Nov. 14, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Six Maryland field hockey players earned a spot on the Dartfish/NFHCA Division I Mid-Atlantic All-Region first team and three more were named to the second team. The nine all-region selections are the highest for any team in the nation, while the six first-team honorees ties for the most. Among the honorees is four-time all-region selection Lauren Powley, while junior Paula Infante was selected for the third-consecutive year.

Senior Lauren Powley (Mountaintop, Pa.) has been named first team Mid-Atlantic Region in each of her four years at Maryland, garnering All-American honors in each of her first three seasons. She was a third-team selection as a freshman, but has made the first team in each of the last two seasons. This weekend, Powley, who has also All-ACC honors three times, scored the game-winning goal against No. 6 American to help the Terps advance to the NCAA semifinals.

Junior Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile) earns her third-straight all-region nod. Second on the team with 12 goals, she is tied for first with five game-winning goals on the season. Infante, who is a three-time All-ACC selection, was recently named the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year.

Senior co-captain Emily Beach (Bethesda, Md.) was named to the first team for the first time in her career. Last year she was named to the second team. Senior Jackie Ciconte (Wilmington, Del.), the Terps' leading goal scorer, was a first team selection in 2003, the same year she was named second team All-American.

Earning all-region honors for the first time in their careers are junior Kristina Edmonds (Emmaus, Pa.) and sophomore Kathryn Masson (Richmond, British Columbia). Edmonds, a starter in every game, has helped the defense earn eight shutouts on the season, limiting opponents to 1.01 goals per game which ranks in the top 10 in the nation. A goalkeeper, Mason has posted an impressive 0.90 goals against average and entered the weekend ranked second in the nation in that category.

Capping her career with another solid season, senior Tiffany Marsh (Marathon, N.Y.) earned her third-straight second team Mid-Atlantic All-Region recognition. She leads the team with 15 assists and 39 points.

Also earning second-team nods are freshman Susie Rowe (London, England) and sophomore Janneke van Leeuwen (Hilversum, Netherlands). A defender, Rowe was named ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Terps to their sixth conference title. Van Leeuwen, last season's ACC Rookie of the Year, is second on the team and ranked nationally with 14 assists.

The six first team honorees move on to the national ballot where they become eligible for All-America honors.

Top-ranked and top-seeded Maryland is making their third-straight trip to the NCAA semifinals this weekend. The Terps take on fourth-seeded Old Dominion on Friday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. on the campus of the University of Louisville. The second semifinal features second-seeded Wake Forest and third-seeded Duke at 7:30 p.m. The winners of both games go on to play for the NCAA title on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 12:30 p.m.

-TERPS-