April 21, 2004

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#1 seed/#3 MARYLAND (8-2) vs. #4 seed/#16 DUKE (4-6)
FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2004 * 6:00 p.m.
FETZER FIELD (5,700/Grass), CHAPEL HILL, N.C.
Live Stats: umterps.com; www.theacc.com

Top-Seeded Terps Face Duke In ACC Semifinal

* Head coach Dave Cottle leads the No. 3 Maryland men's lacrosse team into the 2004 ACC Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament as the No. 1 seed and will take on the No. 4 seed Duke. The teams face-off in the first men's semifinal game at 6 p.m. at Fetzer Field on North Carolina's campus. Friday's second game pits No. 2 seed and host North Carolina against No. 3 seed Virginia at approximately 8:30 p.m. Maryland captured the regular-season ACC title with a 3-0 record in league play for the first time since 1998 -- also the last time the Terps won the ACC Tournament. North Carolina went 2-1, Virginia was 1-2 and Duke was winless for the second year in a row at 0-3.

* This year marks the fifth consecutive season in which the Terps and Blue Devils will meet in the ACC Tournament. The teams have played in the semifinal round three of the last four year with Duke winning twice. They also met for the ACC title in 2001 with Duke winning 10-6 in Orlando, Fla. The five-year run of playing Duke in the tournament is only bettered by the Terps facing North Carolina for six consecutive seasons from 1990-95.

* The championship game takes place on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. with the winners of Friday's semifinals meeting for the ACC crown. That game will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports South and the Sunshine Network. Play-by-play will be handled by ACC Live host Bob Rathbun with legendary former Maryland coach Dick Edell handling the color commentary. Jenn Hildreth will be the crew's sideline reporter. Live stats for all of Maryland's games will available over the internet at www.umterps.com. WMUCSports will not broadcast the games.

ACC Team Capsules
* No. 1 seeded Maryland comes into the ACC Tournament with an 8-2 record, sporting the ACC's top offense (11.80 goals per game) and the league's best defense, allowing just 7.20 goals per game. Ranked No. 3 by the USILA for the second week in a row, the Terps are coming off a 14-10 loss to No. 1 Johns Hopkins last Saturday in the 100th game between lacrosse's greatest rivals before 10,555 fans at Homewood Field. Sophomore sensation Joe Walters (Rochester, N.Y.) leads the Terps and the ACC in scoring with 41 points (4.1 ppg). He is also tied with UNC's Jed Prossner for the league lead in goals with 27 (2.7 gpg). Overall, Walters is seventh in the nation in points per game and eighth in goals per game. Fellow sophomore attacker Xander Ritz (Wayne, Pa.) is second on the team in scoring with 26 points including a team-high 16 assists. Sophomore midfielder Bill McGlone (Swarthmore, Pa.) has scored in every game this season and is second in total goals with 17. Fellow sophomore midfielder Brendan Healy (Great Falls, Va.) comes off a hat trick at Hopkins and now has 17 points. On defense, All-Americans and Tewaaraton Trophy candidates Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and Lee Zink (Rowayton, Conn.) have been solid all year in leading the Terps to one of the nation's top units. Passavia (33) and Zink (30) lead the team in caused turnovers and are second and third in groundballs, combining for 61. They trail only senior short-stick middie Paul Gillette (Millersville, Md.), who has 41 groundballs as well as seven points on a goal and six assists. Graduate goalie Tim McGinnis (Ellicott City, Md.) leads the ACC in goals against average at 7.20 and in save percentage at 63.8. The Terps' only losses have come to the teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in this week's USILA Coaches' Poll.

