No. 1 Terp Field Hockey Takes on NCAA Champs and Quinnipiac
9/23/2004 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 23, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
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GAME 10: #1 Maryland (9-0) vs. #3 Wake Forest (8-1)
Saturday, September 25 • 1 p.m.
Kentner Stadium (3,000/Turf), Winston-Salem, N.C.
GAME 11: #1 Maryland vs. Quinnipiac (2-6)*
Sunday, September 26 • 2 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY & LACROSSE COMPLEX(1,400/TURF), College Park, Md.
*as of Sept. 24
TERPS EMBARK ON TWO-GAME ROAD SWING
• Maryland faces its first challenge after earning the No. 1 ranking in this week's NFHCA Top 20 Poll. The Terps close out their three-game road trip, traveling to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face two-time defending NCAA and ACC Champion Wake Forest on Sept. 25. The Deacons are also ranked third in the nation.
• The Terps look to snap a four-game losing streak against the Deacons, with their last victory over WFU coming during the 2001 campaign. The last time these two teams met, the Terps were ranked No. 3 and the Deacons were No. 1. On that day in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, the No. 1 team in the country prevailed, 4-1.
• A quick turnaround brings Maryland right back to College Park to host Quinnipiac on Sunday, Sept. 26. A young series which began last season, it will be just the second meeting between the teams all-time.
TERPS ON TV
• Maryland's exciting win at Princeton will be televised on CSTV for the first time on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 8 and 11:30 p.m. The game will be rebroadcast several more times until Oct. 8. Check CSTV's website for times at www.collegesports.com/cstv. It is the second-consecutive year a Terrapin field hockey game was broadcast on the network.
TERPS TABBED NO. 1
• Maryland field hockey sits atop the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Top 20 poll this week after sweeping the weekend at Princeton and Delaware. The Terps earn the No. 1 spot in the nation for the first time since 2002 campaign.
• The ACC continues to be the strongest conference in the nation as four ACC squads are ranked in the top five while all five are in the top 10. The only non-ACC team ranked in the top five is No. 4 Michigan State.
A LOOK AT THE TERPS
• Maryland's potent attack is bolstered by balanced scoring as 12 different Terrapins have scored at least one goal with junior All-American Jackie Ciconte leading the way with seven. Junior Tiffany Marsh leads the team with 18 points and is the team's co-leader in assists with freshman Janneke van Leeuwen at six helpers.
• Sophomore Christina Restivo continues to impress fans with her play. She is the team's top netminder posting three shutouts while helping the squad to five overall. Her 0.88 goals against average is ranked fourth in the nation. She had a career game in the Terps' win at Princeton, making a personal best 11 saves, many of them diving stops.
• The only team in the country to return two first team All-Americans, the Terps return the majority of a squad that reached the 2004 NCAA Tournament semifinal game while recording the program's fourth 20-win season. Going 20-4 overall, Maryland ended the year ranked fourth in the nation on offense while fielding the fifth-best defense in the country. Ranked third in the final NFHCA Top 20 poll, the Terps return 15 letterwinners, including nine starters.
• Missy Meharg is in her 17th year as head coach of the Terrapins. Under her tutelage, she has led Maryland to two national titles and five ACC titles while putting together a 273-85-9 record. A four time National Coach of the Year, she has also guided the Terps to all four 20-win seasons while mentoring the team to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven NCAA Tournament final fours.
LAST TIME OUT
• Maryland swept its weekend games at Princeton, 7-1, and No. 14 Delaware, 4-3, to remain undefeated on the season and earn the top ranking in the nation in this week's NFHCA Top 20 poll.
• All-American Paula Infante recorded her first-career hat trick, leading the Terps to an easy 7-1 win at Princeton. Freshman Janneke van Leeuwen had career highs in goals (2), assists (2) and points. Sophomore goalkeeper Christina Restivo also had a career night, making 11 saves on the evening.
• Trailing 3-1 in the second half, the Terps scored three unanswered goals late in the game to charge back and defeat No. 14 Delaware in Newark, Del., to close out the weekend. Junior Emily Beach tallied the game-winning goal, the first of her career.
