May 4, 2004

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

#13 PENNSYLVANIA (7-5) vs. #3 MARYLAND (11-2)
SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2004 * 1:00 p.m.
BYRD STADIUM (48,055/Grass), COLLEGE PARK, Md.
TV: CN8-TV (Live), Comcast SportsNet (Delayed)
Live Audio: WMUCSports.com * Live Stats: umterps.com

No. 3 Terps Host No. 13 Penn On Senior Day

* The Terps close out the 2004 regular-season schedule on Senior Day as the team will honor 11 members of the program in a pregame ceremony before No. 3 Maryland plays host to No. 13 Pennsylvania at Byrd Stadium, this Saturday, May 8 at 1 p.m.

* The game will broadcast live on CN8-TV at 1 p.m. and on a tape-delayed basis on Comcast SportsNet in the Mid-Atlantic region, airing at 4 p.m., on Saturday and again at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 9. Mick Moninghoff will call the action with legendary Maryland coach Dick Edell handling the color commentary. Saturday's game will be broadcast live over the Internet at www.cn8.tv while and audio feed can be heard on WMUCSports.com and live stats will be available on umterps.com.

* The game will be a school-record sixth regular-season game on television. Last season, the Terps also had six televised games, but three came in the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Tournament Coming Up
* The 2004 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on Monday, May 10 between 3 and 4 p.m., and televised live on ESPNEWS (DirecTV Channel 207/Dish Network Channel 142). The Terps appear to have an inside track on a top-four seed and would receive a bid to host a home game on the weekend of May 15-16. Details will be available on umterps.com.

* The quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament will be held on May 22 at Virginia's Scott Stadium and May 23 at Cornell's Schoellkopf Field. The quarterfinal games will be aired on numerous regional sports networks including Comcast SportsNet, FOX Sports Net New York, New England Sports Network (NESN) and Empire Sports Network. The NCAA Semifinals will be held at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, May 29 and the Championship will take place on Memorial Day Monday, May 31 at 2:30 p.m. ESPN2 provides coverage of the semifinals and ESPN will carry the title game.

Terp Salute 12 Seniors
* The Terps host their annual "Senior Day" in the regular-season home finale. The Terps' senior class of J.R. Bordley, Peter Ellis, Paul Gillette, Alex Melzer, Chris Passavia, Jeremy Pastula, Justin Smith, Drew Virk, Dave Wagner, and Lee Zink along with senior team manager Alissa Clendenen and graduate student goalie Tim McGinnis will all be honored before the game.

* A vital part of the Maryland men's lacrosse program for the last three years, she has served as a team manager since 2002. She is involved in various administrative duties with the program on and off the field including serving as the team's head statistician. In addition, she has worked as a staff assistant in the media relations office, aiding in coverage of the lacrosse team in the media. A senior manager from Salisbury, Md., Alissa Clendenen.

* This senior will play in his 50th collegiate game against Penn, drawing his 23rd career start. Overall, he has 16 goals and 10 assists for 26 points in his career. He has had his best run in the last three games with three points in each game, including six in the ACC Tournament, where he was named to the All-Tournament Team. A senior attacker from Vienna, Va., J.R. Bordley.

* Our next player is graduating in four years after coming to Maryland from the West Coast. He has played in 13 career games and the Terps have won every game he has played in. He scored his first and only career goal against Duke earlier this season. A senior defensive midfielder from Ross, Calif., Peter Ellis.

* A senior captain who is the Terps' most respected and consistent player. His hustling style has elevated him to fifth on the Maryland career groundballs chart with 212. He has played in all 58 games during his career, starting 41 on the face-off wing. He has also contributed with eight goals and 14 assists. He was named to the 2004 ACC All-Tournament Team and won the first-ever Dick Edell "Big Man" Award. A senior defensive midfielder from Millersville, Md., Paul Gillette.

* As a graduate student, this player has starred in his one season at Maryland. He has led the ACC in goals against average and save percentage all year and been ranked in the top 10 nationally in both stats. He was added to the Tewaaraton Watch List midseason as one of the nation's top players. A three-time All-American at Gettysburg College, he is aiming for his third career trip to an NCAA Championship game. A graduate student goalie from Ellicott City, Md., Tim McGinnis.