* No. 4 seed Duke enters the ACC Tournament with a 4-6 record. The Blue Devils have lost five games in a row after a 13-4 defeat at Virginia last Saturday. The Blue Devils are ranked No. 16 in this week's USILA Coaches Poll. Freshman attacker Matt Danowski leads the team in scoring with 28 points on 17 goals and 11 assists. Danowski is one of three Blue Devils with 20-plus points. He is followed by Dan Flannery (11-15=26) and Chris Haunss (16-8=24). Goalie Aaron Fenton tops the Blue Devils in groundballs with 32, starting the last seven games. He has an 8.67 goals against average and a 60.4 save percentage with a 2-6 record. * No. 2 seed North Carolina stands at 7-3 after routing by UMBC, 17-6, last Saturday in Chapel Hill. The No. 4-ranked Tar Heels have lost all three games by one goal this season and all three losses have come to the teams ranked No.1, No. 2 and No. 3 in this week's poll. Junior Jed Prossner has continued to lead the Heels with a team-high and ACC-tying lead 27 goals. Overall, he has 36 points to top the team. Five other Heels have 20 or more points including Scott Falatach (15-10=25), Mike McCall (18-4=22), Ryan Blair (13-9=22) and Bryant Will (7-14=21). Senior Kevin Frew has been the ACC's top face-off man by far, winning 62.2 percent and topping the league and the nation in groundballs with 84 -- double the amount of any other player in the ACC. In goal, junior Paul Spellman has a, 8.19 GAA and 60.3 save pct.

* No. 3 seeded Virginia is the No. 14 team in the nation after their 13-4 win over Duke. The defending ACC champion and national champion Cavaliers enter the tournament with a 4-6 record. They lost four games in a row and stood at 1-4 prior to winning a pair of overtime games at Towson (9-8) on March 20 and vs. No. 1 Johns Hopkins (9-8) on March 27. With only one game after the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers need to win the league title and their game vs. Penn State on May 8 to be eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Virginia is led by sophomore Matt Ward, who has a team-high 33 points (22 goals and 11 assists). Juniors Joe Yevoli (12-10=22) and John Christmas (9-7=16) are second and third in scoring. Senior goalie Tillman Johnson has an 8.72 goals against average and a 58.5 save pct., but comes of ACC Player of the Week honors after 13 saves vs. Duke.

Terps' ACC Tourney History
* The Terps make their 16th appearance in the ACC Tournament since its inception in 1989. Maryland has lost in the championship game in two of the last four seasons. The Terps fell in the title game of the 2000 tournament losing to Virginia, 11-7, at Byrd Stadium on April 23, 2000. In 2001, No. 1 seeded Maryland lost to No. 2 seed Duke, 10-6, at the ACC Springfest held in Orlando, Fla., in the title game on April 22.

* Duke has ended the Terps' ACC Tournament run in each of the last three seasons including heartbreaking one-goal losses in each of the last two seasons.

* Last year at Virginia, the top-seeded Terps were downed in a driving rain storm, 7-6, to No. 4 Duke in the semifinals.

* In 2002, No. 3 seeded Maryland suffered its heart-breaking fourth one-goal loss of the season and second to Duke, 8-7, in overtime on April 19 at Koskinen Stadium.

* After being the only conference school without a tournament title, Maryland finally got the monkey off its back in 1998 by claiming its first ACC Tournament championship since the event started in 1989 with a 14-11 win over Virginia in Charlotttesville. Overall, the Terps have a 7-14 record in tournament games.

* The Terps advanced to the championship game six times since the tournament started (1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000 and 2001). In the first three seasons, Maryland was defeated in the championship game by North Carolina. In both '98 and '00, Maryland battled Virginia. The 2001 title game was the first Maryland-Duke final.

Maryland As No. 1 Seed
* This season marks the fifth time Maryland has entered the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The first three years (1989, 1998 and 2001), Maryland was the regular-season champion. This marks just the third time since 1989 that Maryland went 3-0 in regular-season league play -- which they also did in 1989 and 1998. Last year, the Terps received the berth after a blind-draw due to a three-way tie with Virginia and North Carolina, all at 2-1.

* As a No. 1 seed, the Terps have recorded a 3-3 record, capturing its only ACC Tournament championship in 1998.

* The first time Maryland was a No. 1 seed was in the first ACC Tournament in 1989. The Terps were upset by No. 4 seed Duke, 7-6.

* Overall, the No. 1 seeds are 11-4 in the semifinals and 6-5 in the title games.

Maryland Vs. Teams In ACC's
* Maryland has a 2-5 record against Duke in the ACC Tournament after falling 6-5 in last season's semifinals. They have a 4-3 mark against Virginia and a 1-6 record against North Carolina, winning the last match-up in 1998.

