ACC Field Hockey Clash Pits No. 2 Terps vs. No. 1 Wake Forest Saturday
9/22/2005 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 22, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - No. 1 vs. No. 2 will be squaring off on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 24 when the second-ranked Maryland field hockey team hosts top-ranked and three-time defending NCAA Champion Wake Forest. With the teams undefeated on the season, both will be battling for positioning in the ACC in the young conference season. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
With a defeat of Penn on Wednesday, the Terrapins are 10-0 on the season, only the third time in school history they have started the year with 10-conseuctive wins. Although leading in the all-time series 15-8 against the Deacons, Maryland has dropped the last six meetings, including a loss in the NCAA semifinal last year.
It will be a battle of the defenses as both backfields are ranked among the top four in the nation. Boasting the fourth-best defense in the country, the Terps have allowed just one goal in their last four games while also limiting its opponents to just five shot attempts in that span. WFU has the third-ranked defense in the country, allowing just 0.67 goals against per game.
Maryland's offense is high-powered, ranking 10th in the nation heading into the game vs. the Quaker. Seniors Tiffany Marsh (Marathon, N.Y.) and Jackie Ciconte (Wilmington, Del.) have scored a league-best 10 goals, while Marsh has dished out nine assists, the most for any player in the country.
The Deacons, who are 6-0 overall, are coming off a 2-0 shutout over sixth-ranked Michigan State. They have also won their only conference game to date, topping Duke in a 2-1 thriller on Sept. 10. Wake Forest is led by Christine Suggs, this week's ACC Player of the Week. She has team highs of four goals, three assists and 11 points.
Admission to all games at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex are free.
