Feb. 24, 2005

College Park, Md. - With the bitterness of last season's overtime defeat in the NCAA Quarterfinals still lingering, the 2005 Terrapin men's lacrosse program and coach Dave Cottle know the only way to erase those memories is with a trip to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Memorial Day weekend.

After a 13-3 season, which included both the ACC regular season and tournament titles, Maryland returns 26 letterwinners and loses only 14 from a team that finished ranked No. 3 in the final USILA poll. But among those gone from the program is the Terps' entire starting defense, including National Defensive Player of the Year Lee Zink. But despite those losses, Cottle believes this Terrapin team has the right mix of talent and experience to make a run at the school's third national championship.

"We lost some very good players, but the group of guys we have here has the potential to be pretty good too," said Cottle. "Going into last season we were wondering how our offense was going to be and it turned out to be one of the best in the country. This season we need some guys to step up on the defensive side of the ball.

"Our goals have not changed. We expect to compete at the highest level possible. That means playing for the national championship and the ACC championship as well."

Attack

Joe Walters lead the Terps with 68 points in 2004.

The strength of this year's Terrapin team can be found in its offensive firepower led by National Player of the Year candidate Joe Walters along with All-America candidate Xander Ritz.

Walters, a preseason first team All-American, was named the ACC Player of the Year after leading the conference with 46 goals and 68 points. He was also third in the league with 22 assists. Nationally, Walters finished the season ranked fourth in goals per game (2.88) and fifth in points per game (4.25).

"Joe has gotten better each and every season and we'll need him to continue that this season," said Cottle. "He is going to have more responsibilities this year. We need him to be our leader on offense. He's had a lot of success and with that comes expectations and pressure to produce, but I know Joe is capable of handling that pressure."

Helping take some of the pressure off of Walters will be Ritz, who finished third on the team in points with 42 and second on the squad in assists with 18. A dynamic playmaker, Ritz has worked hard in the weight room during the offseason to improve his strength to help him fight off defenders.

"Xander is a guy that plays with a lot of heart and character," said Cottle. "He has all of the tools to be a great player. I believe he's going to be an All-American."

Sophomore Michael Phipps rounds out the Terps' first attack unit. The Severna Park, Md., native played in all 16 games as a freshman and has worked hard to improve his conditioning.

The rest of the Terps' attack corps of Maxwell Ritz and Quinn Cooke is talented, but young. Ritz, the younger brother of Xander, had the best fall season of any of the Terps and will see significant playing time during his first collegiate season. Cooke, a high school All-American, has been impressive during spring camp and could challenge for playing time as the season progresses.

Another factor in Maryland's attack will be senior Dave Matz, who returns to splitting time at attack and midfield after playing exclusively in the midfield as a junior. The Vermont native played in all 16 games in 2004, scoring six goals to go along with three assists.

Midfield
As with attack, the Terps boast a lot of front-line talent led by preseason All-American Bill McGlone, but several reserves will have to elevate their level of play this season.

McGlone, a physical presence at 6-2 and 210 pounds, was the team's second leading scorer a year ago with 36 points on 25 goals and 11 assists. The junior scored at least one goal in every game for the Terps last season, including two goals and five assists in the regular season finale win over Penn.

Brendan Healy was a third team All-America selection by Face-Off Magazine.

Joining McGlone on the first midfield will be junior Brendan Healy, who scored 18 goals as a sophomore in 2004. Arguably the hardest working player in the program, Healy broke nearly every strength index record during off-season workouts.

Alongside McGlone and Healy on the first midfield will be senior Andrew Schwartzman, who will also see some time on attack. Schwartzman scored four goals and tallied five assists for nine points running with the second midfield in 2004. Schwartzman will also play a key role in man-up situations.

The second midfield will be led by fifth-year senior Ian Healy. A quick, elusive player, Healy played with the second midfield a year ago and scored nine goals, including a pair in the NCAA first round win over Army.

Sophomore Jimmy Borell, a transfer from the Air Force Academy who reshirted last season, will see significant time in the second midfield. A tremendous all-around athlete, Borell is a two-way middie who is capable of scoring and shutting down opposing scorers.

Junior Michael Hartofilis and sophomores Thomas Alford and Chris Feifs are competing for spots in the second midfield. Hartofilis, who could also see time on attack, scored two goals in 11 games playing limited minutes in 2004. Alford saw some playing time as a face-off specialist as a freshman, but Cottle expects him to be a factor as a two-way midfielder this season. Feifs, at 6-4 and 220 pounds, is a physical presence, which should be an asset for the Terps this season.

A big factor, literally, for the Terps in the midfield will be freshman Will Dalton. At 6-5 and 245 pounds with surprising speed and agility, Dalton poses a match-up problem for just about any defender in the country. Dalton could be a cornerstone of the Terrapin midfield for the next four seasons.

The midfield will also see contributions from senior Matt Aksionoff, junior Ryan Lang and sophomores Jay Feeley, Brent Hargest and Patrick Howell. Freshmen Drew Evans and Andrew Urquhart will also vie for time in their initial collegiate seasons. Freshman Spencer McAllister will sit out the season while rehabilitating an injured knee.

Defensive Midfield

Tyler Hereth is one of four team captains for 2005.

