April 7, 2005

College Park, Md. - • The sixth-ranked Maryland Terrapins head East on Rt. 50 Friday evening to Annapolis for a primetime showdown with No. 8 Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game, which will be televised nationally on CSTV, is set for a 7:00 p.m. start.

• The Terps are coming off a 10-2 loss to No. 3 Virginia last Saturday at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville. Maryland is lead by the third-winningest coach in college lacrosse, Dave Cottle, who boasts a career record of 220-84 (.724). He is in his fourth season at the helm of the Terrapin program and has led the Terps to a 39-14 (.736) record.

• The Midshipmen, ranked eighth in this week's Geico/STX Coaches Poll, comes into the game off of a 11-6 loss to Georgetown in a game that began on Saturday, but had to be finished on Sunday due to the passing of long-time lacrosse official Scott Boyle. Navy, the 2004 NCAA runner-up, are coached by Richie Meade, who has lead the Mids to a 81-59 record in 11 seasons.

• Navy and Maryland have played three common opponents in 2005 - North Carolina, Bucknell and Georgetown. The Terps are 3-0 in those games, but the Mids are just 1-2 with losses at Bucknell and to the Hoyas in Annapolis.

Top 5 Terp Tidbits
• Maryland holds an all-time record of 49-29-1 vs. Navy.

• Maryland has held opponents to just 10 goals in the first quarter through eight games, while scoring 19.

• Of the Terps' 77 goals, 53 (69%) have come from juniors, including 19 and 16 by Joe Walters and Bill McGlone, respectively.

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

• Harry Alford has a 61.0 save pct. in the Terps' four road games this season.

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 16th in the nation in scoring defense (7.75), which is also third the ACC.

• The Terps are 19th in the country in goal-scoring margin at +1.88 per game. Duke leads the nation at +6.91.

• Maryland is 13th in the nation in face-offs, winning 57.2% of its draws (2nd in the ACC).

• Individually, Joe Walters is 19th in points per game at 3.5 (fourth in the ACC). He is also ranked 19th in goals per game at 2.38 (tied for fourth in the ACC).

• David Tamberrino ranks among the nation's best in face-off percentage (11th, .615), which also ranks him first in the conference.

• In goal, Harry Alford is fifth in the nation in save percentage at 64.3, which is second in the ACC. He is also 16th in country in goals against average with a 7.61 GAA, which is third in the ACC. Alford is also leading the ACC in saves per game at 13.75.

• Checking other ACC stat charts, Bill McGlone is tied for eighth in goals per game (2.0), alone in 10th in points per game (2.62), and is tied for third in man-up goals per game (0.38). Joe Walters is tied for fourth in the league in assists per game (1.12), while Xander Ritz is tied for tenth in that category (0.88). Walters and McGlone are also tied for third in man-up goals with three each. Andrew Schwartzman is tied for first with two game-winning goals. Along with Tamberrino, a pair of Terps are among the league leaders in face-off winning percentage. Sophomore Thomas Alford is third with a 52.7 winning pct., while freshman Will Dalton is tied for fifth at 50.0%.

• Three Terps are among the top six in shots per game in the conference: Walters (2nd, 8.25), Brendan Healy (4th, 7.12) and McGlone (7th, 6.12).

Series History With Navy
• The Maryland-Navy rivalry is the second-longest in Terrapin lacrosse history with Maryland holding a 49-29-1 advantage, dating to 1924. The 49 wins are the second-highest number of victories Maryland has against any team. Maryland has defeated Duke 51 times.

• Maryland has won 11 of the last 12 meetings, but Navy's lone win in that span happened last year with a 9-6 decision in College Park.

• Prior to last year's upset, Navy's last win in the series came in 1992, as the Mids upset Maryland, 11-3 in College Park.

• Navy has not beaten Maryland in Annapolis since 1985. The 13th-ranked Mids defeated the No. 6 Terrapins 7-5.

• The last time the Midshipmen won consecutive games over the Terps was more than 20 years ago. Navy won an 11-9 victory in College Park in 1980 and followed that up a year later with a 16-15 win.

• This year's meeting will be the first at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since 2001 when Maryland edged Navy by a 6-5 margin.

• When Navy and Maryland get together it's fair to assume it is going to be a close game. During the past 25 meetings, 13 have ended with a winning margin of one or two goals, including four straight 6-5 Terp victories from 1999-2002.

• The most goals the Terps have ever scored on the Mids in a single game came in 1998's 21-7 Maryland victory.