* This senior has been a key part of the Terps' program for the last four years. He has been a player strong on intangibles as a short-stick defensive midfielder during his career. He has played in 33 games including 15 in last season's run to the NCAA Semifinals. He has played in nine games this season. A senior defensive midfielder frrom Darien, Conn., Alex Melzer.

* One of the nation's top defensemen and senior captain, this two-time All-American became just the sixth Terp in history to earn All-ACC honors three times. Known for his stifling takeaway defense, he is a final nominee for the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation's top player. He has played in 56 career games, starting 50 on close defense. He has corralled 150 groundballs and caused nearly 100 turnovers. He was also named to the ACC All-Tournament Team in 2004. A senior defenseman from Stony Brook, N.Y., Chris Passavia.

* This senior is a face-off specialist who has played four years with the Terps. He has seen action in 30 career games, taking the opening face-off 10 times this season. He has won 97 career face-offs and grabbed 39 groundballs. As a junior, he ranked among the ACC leaders in face-off win percentage, winning 58 percent. A senior face-off specialist from Yorktown, N.Y., Jeremy Pastula.

* A senior on the Terps' first midfield, this player is finishing his second season with the Terps. A strong and tough player, he has scored 51 career goals in 52 games. He has been a key on the man-up unit with 10 extra-man goals in his career. He has 14 career multi-goal games and 18 career multi-point games with five hat tricks. A senior midfielder from University Park, Md., Justin Smith.

* The next senior came to the Terps from the West Coast and has been a hard-working hustling player who has earned increased playing time during his three years in College Park. He has played in 35 games as a Terp, scooping up 71 groundballs. He has been a versatile player, taking face-offs and seeing action as a short-stick midfielder. He has won 53 percent of his face-offs this season with a career-high 30 groundballs. A senior midfielder from Ross, Calif., Drew Virk.

* A senior captain who has been a steady and solid contributor for four seasons on defense, he has seen his most playing time this season, starting all 13 games. In 2004, he has a career-high 26 groundballs and 16 caused turnovers. He has played in 54 career games, grabbing 43 groundballs. A senior defenseman from Severna Park, Md., David Wagner.

* The final senior is also one of the nation's top defensemen. This captain was a 2003 All-American and member of the 2004 All-ACC and ACC All-Tournament Teams. He is a final nominee for the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation's top collegiate player. He has been a sensational defender during his four years, playing 57 of 58 career games, starting 39. This strong shutdown defender has 125 career groundballs and is one of the top take-away defenders in the country. A senior from Rowayton, Conn., Lee Zink.

ACC Honors All Around for Terps
* The ACC Champion Terps have had a huge week of accolades from the conference. Sophomore attacker Joe Walters was named ACC Player of the Year as he leads the league in points (51) and goals (36). He is ranked third in the nation in points per game (4.25) and is tied for second in goals per game (3.0). Walters is just the sixth Terp to be named ACC Player of the Year and first since Kevin Healy in 1998.

* Maryland head coach Dave Cottle was named ACC Coach of the Year after leading the Terps to the league title and a perfect 5-0 record in games against ACC teams. The last and only other Terp coach to be honored by the league was Dick Edell in 1989, 92 and 98.

* With his huge performance in the ACC Tournament, Joe Walters was named MVP of the event. He posted a career-high six goals in the championship game and added an assist to his career-best for points with seven. Overall, he had nine goals in the two-game event, to set a new ACC Tournament record. Walters is the first Terp to earn Tournament MVP since Scott Hochstadt, who set the event record for goals in a game with seven -- one more than Walters -- in 1998.

* Joining Walters on the ACC All-Tournament team were five other Terps: senior attacker J.R. Bordley, senior midfielder Paul Gillette, graduate goalie Tim McGinnis, senior defenseman Chris Passavia and senior defenseman Lee Zink.

* At the ACC Tournament banquet on April 22, three Terps were named to the All-ACC Team. Chris Passavia was named to the team for the third time. Joe Walters and Lee Zink both earned honors for the first time. All three are also among 15 final nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy as lacrosse's top player.