* The Terps have played Duke in each of the last four tournaments and Virginia in four of the last six events.

* The five straight years vs. Duke, is the second longest streak for the Terps vs. one team in the ACC Tournament, as they played North Carolina for six years in a row from 1990-95.

Terps In The Semis and Finals
* Maryland has a record of 6-9 in ACC semifinal games and 1-5 in championship games. 1998 was the first and only season Maryland won both the semifinal and title games.

ACC Tournament History
* North Carolina dominated the early years of the ACC Tournament, winning the first six titles from 1989-1994. Duke broke the Tar Heels hold on the title, winning it in 1995 to begin a four-year stretch in which each of the conference teams would claim one title. North Carolina rebounded to win in 1996, followed by Virginia in 1997 and Maryland in 1998.

* Virginia won two straight titles in 1999 and 2000 to become the first team other than North Carolina to win more than one championship.

* Duke was the two-time defending ACC Tournament champ having defeated Virginia, 14-13 in 2002 before Virginia topped the Blue Devils in last year's final to regain the crown. The Cavaliers have won three of the last five tournaments.

* The Tar Heels are the only team to win more than four titles, winning seven (1989-94, 1996).

* Over the years, North Carolina has compiled the best tournament mark, recording a 15-8 record. Virginia is 13-11 in ACC Tournament games. Maryland is 7-14 and Duke is 10-12.

Individual Terps In ACC Tourn.
* With Maryland having such a young team, only 13 current Terps have played in an ACC Tournament game with many of those appearances coming in last season's 7-6 loss to the Blue Devils.

* In that defeat the only four players with previous points in the ACC Tournament scored. Paul Gillette, Justin Smith (University Park, Md.) and Joe Walters each had a goal while Ian Healy (Great Falls, Va.) had an assist.

Series History Vs. Duke
* Maryland and Duke battle for the 65th time on Friday night. The Terps hold a 51-13 edge (.797) in the series that dates back to 1940. Maryland's 51 wins against the Blue Devils are the most against any opponent. Eleven of the last 25 games in the series have been decided by one goal; seven of the last 13, including three of the last five -- all won by Duke. The teams have played twice in each of the last four seasons, meeting once in early March and then again in the ACC Tournament.

* This season's regular-season game -- a Maryland 17-12 win -- on March 6 at Koskinen Stadium was the highest scoring game between the teams since 1983 when Maryland beat the Blue Devils, 25-7. In the win, Joe Walters had a four-goal burst. Sophomore midfielder Bill McGlone had his biggest game as a Terp, as he tallied his first career hat trick and added two assists for a five-point day. Senior attacker J.R. Bordley (Vienna, Va.) also had his most productive day as a Terp at Duke, as he scored back-to-back goals in a 4-0 run in the second quarter and added an assist for a career-high three points. Overall, 11 different Terps scored in the win at Duke including five players who tallied their first-career goals: freshman Mike Brown (West Hartford, Conn.), junior Peter Ellis (Ross, Calif.), sophomore Ryan Lang (Northport, N.Y.), junior Dave Matz (Woodstock, Vt.) and freshman Michael Phipps (Severna Park, Md.).

* In last season's ACC Tournament Semifinal at Virginia on April 23, 2003, the Blue Devils posted a 7-6 win in the rain. Duke jumped out to a 4-1 lead and the Terps had a chance to tie the game as time expired, but goalie A.J. Kincel stopped Ryan Moran, who had already netted a hat trick in the loss.

* In last season's regular-season game, which was played a day late on March 2 --due to poor weather and conditions -- Maryland posted a convincing 13-7 victory at the Artificial Turf Facility. The Terps held the Blue Devils scoreless for a 38-minute stretch from early in the second quarter until late in the fourth quarter. Goalie Danny McCormick stopped 16 of 17 shots over a 50 minute span and finished with a career-high 17 saves. Brian Hunt and Dan LaMonica each posted hat tricks and Maryland tallied 11 consecutive goals during Duke's drought.

