April 14, 2005

College Park, Md. - Lacrosse's greatest rivalry renews for the 101st time this Friday as ninth-ranked Maryland hosts No. 1 Johns Hopkins at Byrd Stadium Friday night.

• The game will be televised live by Fox College Sports, but will be shown tape-delayed in the Baltimore television market Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet.

• Maryland and Hopkins are the two most storied lacrosse programs in the nation, with the rivalry beginning with back in 1895 as Hopkins defeated the Maryland Agricultural College. The Blue Jays (33) and Terps (27) have played in the first and third most NCAA Tournaments since the event began in 1971, respectively. Maryland (108) and Hopkins (171) have produced the most first team All-Americans in the history of lacrosse dating to the first awards in 1922.

• The Terps, coming off a heartbreaking 9-8 loss at No. 8 Navy last Friday in Annapolis. Maryland is lead by the third-winningest coach in college lacrosse, Dave Cottle, who boasts a career record of 220-85 (.721). He is in his fourth season at the helm of the Terrapin program and has led the Terps to a 39-15 (.722) record.

• Hopkins enters the game with a perfect 8-0 record and is coming off a thrilling 11-10 double-overtime win over No. 2 Duke. Head coach Dave Pietramala is in his fifth season at the helm of the Blue Jay program and has guided his alma mater to a 55-10 (.846) record during that span. For his career Pietramala owns a 78-27 record in eight seasons.

Top 5 Terp Tidbits
• Maryland holds an all-time record of 36-53-1 vs. Johns Hopkins.

• Maryland is outscoring opponents 46-30, including a 12-3 advantage in the first quarter in four home games this season.

• Of the Terps' 85 goals, 61 (71.7%) have come from juniors, including 22 by Joe Walters.

• Fourteen different Terps have scored goals through nine games, with three having scored points in every game.

• Harry Alford has a 67.0 save pct. in the Terps' four home games this season.

Senior Salute
• The Hopkins game will be the final regular season home game for six Maryland seniors.

• Matt Aksionoff, a reserve midfielder from Baldwin, N.Y., has endured an injury-plagued career as a Terp, but has fought his way through two knee injuries to be a valuable member of the Maryland lacrosse program.

• Ian Healy, a fifth-year senior from Great Falls, Va., is one of four team captains on the 2005 squad. A great teammate who often puts teammates needs above his own, Healy has scored 18 goals, while adding seven assists in 46 career games.

• Tyler Hereth, a long-stick middie from Glastonbury, Conn., has been a leader on and off the field this year as one of four team captains. He has played in 35 games, making 12 starts, as a Terp. During his four seasons he has picked up 22 groundballs, including 15 as a junior in 2004.

• Dave Matz, the first Terp from the state of Vermont, is a versatile offensive player who has had a knack for scoring big goals when needed the most. He scored a career-high two goals earlier this season at Bucknell to help Maryland secure a victory.

• Andrew Schwartzman, a midfielder/attackman from Owings Mills, Md., has worked hard to improve each season he's been at College Park. The team's 2002 Freshman of the Year, Schwartzman has been a big part of the Terps success this season, starting all nine games, scoring four goals (including two game winners) and adding two assists.

• Gavin Webb, a native of Columbus, Ohio, is the lone senior among the team's defensive unit. A 2004 team captain, Webb has played in 37 games during his Terp career with 11 starts to his credit. In his three-plus seasons at Maryland he has compiled 42 groundballs, including 11 this season.

Maryland-Hopkins Series History
• Prior to last season's 14-10 Hopkins win, the previous three games in the series have been one-goal affairs -- with the two going to overtime. Five of the last seven have been one-goal games. Maryland last won in the series at Byrd Stadium in dramatic fashion, 10-9, on April 14, 2001, as the No. 5 Terps scored four fourth-quarter goals to overcome a 8-6 deficit entering the final stanza. 2001 first team All-American Pat McGinnis made 21 saves and was named the WMAR Player of the Game in the win.