A Look At The Quakers
* No. 13 Pennsylvania enters the game with its highest ranking of the season. The Quakers are 7-5 overall under second-year head coach Brian Voelker. They have impressive wins over No. 9 Cornell (10-8) and No. 10 Brown (10-5) this season, posting a 3-3 Ivy League record. Penn is fighting for the NCAA Tournament berth coming into the last game of the regular-season. The Quakers are led by senior attacker Will Phillips, who has a 30-game point-scoring streak. He is three points shy of 100 coming to the Maryland game. This season, he leads the team with 24 goals and 16 assists for 40 points. Sophomore midfielder D.J. Andrzejewski is second in scoring with 10 goals and 12 assists. Face-off man senior Ethan Haire is one of the nation's best, winning 59.9 percent (118/197) and also fourth in the nation in groundballs with 79. In goal, senior Ryan Kelly has played every minute this season and has a 7.83 goals against average and 53.7 save percentage.

The Maryland/Penn Series History
* Saturday's game will be just the fifth ever between Maryland and Penn -- two of the oldest lacrosse programs in the nation. Maryland has won all four meetings. They last met in the 1987 NCAA Quarterfinals as the Terps beat the Quakers, 12-8, at Byrd Stadium. In the win four Maryland All-Americans had multi-goal games: Brendan Hanley (4), Tom Worstell (3), Kirk Thuston (2) and Phil Willard (2).

* Prior to the NCAA meeting, the Terps and Quakers played three times prior to 1930. The Terps won the first game, 4-3 in 1924 -- in the first-ever varsity recognized lacrosse game at Maryland. Maryland also won 9-1 in 1926 and 15-2 in 1930.

Coaching Match-up
* Now in his 22nd season as a head coach, Dave Cottle comes into the game with a 213-80 career record for a 72.7 win percentage, third-highest among active coaches. His win total is eighth among active coaches. He is 32-10 (76.2) in his two-plus seasons at Maryland. Penn's Brian Voelker is 13-12 (52.0) in his second college head coaching season. Voelker spent nine season at his alma mater Johns Hopkins, including his playing career. He also served as head coach of the Baltimore Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse in 2001 leading the Bayhawks to the very first MLL championship game.

* Cottle has a 2-4 lifetime record against Penn, with all six games coming while he was at Loyola from 1983-2001. Voelker has never coached against Maryland as a head coach, but faced them many times while at Hopkins.

Maryland-Penn Connections
* Penn assistant coach Chris Malone was a two-time All-American at Maryland, earning third-team honors in 2000 and honorable mention accolades in 2001. Malone finished his career with 60 goals and 37 assists for 97 points. He was a two-time recipient of the William Cole Memorial Award, presented to Maryland's outstanding midfielder of the year.

* Penn features many players who played high school lacrosse with current Terrapins.

* Notably, the Penn roster features six players from St. Paul's School in Baltimore, who played with current Terp Brent Hargest.

* Landon School is also represented by Terps J.R. Bordley, Brendan and Ian Healy. Penn's roster Andrew Blechman, Alex Staffier.

Walters off to Best Two-Year Start in Maryland History
* ACC Player of the Year Joe Walters has been tearing up the lacrosse world in just his second season, leading the nation in goals with 39 and among the top five scorers in total points all season. Walters is in the midst of one of the best starts to a career for an offensive player in the storied history of Maryland men's lacrosse. By the end of his career, Walters will surely threaten the school records for points of 219, set by Bob Boneillo (1977-80) and goals -- 149 set by Matt Hahn (1995-98).

* With his 72 career goals in just his second season, Walters has already set the record for most goals by a Terrapin in his first two years of action. Walters broke the previous record of 70 set by Roger Goss, who scored 70 goals in 1958-59 as a sophomore and junior. Prior to 1972, freshmen were not eligible to play on varsity teams. Walters also broke the record for goals prior to the end of a sophomore season as Maryland all-time leading goal scorer Matt Hahn had 69 goals in 1995-96.

* Walters became just the seven Terp to break the 100-point barrier in his second year of action as well. Goss holds that record for 132 points in 58-59. Among four-year players, Hall of Famer Frank Urso had 112 points in his first two years in 1973-74.

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 eighth in the nation, piling up 11.50 goals per game. The Terps' 149 goals is tied for eighth nationally. On defense, Maryland also leads the league, allowing just 7.50 goals per game -- ninth in the nation.

* The Terps are also fourth in the country in goal-scoring margin at +3.92 per game.

