Maryland Field Hockey Announces 2005 Schedule
6/16/2005 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
2005 Maryland Field Hockey Schedule in PDF Format
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June 16, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Head coach Missy Meharg's Maryland field hockey team faces another tough schedule in 2005, battling nine teams which qualified for the NCAA Tournament, including national semifinalist Duke and three-time NCAA Champion Wake Forest. The state-of-the-art Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex will also play host to the ACC Championship, Nov. 3-6.
"Our schedule is one of the toughest in the nation in terms of RPI. Facing six teams who won their conference or tournament championship, and competing in the new ACC, this schedule will prepare us for the postseason," said Meharg, who is entering her 18th season at the Terrapin helm.
Maryland opens the fall season against three Big Ten teams in its first four games. Northwestern hosts the Terps on Saturday, Aug. 27 to mark the official open of the 2005 slate.
The Terrapins then travel to Ohio State for a pair of games against the Buckeyes and Ohio University on Aug. 29 and 30, before heading home to play Michigan at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on Friday, Sept. 2.
On Sunday, Oct. 4, Maryland plays the first of two games vs. Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., with the Lady Monarchs coming to College Park on Friday, Oct. 14.
Maryland will take a break from the schedule and host an international exhibition on Tuesday, Sept. 6 vs. the University of Durham from England. The match will serve as a tune up for the Terps who could face four games without All-American Lauren Powley and junior Kristina Edmonds. Both could be competing at the Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile, Sept. 14-25 as members of the U.S. Under-21 Team.
The annual Terrapin Invitational takes place Sept.10-11, with California, Stanford and American making up the four teams. The Bears' last visited in 2002, while the Cardinal are making their first return since 2000 with Maryland making a return visit in 2006.
The ACC slate opens at newcomer Boston College, who has reached the NCAA Tournament the last two years, on Saturday, Sept. 17, and closing out the weekend at Ivy League Champion Harvard on Sunday, Sept. 18.
"Adding BC to the conference is fantastic for the league. It's great to have a more regional representation of ACC hockey. Boston College plays a tough brand of hockey and we're looking forward to having them join the ACC," commented Meharg.
After its stop in Massachusetts, Maryland opens a four-game homestand beginning with a weeknight contest vs. Pennsylvania, who tied for the regular-season Ivy League crown, on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
The Terps then face crucial back-to-back ACC contests vs. Wake Forest (Sept. 24) and Virginia (Oct. 1). Closing out the homestand will be an Oct. 2 match vs. Rutgers.
A trip to Durham, N.C., on Oct. 8 could be filled with plenty of drama. The Terrapins swept the Blue Devils last season, including defeating Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
Princeton (Oct. 11), ODU (Oct. 14) and Colonial Athletic Association Champion Delaware (Oct. 16) close out the regular-season home schedule, before the Terps head to ACC Champion North Carolina on Oct. 23 for their final ACC contest.
For the regular season finale, Maryland travels to American for the first time since 1993 on Oct. 26.
With the addition of the Eagles, ACC squads will be competing for the league's first-ever automatic qualification into the NCAA Tournament at the annual conference championship which will be hosted by Maryland in what will mark the completion of Phase II of the state-of-the-art Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex beginning November 3. The ACC Tournament could be considered an NCAA Tournament preview as at least three teams have vied for the national title since 1995, while BC has earned an NCAA Tournament berth in each of the last two years.
The tournament culminates with the champion being crowned on Nov. 6. It will be the first time in six years the conference tournament will be held in College Park.
Sixteen of the nation's top teams will begin to compete for the national title beginning Nov. 12-13 and the Terrapins expect to be in the hunt, once again. The semifinals are slated for Nov. 18 with the championship game taking place on Nov. 20
Maryland was ranked No. 2 in the nation in the final NFHCA Coaches Poll and reached the NCAA semifinals for the second year in a row. The Terps return 14 letterwinners this season, including eight starters and two first-team All-Americans. The Terrapins will also welcome six newcomers in the fall.