• Hopkins has won the last three games, two (2003 & 2002) in overtime. Last year at Homewood Field, on April 17, 2004, Hopkins raced out to an 8-1 lead in the first quarter en route to a 14-10 victory in the 100th meeting between the two schools. In the two team's last meeting at Byrd Stadium, on April 12, 2003, Joe McDermott scored the game-winner 1:21 into overtime for the 6-5 Hopkins win in front of 8,183 in attendance.

• Since 1973, this will be the 19th time in 43 games the Maryland-Hopkins battle has featured the nation's No. 1 team. The No. 1 team won 12 of the 19 games in which it played in the series. Maryland has upset No. 1 Hopkins on two occasions in 1975 and 1995.

• This game marks the ninth time in the last 22 meetings that either Maryland or Hopkins comes into the game ranked No. 1. In those eight games, the No. 1-ranked team has been upset by the lower-ranked team three times with the most recent occurrence coming in 1998 as the No. 6 Hopkins squad handed the top-ranked Terps their first loss after an 8-0 start.

• Hopkins came into last year's contest the No. 1 team in the country and were victoriuos. The Blue Jays also came into the 2003 game as the No. 1 team and won in overtime. Prior to that occurance the last time Hopkins came into the rivalry ranked No. 1, Maryland handed the Jays a 16-8 loss in the NCAA Semifinals at Byrd Stadium on May 27, 1995.

Current Terps Vs. Hopkins
• Of the Terps' current roster six players have scored points against Hopkins.

• In the 2003 game, the last time these two teams battled in College Park, Joe Walters scored a goal, while Ian Healy added an assist in the 6-5 overtime loss.

• Last year, in the 100th meeting between the two storied programs, Brendan Healy scored his second-career hat trick to lead the Terps, but the result was a 14-10 Hopkins victory. In the defeat Walters scored twice and added an assist, Andrew Schwartzman put in a goal and assisted two others, Bill McGlone scored twice, and Xander Ritz picked up an assist.

• Another returner who made an impact in last year's game is Thomas Alford, who won nine-of-21 face-offs to set his career-high.

The Terps Against No. 1
• Maryland has beaten the No. 1 team in the nation four times since 1987 including three times since 1995. In fact, the Terps have posted wins over the No. 1-ranked team in three of their last six games with the top-ranked team. Of those wins, the last two have come when the Terps were ranked No. 5. And all four came at Byrd Stadium.

• Maryland's last win over a No. 1 team -- ironically -- came against current head coach Dave Cottle and Loyola, as No. 5 Maryland upset the top-ranked Greyhounds, 19-8, in the NCAA Semifinals at Byrd Stadium on May 23, 1998.

• The Terps beat No. 1 Virginia on March 30, 1996 with a 13-11 win at Byrd.

• Maryland also defeated a No. 1 Johns Hopkins team, 16-8, on May 27, 1995, in the NCAA Semifinals at Byrd Stadium.

Maryland-Hopkins Connections
• Despite being bitter rivals, Maryland-Hopkins still have many notable connections.

• Brothers will be on opposing sidelines as Maryland senior midfielder Andrew Schwartzman faces brother Jesse Schwartzman, a sophomore, who will be making his first start in goal vs. the Terps.

• Hopkins' top play-maker and preseason All-American Kevin Boland is the son of former Terrapin Kevin Boland (1973-77), who played with the Terps on the 1973 NCAA Championship team which beat Hopkins for the national championship, 10-9 in overtime. The senior Boland scored two goals in the 1974 championship game which saw Johns Hopkins beat Maryland, 17-12.

• Hopkins sophomore attacker Jake Byrne is the brother of Matt Hahn (1995-98), Maryland's all-time leading goal scorer with 149 goals. Hahn is also 11th on the Terps' all-time scoring list with 180 career points. Hahn scored three goals in both the Terrapins' 1995 NCAA Semifinal and 1998 NCAA Quarterfinal wins over Hopkins.