* Individually, Joe Walters leads the ACC in scoring with 54 points as well as in points per game at 4.15. His total points ranks fourth in the nation while the points per game mark is fifth overall.

* Walters is also first in the ACC and tied for first in the nation in total goals with 39 and in goals per game (3.00).

* In goal, Tim McGinnis is 10th in the nation in goals against average with a 7.40 GAA. He is also seventh in country in save percentage at 62.7, both marks are the best in the ACC.

* Checking other ACC stat charts, Joe Walters leads in game-winning goals with four. Xander Ritz ranks first in the league in assists (18) and assists per game (1.45).

* Paul Gillette is second in the ACC in groundballs per game at 4.76 and second on total groundballs with 62.

Terps' High-Scoring Offense
* The Terps' offense has continued to be a major story in 2004, as Maryland is averaging 11.50 goals per game through 13 games -- eighth in the nation. The Terps have scored at least 14 goals in four games and at least 10 in nine 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.

* The Terps have looked to underclassmen for much of their offense as 89 of the 149goals (60 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 112 of the Terps' 149 goals this season with either the goal or assist (75 percent).

* 2004 ACC Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP Joe Walters continues to lead the way, as he has 39 goals -- scoring three or more in 10 of 13 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 eight of the last 10 games including a career-high six goals in the ACC Championships game to lift Maryland to a 12-11 win over Virginia. He also added an assist in that game to equal his career high of seven points -- set against Bucknell on March 17, 2004. He has at least one goal in 27 of his 29 career games at Maryland. Overall, he has 100 career points (3.45 ppg) to become the 32nd player at Maryland with at least 100 career points. Walters also has four of the team's 11 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 72 career goals as a sophomore -- the most of any second-year player in school history.

* 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 30 on 12 goals and a team-high 18 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. In the ACC Tournament, he had two assists in the Semifinal win over Duke and two goals in the title game win over Virginia. He has at least one point in each game this season. He had a 15-game point streak ended in the Notre Dame game on May 1, a streak that dated to last season at Delaware.

* Midfielder Bill McGlone is second in goals with 20 and third in points with 24. 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 one in each ACC Tournament game and the win over Notre Dame.

* Sophomore midfielder Brendan Healy is fourth in scoring with 20 points on 13 goals and seven 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. Healy netted the biggest goal of his career with a wrap-around game-winner in the second overtime to beat Notre Dame on May 1.

* Senior midfielder Justin Smith has been the steady upperclassman on the first line, as he has 13 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. He scored his 50th career goal in his 50th career game -- the game-winning goal in the ACC Semfinals win over Duke, 10-7, on April 23. Overall, he has 42 goals in his last 36 games.

* Senior attacker J.R. Bordley has been impressive of late posting three points in each of the last three games. He earned ACC All-Tournament honors after a six-point tournament. He had three goals and three assists over the two-day event. He netted two of the Terps' first three goals in the 12-11 championship win over Virginia on April 25. He had two goals -- including the game-tying goal with 19 seconds in regulation in the double-overtime win over Notre Dame. Prior to the ACC's, Bordley had his most productive day as a Terp at Duke on March 6, 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 career-highs in 2004 with 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points in 12 starts this year.

* Freshman attacker Mike Brown has been a key player -- especially late in games. He has 10 of his 13 goals this season in the second half and six in the fourth quarter. He netted a his first career hat trick -- scoring all three goals in the third quarter -- to lift Maryland to a 10-7 win in the ACC Semfinals. He had a great run 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 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 regular-season games.

More On The Super "O"
* The Terps have been sensational in the first half, as they have outscored opponents 78-42 in the first 30 minutes. In the Terps' 11 wins, they have outscored foes 69-26 in the first half.

* The second quarter has been the knockout quarter for the Terps as they have outscored their opponents, 39-17, 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 on March 20. In the Butler win (March 23) , 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 on April 3.

* In 13 games, the Terps have had 20 different goal scorers and 24 different Terps have points this season. 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 on March 6, 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 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 and Patrick Howell, freshman Thomas Alford, who had two goals and junior college transfer Terence Dorsey.

* Maryland's extra-man unit is 10-for-39 this season (25.6 percent) through 13 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 leads with three extra-man goals, Walters and Ritz each have two EMO goals.

Click the PDF to read more....