• During the 1990s, Maryland won nine of the 10 meetings, with the only Navy victory coming in 1992, 11-3.

• Maryland has also won all four meetings in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps captured their last national championship in 1975 with a 20-13 win over Navy. Maryland also defeated Navy in NCAA semifinal games in 1971, 1976 and 1979.

Coaching Match-Up
• Maryland head coach Dave Cottle is currently the third winningest active coach in the country with a 72.4 win percentage with a record of 220-84. He is also 29-8 (78.4) as head coach of the Terps. Navy's Richie Meade is in his 11th season at Navy and has a 81-59 (57.9) record with the Mids. He is 108-82 overall in 15 years as a coach for a 56.8 win percentage.

• Head coach Dave Cottle has a 3-1 lifetime record against Navy. In addition his 2-1 record vs. Navy while at Maryland, Cottle led Loyola to a 19-8 victory over Navy in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1993. The 2002 game marked the first meeting of Cottle and Navy's Richie Meade as head coaches.

Individual Terps vs. Navy
• Only three current Terps have scored goals vs. the Midshipmen during their careers. Joe Walters leads the way with seven goals. The junior All-American also has one assist to bring his point total vs. Navy to eight.

• Bill McGlone and Dave Matz each scored one goal in last year's 9-6 defeat to Navy.

• The only other Terp to register a point vs. the Mids is Xander Ritz, who assisted Walters' second goal in 2004.

• In addition to the four Terps who have scored points, David Tamberrino was 4/7 facing-off, while goalie Harry Alford saw late time in last year's game vs. the Mids..

Navy-Maryland Connections
• Sophomore attackman Michael Phipps' grandfather, Lou Phipps, was a long time assistant coach at Navy( 1959-1972) under Head Coach W.P. Bilderback. During Phipps' tenure at Navy, the Mids compiled a 117-18-2 record, including a 46-1 record from 1962-66. That era is commonly refered to as "The Golden Era" of Navy lacrosse.

• Separated by less than 30 miles, it's no coincidence that there are 20 former high school teammates that will be reuinited on the field Firday night.

• Calvert Hall will be represented by a combined three former student-athletes (two Terps and one Mishipman).

• The other school to have three alumni playing Friday night is St. Anthony's (N.Y.). Maryland's Michael Hartofilis and Navy's Mikelis Visgauss and Roger Wieland are former St. Anthony's teammates.

• St. Mary's (Md.) turned out back-up goalies for each school. Jason Carter, who will likely redshirt this season, is the third-string goalie for the Terps, while Colin Finnegan is third string for Navy.

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 three losses the Terps are shooting just 13.2% (16 goals/121 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 54 of 121 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 four away from College Park (3 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 7.75 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 19.3% (31/161). Shots on goal percentage is nearly equal with home edging road 57.5% to 53.4%.

• 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 seven 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 47 saves in four games with a 7.67 GAA and a .610 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.

• Sophomore Steve Whittenberg, a transfer from Air Force, has been the model of consistency for the Terps. A starter in all six games, Whittenberg has picked up four, five, four, six, and three groundballs, respectively, in the team's first five games. He has also caused seven 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 23 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 leads the team with nine caused turnovers and is fourth with 24 groundballs.

• In goal, Harry Alford has been stellar, stopping all manner of shots. He's played all but six minutes for the Terps, making 108 saves with a save percentage of 64.3 and a 7.61 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 95 of 166 attempts - a 57.2 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 91 face-offs through six games and has won 56 - a 61.5 winning percentage, which ranks first in the ACC and 18th in the nation (through 3/27).

• 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 55 (.522) this season, including winning nine of 14 at Virginia.

• 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.

Streaking Terps
• Three streaks made it through the Virginia game in tact, but one did come to a end.

• Joe Walters' goal and point scoring streak is now at 24 after scoring a man-up goal in the third quarter of the Terps' 10-2 loss at Virginia.

• Bill McGlone assisted on the Walters goal to extend his point scoring streak to 24, but saw his goal scoring streak end at 23. Coincidentally, the Cavaliers were the last team to hold McGlone without a goal. The Wahoos shutout both McGlone and Walters (the only point-less game in Walters' career) in the 2003 NCAA semifinals.

• Xander Ritz extended his point scoring streak to eight games with an unassisted goal at Virginia.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

Terps' 80th Season of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 655-211-4, 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 63-22 for a .741 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.