• Now is his 22nd season as a Maryland assistant coach, Dave Slafkosky is a 1974 graduate of Johns Hopkins, where he played lacrosse from 1972-74. He helped the Blue Jays to the 1974 title, beating Maryland in the championship game, one year after the Terps had beaten Slafkosky and the Blue Jays in the title game.

• Twenty-four players (13 on Maryland, 11 on Hopkins) played high school lacrosse together at 10 different high schools.

Coaching Match-Up
• Maryland head coach Dave Cottle is currently the third winningest active coach in the country with a 72.1 win percentage with a record of 220-85. He is also 39-15 (72.2) as head coach of the Terps. Hopkins' Dave Pietramala is in his fifth season at Hopkins and has a 55-10 (84.6) record with the Jays. He is 78-27 overall in seven years as a coach for a 74.3 win percentage at both Hopkins and Cornell.

• Coach Dave Cottle has won three of 13 career games against Hopkins, 10 of which came while coaching at Loyola. He led the Greyhounds to back-to-back wins against Hopkins in 1998 (10-7) and 1999 (14-5). Against coach Dave Pietramala, Cottle is 0-4, as his Loyola team dropped a 13-10 decision on May 4, 2001, in addition to the three losses while he has been at Maryland.

Terps Among ACC, NCAA Stat Leaders
• 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.

• On defense, Maryland is 15th in the nation in scoring defense (7.89), which is also third the ACC.

• The Terps are 20th in the country in goal-scoring margin at +1.56 per game. Virginia leads the nation at +6.67.

• Maryland is 13th in the nation in face-offs, winning 55.9% of its draws (2nd in the ACC).

• Individually, Joe Walters is 15th in goals per game at 2.44 (tied for third in the ACC). The junior attackman is also fifth in the conference in points per game at 3.44.

• David Tamberrino ranks among the nation's best in face-off percentage (12th, .596), which also ranks him first in the conference. The junior is also among the ACC's groundball leaders, ranking third with 4.00 GBs per game.

• In goal, Harry Alford is sixth in the nation in save percentage at 62.3, which is second in the ACC. He is also 16th in country in goals against average with a 7.77 GAA, which is third in the ACC. Alford is also leading the ACC in saves per game at 12.67.

• Checking other ACC stat charts, Bill McGlone is ninth in goals per game (1.89), 10th in points per game (2.44). Joe Walters is tied for sixth in the league in assists per game (1.00), while Xander Ritz is tied for tenth in that category (0.89). Walters is also tied for third in man-up goals with four. Andrew Schwartzman is tied for second with two game-winning goals. Along with Tamberrino, sophomore Thomas Alford is third in face-offs with a 51.8 winning pct..

• Three Terps are among the top six in shots per game in the conference: Walters (2nd, 8.78), Brendan Healy (5th, 6.67) and McGlone (8th, 5.67).

Shooting tells the story
• Coach Dave Cottle is on record saying that good teams will shoot at least 30%. As it turns out 30% is the magic number for the Terps this season.

• In Maryland's five victories this season the Terrapins are shooting 31.6% (61 goals/193 shots). In their four losses the Terps are shooting just 15.6% (24 goals/154 shots).

• Maybe just as telling is the shots on goal percentage. Maryland has put 120 of its 193 shots on goal in its five wins, but just 72 of 154 shots were on net in three defeats.

Home vs. Away
• A lot is made in sports about the home-field advantage and for the Maryland men's lacrosse team in 2005 it's with good reason. The Terps have played four games at home and five away from College Park (4 road, 1 neutral) and the numbers show a decided edge for Terps when they are on familiar ground.

• Maryland is averaging 11.5 goals per game in its four home games, but that number dips to 7.80 on the road.

• Shooting percentage, which is one of Coach Dave Cottle's key statistics, is another tell-tale stat. In College Park the Terps are shooting 30.1% (46/153), but on the road they are shooting 20.1% (39/194). Shots on goal percentage is nearly equal with home edging road 57.5% to 53.6%.