TERPS IN THE ACC STATS
• With the Terps sporting a balanced attack where 12 different players have scored at least a goal, two players rank in the top 10 in the ACC in points as of Sept. 20. Junior Tiffany Marsh is leading the charge with 18 points, tying for sixth in the league while junior All-American Jackie Ciconte is ninth with 17.
• Marsh and freshman Janneke van Leeuwen are tied for the team lead with 0.67 assists per game which is tied for fifth and junior All-American Lauren Powley and junior Emily Beach are tied for ninth in the ACC at 0.56 apg.
• Sophomore Christina Restivo made a career-high 11 saves at Princeton and has 22 on the season, averaging 0.44 stops per game, ranking fourth in the ACC. Her 0.88 goals against average is second in the league.
• As a team, the Terps are tied for the conference lead in shutouts at five. The team is also second in points per game (13.8), goals per game (4.78), assists per game (4.22) and goals against average at a diminutive 0.88.
A LOOK AT WAKE FOREST & QUINNIPIAC
WAKE FOREST
• Wake Forest is 8-1 entering the weekend, after topping the then-No. 1 team in the nation Michigan State, 3-2 in overtime, last weekend. The Deacons won their first five games of the season before falling to ACC-rival Duke, 4-3 in overtime, in a conference clash to open the ACC slate.
• Wake Forest has a high-scoring attack, ranking second in the nation at 5.84 goals per game. It has out-tallied its opponents, 42-12, on the season, scoring at least three goals in every game. WFU is led by first team All-American Kelly Dostal. She leads the nation with 34 points and is second with 13 goals. Tamar Meijer is also highly involved with the attack, recording 27 points, good for fourth in the country, and 13 goals as well, tying with teammate Dostal for second in the nation.
• Head coach Jennifer Averill has looked to Kristina Gagliardi to take on the goalkeeping duties. Entering the week, she ranked 19th in the nation in goals against average.
• A 1987 Northwestern graduate, Averill has led the Demon Deacons to the past two ACC and NCAA titles. This year, she and her squad hope to get back to the national championship stage and defend their back-to-back crowns as they play host to the NCAA Tournament final four.
• Last Meeting: The Terps and the Demon Deacons met for the second time in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament last year. No. 1 Wake Forest topped No. 3 Maryland, 4-1. Maryland trailed 2-0 when Jackie Ciconte scored a goal late in the first half to bring the Terps to within one. But the Deacons added two more goals in the second half to secure the win.
• Series vs. Wake Forest: Maryland leads the all-time series, 15-6, but have lost the last four-straight meetings. The Terps' last win over the Deacons was in 2001, the year the Terps won the ACC crown and reached the title game of the NCAA Tournament.
QUINNIPIAC
• The 2003 Northeast Conference Champions, Quinnipiac heads into the weekend with a 2-6 record. The Bobcats play conference-rival Monmouth on before taking on the Terps.
• Returning 16 letterwinners and nine starters from last year, the Bobcats have been outscored, 28-9, while facing a tough schedule. Their losses include setbacks to Connecticut (9-1), Northeastern (4-0) and Virginia (4-1). Quinnipiac also dropped a 2-0 decision to common opponent Towson.
• Senior Chelsea Osbrey leads the team with seven points and three goals. Junior Erin McKay has been the primary netminder for the Bobcats. She carries a 3.50 goals against average and has made 47 saves. Giving her a hand in the backfield are Jillian Holod and Jill DiSanti. Both defenders rank nationally in defensive saves at third (4) and 10th (2), respectively.
• Last Meeting: Maryland cruised to a 6-0 win over Quinnipiac in Amherst, Mass., early in the season last year. The Terps scored four goals in the first half en route to the rout. Paula Infante and Sara Silvetti each had two tallies in the game.
• Series vs. Quinnipiac: A young series, the Terps defeated the Bobcats in the only meeting between the teams last year in Amherst, Mass.