* In 2002, Duke came back to win the match-up in the ACC Tournament Semifinals, 8-7, in overtime on April 19, as freshman Matt Rewkowski scored with four seconds left in the first overtime to give the then-No. 12 Blue Devils the win over No. 6 Maryland. Moran once again posted a hat trick.

* Duke has won five of the seven ACC Tournament games between the teams. Also, four of the seven games have been one-goal affairs and three have had the score of 7-6.

* The only other meeting between the teams in Chapel Hill, came in the inaugural ACC Tournament in 1989 with the Blue Devils posting a 7-6 win.

* The Terps dominated the series from 1955 through 1988, winning all 27 meetings.

* The teams have met twice in the NCAA Tournament with Maryland winning 13-11 in 1992 and Duke retaliating 14-9 in 1994.

Individual Terps Vs. Duke
* Sophomore Joe Walters leads all current Terps in scoring against Duke with 10 points on six goals and four assists in three career games. In this season's game on March 6, he had four goals and two assists for six points. He posted the two goals in the ACC Tournament last season and the two assists in his first collegiate game vs. Duke on March 2.

* Overall, 13 current Terps have points vs. Duke with 12 of them posting at least one point in this season's regular-season game. Bill McGlone had his first career hat trick in the win. Along with a goal in last season's regular-season game, he has four goals and six points vs. Duke.

* Seniors J.R. Bordley and Justin Smith each have two career goals vs. Duke.

* Mike Brown, Peter Ellis, Ryan Lang, Dave Matz and Michael Phipps all posted their first career goals in the win over Duke this season.

Coaching Match-up
* Coach Dave Cottle has a 6-7 career record against Duke while coaching at Loyola and Maryland. He was 4-4 vs. Duke while at Loyola. He is 2-3 vs. the Blue Devils as the coach at Maryland, but his Terp teams have outscored Duke 51-43 in the five games over the last three seasons.

* Now in his 22nd season as a head coach, Cottle comes into the game with a 210-80 career record for a 72.4 win percentage, third-highest among active coaches. His win total is eighth among active coaches. He is 29-10 (74.4) in his two-plus seasons at Maryland. Mike Pressler is 205-95 (68.3) in 20 years as a head coach. His win total is 10th, behind Cottle. He is in his 14th year at Duke with a 129-75 (63.2).

Terrapin/Blue Devil Connections
* For the second time this season, their will be a mini reunion of players from the United States U-19 World Championship gold medal winning team. Maryland's Bill McGlone and Harry Alford (Washington D.C.) will be on opposing sidelines from summer teammates Matt Danowski, Peter Lamade, Glenn Nick, Bret Thompson and Matt Zash, all of whom play for Duke.

* Maryland and Duke have several former high school teammates suiting up for Friday'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 a trio of Duke players in Peter Lamade, David Evans and John Walsh. All four were coached by Bordley's father Rob.

* The game with Duke is also a family affair for the Hartofilis family as Maryland sophomore Michael is the youngest of four lacrosse playing brothers. Older brothers Nick and Chris played lacrosse at Duke in the late 90s.

Terps At Top of ACC, NCAA Stat Lists
* Maryland was the final undefeated team in the nation prior to the loss to Navy. The Terps as a team are ranked among the nation's best in several statistics and have several players at the top the ACC stat charts as well.

* The Terps lead the ACC in goal-scoring average and are sixth in the nation, piling up 11.8 goals per game. On derfense, Maryland also leads the league, allowing just 7.20 goals per game -- seventh in the nation.

* The Terps are also tthird in the country in goal-scoring margin at +4.60 per game.

* Individually, Joe Walters leads the ACC in scoring with 41 points as well as in points per game at 4.1. His total points ranks seventh in the nation while the points per game mark is eighth overall.

* Walters is also first in the ACC and eighth in the nation in total goals with 27 and eighth in goals per game (2.70). UNC's Jed Prossner is tied with Walters in both stats.

* In goal, Tim McGinnis is sixth in the nation in goals against average with a 7.02 GAA. He is also fourth in country in save percentage at 63.8, both marks are the best in the ACC.

* Checking other ACC stat charts, Joe Walters leads in game-winning goals with three. Xander Ritz ranks first in the league in assists (16) and assists per game (1.60), also good for 15th nationally.