• Joe Walters, the team's leading scorer overall, is also Maryland's leading scorer in both home and away games. The junior All-American has racked up 12 goals and five assists at home, while amassing 10 goals and four assists on the road.

• Harry Alford has been spectacular no matter where he's played this year. The Kelly Award candidate has made 61 saves in the team's four home games with a 7.54 GAA and a .670 save pct. On the road the super-Sophomore has racked up 53 saves in five games with a 7.94 GAA and a .576 save pct.

Harry Saves The Day
• In his first career start sophomore goalie Harry Alford stopped an amazing 25 Georgetown shots to help lead the Terps to a 13-6 victory over the No. 5 Hoyas. The 25 saves were the most by a Maryland goalie since the 2000 season when Pat McGinnis made 27 saves in a 11-6 loss to Virginia.

• Alford's 25-save performance is the highest total in season opener dating back to the 1997 season. The previous best for saves in a season opener since 1997 was 17 by Danny McCormick vs. Duke in 2003.

• For his efforts vs. the Hoyas, Alford collected Inside Lacrosse's National Player of the Week honors, as well being named the ACC player of the week.

• Alford turned in another 20-save performance one month later on March 26, in Maryland's 9-4 win over No. 19 North Carolina in College Park. Alford made 12 saves in the third quarter alone.

• For his efforts against the Tar Heels, in addition to stopping 12 shots in the Dartmouth game, Alford won his second ACC player of the week award, the first multi-time winner of 2005.

Defense Proves To Be Strong • Heading into the 2005 season the big question mark surrounding the Terps was their defense. The entire starting close defense from 2004, consisting National Defensive Player of the Year Lee Zink and All-Americans Chris Passavia and Dave Wagner, Team MVP short-stick D-middie Paul Gillette, and All-America goalie Tim McGinnis were lost to graduation. Taking that group's place figured to be no easy task, but it's proving to be easier than previously imagined. Take a look at how this year's defense stacks up:

• Similar to last season, Maryland has held opponents scoreless for long stretches of game time. Through eight games in 2004, the Terps kept opponents scoreless for stretches of 20 or more minutes six times. This year Maryland has also done it on five occasions, and was just seconds away from keeping the high-powered Duke offense off the board for more than 20 minutes.

• Against Georgetown, the Hoyas scored to take a 1-0 lead at the 10:02 mark of the first quarter. Maryland's defense, lead by sophomore goalie Harry Alford, who totaled 25 saves in the 13-6 victory, didn't allow the fifth-ranked Hoyas another goal until 4:34 in the second quarter, a total time of 20:26. Maryland kept Georgetown off the board for a 15-minute stretch following that goal, while the offense built an 11-2 lead. The Hoyas didn't register their third goal of the game until 4:32 in the third quarter, a span of 15:02.

• Maryland pitched a shutout for the first 19:34 of the Duke game, coming just 26 seconds short of the 20-minute mark.

• Against Towson, the Terps held the Tigers to five goals (they had been averaging 10.6 in their first three games) and held their starting attack to just one goal and one assist on a remarkable four shots. The Maryland defense turned up the intensity when Towson took a 3-2 lead at 12:48 of the second quarter. The Terrapin defense held the Tigers scoreless for the next 27:38, while the offense built a 6-3 lead. Towson pulled to within one goal, 6-5, at 11:55 of the fourth, but Maryland only allowed the Tigers two shots over the final 11:55 and finished with a 9-5 win over the ninth-ranked team in the country.

• At Bucknell, the Bison scored at the 12:50 mark of the second quarter and did not net another goal until 2:31 in the third, a span of 25:19.

• In the Dartmouth loss, the Big Green tied the game at 1-1 at the 3:22 mark of the first quarter. The Maryland "D" held strong for the remainder of the first half with Harry Alford only have to make one save in the second quarter. Dartmouth didn't get on the board again until 12:55 in the third, a span of 20:27.

• The Terrapin defense held the 19th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels scoreless for the first 25 minutes of the Terps' 9-4 win. The four goals allowed was the lowest total for the Terps since limiting Virginia to two goals in Maryland's 11-2 win on April 3, 2004.