The strength of this year's defensive midfield will be at long-stick with the senior leadership of Tyler Hereth. Hereth started 12 of 16 games as a junior tallying one assist and picking up 15 groundballs, but it will be the intangibles that he brings to the team that will be a big factor in the Terps' success.

Also seeing time at long-stick defensive midfielder will be sophomores Ryan Clarke and Sean Sullivan. Clarke is still developing an understanding for the team's defensive system, but will be a factor this year. Sullivan picked up valuable experience as a freshman, but needs to develop consistency to match his skills.

The short-stick defensive midfield graduated three seniors a year ago, including All-American Paul Gillette. This year junior Ryan Lang and sophomore Travis Holmes will be counted on to fill the hole left by Gillette. Lang is a tough, intelligent player who saw action in 15 games as a sophomore, scoring one goal and picking up 11 groundballs. Holmes is a tireless worker who has a great understanding for the game. He played in only six games in 2004, but will see significant playing time this season.

Freshman Jeff Reynolds is one of the best pure athletes on the team and has the potential to be an outstanding player once he gets comfortable in the college game. He should see some playing time this season.

Also seeing time as short-stick defensive midfielders will be redshirt-sophomore Paul Andrews, who made the team during fall tryouts in 2003, and freshman Matt Rankin.

Face-Offs
The Terps will use a face-off by committee approach this season with whoever has the hot hand getting the call.

Thomas Alford took the most face-offs of any returning Terp last season with 89 and will be one of the first to take to the circle this year. Junior David Tamberrino will also be given a chance this season after taking 32 attempts a year ago.

Two freshmen will also compete for time at face-off. Will Dalton at 6-5 and 245 pounds, and Charlie Wiggins at 6-4 and 240 pounds could present match-up problems for opponents.

Defense

Gavin Webb will be the leaders of the Terps' defense this season.

Maryland graduated its entire starting defensive unit, which consisted of the National Defensive Player of the Year and two All-Americans. Replacing that trio will be senior Gavin Webb and sophomores Steve Whittenberg and Ray Megill.

Webb saw his most significant playing time last season and will be the leader of the defense. A big defender with good stick skills, Webb played in all 16 games in 2004 and picked up 29 groundballs.

Whittenberg, a transfer from the Air Force Academy, is a strong cover-guy with experience. A 2003 high school All-American, Whittenberg was named the Falcons' defensive MVP and rookie of the year in 2004.

Megill, an outstanding physical talent, saw time in man-down situations as a freshman, but will need to play a much bigger role this season.

Backing-up the first unit will be sophomore Scott Slosson and a pair of freshmen, Joe Cinosky and Zach Hinton. Slosson saw time in man-down situations as a redshirt-freshman in 2004, playing in 13 of 16 contests. Cinosky and Hinton are considered future stars by the Maryland coaching staff and will need to contribute as freshmen.

Sophomores Ryan Adolph and Jacob Baxter and freshmen Joe Amoyal and Charlie Wiggins could also see time as the season progresses.

Goalie
The competition for the stating goalie spot has been a battle between junior Teddy Murphy and sophomore Harry Alford.

Alford is an athletic, dynamic shot-blocker who played in six games in 2004 as a back-up to All-American Tim McGinnis. Coach Cottle has described him as a "franchise goalie."

Murphy played in only one game as a sophomore, but has made great strides during Fall and Spring camps. At 6-3 and 190 pounds Murphy possesses good size and also sees the field well.

According to Cottle, the competition is too close to call prior to opening day, but the fourth year coach does, however, feel that he has two goalies capable of getting the job done between the pipes.

Freshman Jason Carter will serve at the team's third goalie and could redshirt the season. An athletic goalie, Carter is one of the best all-around athletes on the team and has a big upside according to the Terps coaches.

Schedule
Maryland will once again play one of the most competitive schedules in the nation in 2005. The Terps take on seven teams that finished 2004 ranked in the top 20, including three of the top five, and four that advanced to at least the NCAA Quarterfinals.

"We're very excited about our 2005 schedule," said Cottle. "This is a challenging and difficult schedule against some of the top schools in the country. We're looking forward to the challenge and to having some great games this year. One thing we're especially pleased about is the opportunity to host the ACC tournament in Baltimore."

The 2005 schedule will be highlighted by a rematch with NCAA runner-up Navy on Friday, April 8 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, and by the 101st meeting between Maryland and arch-rival Johns Hopkins on Friday, April 15, at 8:00 p.m. at Byrd Stadium.

Dartmouth and Fairfield are the only two new opponents from the 2004 schedule. The Terps will meet Dartmouth for the first time since 1999 at St. Andrews School in Boca Raton, Fla., while Maryland will travel to the state of Connecticut for the first-ever meeting with Fairfield.

Maryland will be the host school for the 2005 ACC Tournament, which will be held in M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, on April 28 and 30. The Terps are the defending conference champs, having defeated Virginia, 12-11, in Chapel Hill, N.C., in 2004.

The Terps will have at least four games on national television this season. The March 12 game at Towson will be part of the WMAR Channel 2 Game of the Week package and will also be televised nationally on ESPNU. Maryland's April 8 game at Navy will also be on national television as part of CSTV's package. Fox College Sports will televise the Terps home game with North Carolina on March 26, as well as college lacrosse's biggest rivalry, Maryland-Johns Hopkins, which will be in primetime at 8:00 p.m. on April 15.