* Paul Gillette is tied for second in the ACC in groundballs per game at 4.10 while teammate Lee Zink is fourth at 3.60.

Terps' High-scoring Offense
* The Terps' offense has continued to be a major story early in 2004, as Maryland is averaging 11.8 goals per game through the first eight weeks of action -- sixth in the nation. The Terps have scored at least 14 goals in four games and at least 10 in seven games. Maryland blasted Duke for a 17-12 ACC win in Durham on March 6 -- its most goals in an ACC game since 1983. The 19 goals vs. Butler are tied for the third-most by any team in Division I this season and are the most by a Terp team since 2002. Navy holds the top mark this year with a 23-5 win over Holy Cross.

* The Terps have looked to underclassmen for much of their offense as 70 of the 118 goals (59 percent) have come from sophomores with a quartet of second-year players topping the team in points: Joe Walters, Xander Ritz, Bill McGlone and Brendan Healy. Overall, sophomores have been involved in 91 of the Terps' 118 goals this season with either the goal or assist (77 percent).

* Attacker Joe Walters continues to lead the way, as he has 27 goals -- scoring three or more in seven of 10 games this season. He netted a career-high tying four goals at Duke and was named ACC Player of the Week on March 8. He has tallied at least three goals in five of the last seven games with three goals vs. Navy. He posted a career-high seven points vs. Bucknell. He has at least one goal in 23 of his 25 career games at Maryland. Overall, he has 87 career points (3.35 ppg). Walters also has three of the team's eight game-winning goals in 2004 -- also most in the ACC. Walters netted his 50th career goal in his 22nd career game vs. Butler. He now has 60 career goals.

* Attacker Xander Ritz has been an infusion of talent on attack after transferring from Delaware. He is currently second on the team in points with 26 on 10 goals and a team-high 16 assists, which ranks first in the ACC. He had his career game in the season opener at Georgetown on Feb. 28 -- his Terrapin debut -- as he had three goals and four assists for seven points. He was named Inside Lacrosse's National Player of the Week as well as ACC Co-Player of the Week. He had a goal and two assists in the win over Towson on March 13 and added a goal vs. Bucknell. He had two assists at UMBC as well as a goal and an assist vs. Butler. He assisted on two goals at North Carolina. Ritz posted a six-point game with a three-goal, three-assist performance vs. Virginia on April 3. He has at least one point in each game this season. Overall, dating to last season at Delaware, he has a 13-game point streak.

* Midfielder Bill McGlone is second in goals with 17 and third in points with 20. He had his biggest game as a Terp at Duke on March 6, tallying his first career hat trick while adding two assists for a five-point day. McGlone surpassed last season's totals of four goals and five points, in just two games -- as he is running with the first midfield. He had one goal in each game over a three-game stretch before busting out for a career-high four goals vs. Butler. He is the only Terp besides Walters to have scored a goal in every game this season after netting the final two goals at Johns Hopkins.

* Sophomore midfielder Brendan Healy is fourth in scoring with 17 points on 11 goals and six assists. Against Towson, he scored two goals and added an assist for a career-best three points. Towson was also his first multi-goal game as a Terp. He notched his first-career hat trick vs. Bucknell and added a goal and an assist at UMBC. He posted a goal and two assists vs. Butler for his third three-point game this season. Healy had his second career hat trick at Johns Hopkins.

* Senior midfielder Justin Smith has been the steady upperclassman on the first line, as he has 11 goals in 2004. He had his first-career hat trick as a Terp vs. Towson and scored two more vs. Bucknell. Smith notched a pair of goals at Johns Hopkins to break a scoring slump of three games. Overall, he has 40 goals in his last 33 games.

* Senior attacker J.R. Bordley also had his most productive day as a Terp at Duke, as he scored back-to-back goals in a 4-0 run in the second quarter and added an assist for a career-high three points. He returned to action at UMBC and scored in the first quarter. He opened the scoring against Virginia with his fifth goal of the season. He has five goals and three assists in nine starts this year.