• Twice in the Terps 9-8 loss to Navy, Maryland held the Mids to just one goal in 19+ minutes of action. The second span, bridging the third and fourth quarters allowed the Terps to go on a 5-1 run to take a 8-7 lead.

• Sophomore Steve Whittenberg, a transfer from Air Force, has been the model of consistency for the Terps. A starter in all nine games, Whittenberg has picked up four, five, four, six, and three groundballs, respectively, in the team's first five games. He has also caused nine turnovers this season.

• Short-stick defensive midfielders Travis Holmes and Ryan Lang have been stellar early on this season. They have sliced and diced their opponents, combining to force 11 turnovers in seven games while scooping up 25 groundballs as well. The duo showed their offensive side in the Terps' 14-10 win at No. 18 Bucknell when Lang assisted Holmes' goal at the 1:14 mark of the third quarter. That goal sparked a 6-0 Maryland run that sealed the game for the Terrapins.

• Another factor in the Maryland defense has been the emergence of long-pole defensive midfielder Ryan Clarke, who is tied for the team lead with nine caused turnovers and is third with 28 groundballs.

• In goal, Harry Alford has been stellar, stopping all manner of shots. He's played all but six minutes for the Terps, making 114 saves with a save percentage of 62.3 and a 7.76 GAA.

Face-Off Turn Around
• Last year the face-off circle was not kind to the Terps, who were only able to control 46.4 percent of 362 draws. This season Maryland has turned things around, winning 104 of 186 attempts - a 55.9 winning percentage.

• Leading the way for Maryland is junior face-off specialist David Tamberrino. A reserve face-off guy last year (16-32/50%), Tamberrino has taken 109 face-offs through nine games and has won 65 - a 59.6 winning percentage, which ranks first in the ACC and 12th in the nation.

• Thomas Alford is also enjoying a breakthrough season in the face-off circle. The sophomore, who won 42-89 draws in 2004, has won 29 of 56 (.518) this season, which is fourth-best in the ACC.

• Freshman Will Dalton used his 6-5, 245-pound frame to his advantage in the Terps' 9-4 win over North Carolina, winning six of nine face-offs, all in the second half to help Maryland pull away from the Tar Heels. He is 10 of 21 (.476) this year.

Streaking Terps
• Three Terps entered the Navy game with scoring streaks and all three came out in tact.

• Joe Walters' goal and point scoring streak is now at 25 after scoring three goals vs. the Midshipmen -- the 21st hat trick of his career.

• Bill McGlone, who had his goal scoring streak (23 games) snapped at Virginia, extended his point scoring streak to 25 by scoring the game's first goal at Navy.

• Xander Ritz extended his point scoring streak to nine games with a goal and an assist vs. the Mids.

Here's a breakdown of the Terps' current streaks:
• McGlone, who entered the season with a 16-game goal and point scoring streaks, didn't waste any time in 2005, scoring three goals vs. Georgetown in the season opener. In the Duke game McGlone again netted the first goal of the game to give the Terps a 1-0 lead. He would then pick up his first assist of the season on Michael Phipps' goal to up the lead to 2-0. McGlone would once again score the first Terp goal, for the third straight game, in the 9-5 win at No. 9 Towson. He would add two more for his fourth career hat trick. At Bucknell, McGlone didn't scored Maryland's first goal of the game, but the third to give the Terps a 3-1 lead at that point. He added another goal (man-up) in fourth quarter and assisted on two goals for his first four-point game of the season. The junior didn't waste anytime vs. UMBC, scoring two of the Terps' first three goals in the first three minutes of the game. He would go on to score a career high five goals vs. the Retrievers. The Dartmouth goal proved to be a different story, as McGlone came off the bench due to a minor injury. He only managed two shots, but put the first one past the Big Green goalie to extend his point and goal scoring streaks. Still nursing an injury, McGlone kept his streak alive in the UNC game by scoring a goal at the 8:35 mark of the third quarter. His goal scoring streak came to an end at 23 vs. Virginia, but he did pick up an assist on Joe Walters' man-up goal in the third quarter to extend his point scoring streak to 24. McGlone pushed his points streak to 25 with a single goal vs. Navy.