BARBIERI MOVES UP RECORD BOOKS
• With her two goals at Delaware, 2002 first team All-American senior Colleen Barbieri moved into a three-way tie for eighth place among Maryland's all-time goal scorers. She is tied with Rachel Hiskins and Nadine Bennett with 49 career goals. Barbieri, the 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year, notched 17 goals her freshman year, a career high. Carla Tagliente holds the school record with 73 tallies which she scored from 1997-2000.
• Her five points over two games at Princeton and Delaware leapfrogged her over Christine DeBow and into 10th place on the Terrapins' all-time points list. She has collected 115 points over her career in College Park.
VAN LEEUWEN EARNS NATIONAL HONORS
• After scoring her first-career goal against Towson, freshman Janneke van Leeuwen went on to have a breakout weekend, leading the Terps with four goals on five shots and 10 points. She gave the Terps a 1-0 lead over Princeton after the teams were deadlocked for 25 minutes. She went on to score another goal in that game and also dished out two assists. In Maryland's come-from-behind victory at No. 14 Delaware, van Leeuwen's tally tied the game at 3-3 late in the second half.
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
• On Maryland's trip to Delaware, first-year Terp and sophomore Linzi Jones celebrated her first birthday away from her home in Australia. The team, who had gathered at All-American Jackie Ciconte's house in Wilmington, Del., on the off day between the Princeton and Delaware matches, surprised Jones with a cake and sang Happy Birthday as the Aussie marked her 21st birthday. Jones' father Steve, who is visiting the U.S., was also able to celebrate the big day with his favorite Terp.
TERP ATTACK
• Boasting a balanced attack, 12 different Terps have tallied at least a goal with junior All-American Jackie Ciconte leading the way with seven. Junior Tiffany Marsh and senior Anja Boettcher trail Ciconte by just a tally at six goals. The Maryland offense notched at least three goals in seven of its nine games and has outscored its opponents, 43-7, so far this season. The Terps' offense ranks third in the nation as of Sept. 20 at 4.65 goals per game.
• The Terps' high-powered attack from a year ago returns intact. Ranked fourth in the nation in 2003, Maryland scored 92 goals on the season with four players scoring at least 15 goals each. Sophomore All-American Paula Infante was the team's leader with 19 tallies, followed by senior Anja Boettcher with 18. Junior All-American Jackie Ciconte contributed 17 goals and senior Colleen Barbieri, a 2002 first team All-American, knocked in 15 on the year.
DEFENSE!
• What jumped right off the box score after the 2-0 win over Northwestern was the fact that the Maryland defense did not allow a Wildcat shot or a penalty corner for the game and it repeated that feat in the very next game vs. Towson. The Terps have allowed just two goals from Aug. 29-Sept. 17, a span of seven games. The defense also put together a streak of 191 minutes of shutout hockey, which was snapped in the win over Drexel. In the first seven games, Maryland opponents had been limited to three shots or fewer and one penalty corner or less four times.
• With five shutouts under their belt, the Terrapin defense is fourth in the nation as of Sept. 20, allowing just 0.78 goals per game.
NIFTY (HAT) TRICK
• When sophomore All-American Paula Infante recorded her first-career hat trick in the 7-1 win at Princeton, she became just the second current Terp to accomplish that feat. Senior Anja Boettcher scored her second-career hat trick in the 7-1 win over Drexel. She also had a hat trick when she scored three in the 7-0 victory at UMass last year on Aug. 31.
HOME SWEET HOME
• The Terps continue to own the home field following its dominance at home last year. Maryland is undefeated so far in College Park, going 5-0, allowing just one goal and recording four shutouts.
• Maryland went 13-1 last year on the brand new, state-of-the-art Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. The wins included eight victories against teams ranked in the national top 20 at the time of the meeting with three of those coming over top 10 squads. The Terps' only loss on the new turf was to eventual NCAA Champion Wake Forest.
UP NEXT
• Maryland hits the road for another ACC clash, traveling to No. 13 Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. The Terps then turnaround to battle local-rival No. 10 American on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m.