* Freshman attacker Mike Brown has been a key player of late, scoring two goals in four consecutive games at UMBC, vs. Butler, at UNC and Virginia. Overall, he is the top freshman goal scorer with 10 markers and 12 points. Brown netted the game-tying goal and the eventual game-winner at UNC. He has been a clutch player, scoring six of his 10 goals in the fourth quarter. He scored back-to-back goals in a 38-second span vs. Virginia. Classmate Michael Phipps has nine points (five goals, four assists). He scored back-to-back goals in 59 seconds at UNC. He netted the second goal of the Virginia game giving him goals in two straight games and in all three ACC games this season.

More On The Super "O"
* The Terps have been sensational in the first half, as they have outscored opponents 65-30 in the first 30 minutes. In the Terps' eight wins, they have outscored foes 56-14 in the first half.

* The second quarter has been the knockout quarter for the Terps as they have outscored their opponents, 38-13, in the second period. Against Georgetown, they built a 2-1 first-quarter lead to a 9-1 halftime lead with a 7-0 second quarter. Against Duke, it was more of the same, as the Terps outscored the Blue Devils, 6-1, in the second period to break a 4-4 tie and lead 8-4 at half. The Terps outscored Towson and UMBC, 3-1, in the second period. In the Butler win, UM scored four goals in the second to build a 10-0 halftime lead. The Terps jumped out on Virginia, building a 6-1 halftime lead on the way to the 11-2 win at Byrd Stadium.

* In 10 games, the Terps have had 20 different goal scorers. On three occasions, nine or more players have scored goals in a game, showing the Terps are certainly spreading the wealth. In the win at Duke, 11 players scored goals including five players who tallied their first career goals: Mike Brown, Peter Ellis, Ryan Lang, Dave Matz and Michael Phipps.

* Nine Terps scored vs. Bucknell including Phipps and Matz with their second goals of the year. Sophomore Bret Caretsky (Northport, N.Y.) tallied his first career goal in the win.

* Against Butler, a season-high 12 players scored goals and 17 had points. Four players tallied their first career goals in the win: redshirt freshmen Brent Hargest (Cockeysville, Md.) and Patrick Howell (Arlington, Va.), freshman Thomas Alford (Washington, D.C.), who had two goals and junior college transfer Terence Dorsey (Baltimore, Md.).

* Maryland's extra-man unit is 9-for-27 this season (33.3 percent) through 10 games. They were a perfect 4-for-4 in the win at Georgetown, scoring once in each quarter. Joe Walters, Bill McGlone, Justin Smith and Ian Healy tallied the goals. The last time Maryland netted four extra-man goals was in the 2003 opener against Duke, as they went 4-for-6. The perfect day was especially sweet as the Terps worked hard on improving the EMO. Last season, they scored just four goals on their final 41 man-up chances spanning the final 10 games. Smith, Walters and Ritz each have two EMO goals.

The Terps' Stifling Defense
* With all the talk of the Terps' offense clicking at such a high rate, the heralded defense has been equally impressive this season. Maryland has been strong on defense in 10 games, limiting opponents to a 7.20 GAA, seventh in the nation. Over a six-game span from March 17 through April 3, the team GAA is 5.20 including the one of the nation's top goalie Tim McGinnis with a 4.69 personally in those games.

* Similar to last season, Maryland has held opponents scoreless for long stretches of game time. In 16 games last season, the Terps kept opponents scoreless for stretches of 20 or more minutes on 10 occasions. They have done it six times already this season in 10 games -- with two streaks coming against Virginia.

* Against Georgetown, the Hoyas were held off the board for 23:22 spanning the first quarter to the early third quarter. The Hoyas trailed 9-1 at halftime, scoring just once in the game's first 34:05. Georgetown turned the ball over 25 times, with 14 of them being forced by a Terp. Senior captain and All-American Lee Zink led the way with four caused turnovers.

* Maryland pitched a shutout for the first 29:10 of the Towson game, before allowing a goal with 50 seconds left in the first half. Maryland then shutout the Tigers for the entire third quarter -- limiting them to one goal over the game's first 49:37.