• Walters, who also entered the season with a 16-game goal and point scoring streaks, kept his scoring streaks alive at 9:45 in the second quarter vs. Georgetown with an unassisted goal to give Maryland a 2-1 lead, a lead they would never surrender on the way to a 13-6 victory. Against Duke, Walters took a more aggressive approach and picked up his 19th career hat trick, including two man-up goals. A frustrating shooting day at Towson couldn't keep Walters out of the net. The national player of the year candidate scored twice and assisted on another goal for a three point afternoon. It was another three-point effort for Walters in the 14-10 win at No. 18 Bucknell to extend his goal and point scoring streaks. Walters picked up an assist on a Dave Matz goal midway through the second quarter, but didn't score a goal until 3:41 in the third to give Maryland a 7-4 lead. He would go on to score his second of the game in the fourth as part of a 6-0 Terps' run to put the game away. The UMBC game saw Walters tie career highs with six goals and one assist. In the loss to Dartmouth, Walters scored twice and added two assists for a four-point game. North Carolina tried to shut Walters down, but the All-American still managed to score two goals in the 9-4 win. Like the rest of the Maryland offense, Walters struggled in Maryland's 10-2 loss at Virginia, but he kept his streaks alive with a man-up goal in the third quarter. At Navy, Walters scored his 21st career hat trick to run his goal and point scoring streaks to 25.

• Xander Ritz is the only other Terp to score a least a point in each of the eight games. Ritz scored a goal in the Georgetown win and had an assist vs. Duke. He had his best game of the season in the Towson victory with two goals and two assists for his first four-point game of 2005. At Bucknell he assisted McGlone's first quarter goal to extend his point scoring streak to four. Against UMBC he assisted McGlone's third goal of the game and tallied another assist on Ian Healy's second goal of the season. He had another two-point game vs. Dartmouth, but this time those points came on goals, including the only man-up goal of the game and a goal at 1:22 of the fourth quarter to pull the Terps within a goal of the Big Green. Ritz kept his scoring streak alive in the UNC victory, assisting Michael Phipps' first quarter goal. In the Virginia loss, Ritz scored an unassisted goal in the fourth quarter to cut the Cavalier lead to 6-2. A goal and assist at Navy extended Ritz's scoring streak to nine games.

Terps' 80th Season of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 655-212-4, dating back to the first varsity team in 1924 (a team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II). Maryland has finished every one of its previous 79 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 13-3. The program reached the 650-win milestone with a 16-12 win over Army in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Byrd Stadium.

• Since 2000, Maryland is 63-23 for a .733 win percentage. In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland recorded its most wins in any decade with a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland's win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage.

McGlone And Walters Up For Tewaaraton Award
• Juniors Bill McGlone and Joe Walters were recently named to the 2005 Tewaaraton Trophy watch list. This preseason list highlights the players to watch, as all NCAA Division I, II and III players vie for the most coveted and prestigious award in varsity lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Trophy.

• Walters, a semifinalist for the award as a sophomore, scored 46 goals and tallied 22 assists for 68 points in 2004 and was a USILA first team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year.

• McGlone, one of the top midfielders in the country, was second on the team in goals and points in 2004 with 25 and 36, respectively.

• The Tewaaraton Trophy is awarded each year to the top male and female varsity lacrosse player, as chosen by the selection committee. The fifth annual award will be given at a banquet on Thursday, June 2. Ten finalists (five male, five female) will be invited to the banquet for the announcement. The event will take place in Washington D.C. at the National Geographic Society headquarters.

2005 Captains: I. Healy, Hereth, McGlone, Webb
• Four players have been named team captains for the 2005 season. The quartet, which was voted on by the team during the fall season, consists of seniors Ian Healy, Tyler Hereth and Gavin Webb, along with junior Bill McGlone.