. Included in the package are three Maryland games. The Terps will be featured on WMAR, three times during the 2004 season: March 13, when Towson comes to Byrd Stadium, April 10, when the Terps host Navy and April 17 when Maryland travels to Johns Hopkins for the 100th Maryland/Hopkins game.
* Scott Garceau, Keith Mills and former Terp coach Dick Edell make up WMAR's broadcast team that will bring the Baltimore area great lacrosse television coverage.
CSTV Lacrosse Package Features Terps Twice
* College Sports Television (www.cstv.com), the fastest-growing independent cable network, will feature college lacrosse powers such as Princeton, Virginia, Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Maryland as part of its CSTV Lax college lacrosse schedule, the sport's first live nationally televised game of the week series. In addition, CSTV Lax will televise five NCAA Lacrosse Championship games live: Men's Division II and III, and Women's Division I, II and III.
* The national network is available on DirecTV Channel 610 as well as certain cable systems across the country.
WMUC 88.1 FM
* WMUC (88.1 FM) and www.wmucsports.com will broadcast up to 14 games men's lacrosse games in 2003. A tentative schedule has been set up, but is subject to change due to other Maryland sporting events. The action will be called by Mark Zaner, Josh Madden, C.J. Holley, Steve DeClue, Bryan Mann and Jeff Sundrun. A half-hour pregame show precedes each game. Tentatively, WMUC is scheduled to broadcast every game with the exception of the Bucknell game on March 16.
Media Information
* Email Straight To You: If you would like the latest Maryland men's lacrosse news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email men's lacrosse contact Jason Yellin at jyellin@wam.umd.edu with the message "Men's Lacrosse 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.