* Against Bucknell, the Terps held the Bison scoreless until 11:54 left in the first half, marking the second game in a row they have blanked an opponent in the first quarter. Bucknell was also held to just one goal until 12 seconds were left in the first half -- a stretch of 29:48, allowing just one goal.

* At UMBC, it was more of the same, as the stifling defense kept the Retrievers off the board for 29:12 bridging the second through fourth quarters. After scoring early in the fourth quarter, Maryland locked them down for the next 10:40 -- allowing just one goal in 39:52. Tim McGinnis made eight saves in the fourth quarter at UMBC, allowing just four goals all game.

* The Butler game provided the best shutdown defense for the Terps, as they held the Bulldogs off the scoreboard for the first 39:11, shutting them out in the first half. Once Butler scored with 5:49 left in the third quarter, they did not allow another goal until the final minute of the quarter -- giving up one goal in 44:28.

* Maryland had its best defensive performance of the season against defending national champion Virginia as they held the Cavaliers to just two goals -- their lowest total since May 1984. The two goals allowed were the fewest by the Wahoos in the series since an 18-0 shutout in 1955. The Terps held Virginia scoreless for the first 24:41 of the game and then for the final 27:59. Maryland blanked Virginia's top seven scorers, holding them all pointless including All-Americans John Christmas, Matt Ward and Joe Yevoli.

* Despite Johns Hopkins outburst in the first quarter when they took an 8-1 lead, the Terps settled down and actually allowed just one goals over the final 27:07 including none in the final 16:37.

Top-Notch Defenders
* In goal, graduate student Tim McGinnis has allowed six or fewer goals in six of 10 games this season. Overall, he has a 7.02 goals against average and a 63.8 save percentage. He had 15 saves in the win over Towson, giving up just one goal through the first 49:37. He had 13 saves at UMBC including eight in the fourth quarter. He blanked Butler for the entire first half. Against No. 4 North Carolina, he made 14 saves and gave up nine goals to the high-scoring Tar Heels and was named ACC Player of the Week. McGinnis had his best game as a Terps against Virginia, racking up 17 saves, allowing just two goals for a single-game 89.5 save percentage and was named the UnderArmour TerpVision Player of the Game.

* Senior captains and All-Americans Chris Passavia and Lee Zink have been stellar this season. They have sliced and diced their opponents, combining to force 63 turnovers in 10 games. Passavia leads the team with 33. They have combined to scoop up 61 groundballs as well to rank second and third in the team - Zink (36) and Passavia (25). The duo has consistently shut down opponents' top scoring threats. They held Georgetown's All-American tandem of Walid Hajj and Neal Goldman to one assist between the two. Passavia forced Duke's top scorer Matt Danowski into six turnovers. Against Bucknell, the Terps held the nation's leading scorer Chris Cara to just one goal, as he came into the game averaging over six points a game. Butler's top player Kyle Tietjen, who came into the Maryland game with the most goals in the nation was also held scoreless. Against UNC, Scott Falatach was held to one assist by Zink, while that week's national top goal-scorer Jed Prossner was forced into six turnovers by Passavia. Against Virginia, Passavia and Zink held the Cavaliers top scorers and preseason All-Americans John Christmas and Matt Ward pointless and forced them into three turnovers apiece.

* Other defenders have stepped up their play including fellow senior captain Dave Wagner along with juniors Gavin Webb (Columbus, Ohio) and Tyler Hereth (Glastonbury, Conn.) and have been valuable contributors. In his first season as a starter, Wagner has 19 groundballs. Webb has 21 groundballs in his time.

* Captain and short-stick defensive midfielder Paul Gillette has been steady and consistent as usual and leads the team with 41 groundballs through nine games. He had a season high of seven coming at Duke where he also scored and assisted a goal. The team's unsung hero also has assists in five of the last seven games and has seven total points, seeing time on the second midfield in addition to his defensive duties. Gillette is currently seventh on the Terps' all-time groundballs list with 191. He has 107 o ver the last two seasons.

* Short-stick defenders Drew Virk (Ross, Calif.) and Ryan Lang have been strong in helping the defense as well. Virk has 19 groundballs and has been an effective face-off man winning 16-of-29 draws for 55.2 percent.