• On Friday, September 1, the Terps welcome Towson to Ludwig Field for a 5:00 p.m. contest that will be televised nationally on CSTV. Jason Knapp will handle the play-by-play duties, while Richard Broad will provide game analysis. The Terps-Tigers game will be the opener of a women's-men's soccer doubleheader. The returning national champion Maryland men's soccer team will host No. 10 UCLA at 8:00 p.m.
• Maryland then hosts the UMBC Retrievers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 4.
• Fans will be able to listen to all of the action by logging on to www.wmucsports.com or they can follow the games on GameTracker, which is available on UMTerps.com.
Women's Soccer Ranked 25th In Latest Soccer America Poll
Scouting The Tigers
• The Tigers are 2-0 on the season, winning both game via shutout. Towson opened 2006 on the road and defeated Rider 2-0 on Aug. 25 behind goals from Erica Marshall and Phyllicia Rosselli. The Tigers improved to 2-0 with another 2-0 shutout on Aug. 28, this time at the expense of Mount St. Mary's. Marissa Gross and Tiffany Wilson scored the Tiger goals vs. the Mount.
• Towson is coming off a 2005 season that saw the Tigers compile an 8-7-3 record.
• Coach Leslie Wray, a 1995 graduate of Maryland, is in her eighth season at the helm of the Tiger program and has a record of 50-67-9. Wray has not been coaching Towson so far this season. She has been on maternity leave since giving birth to twins on July 18. Assistant coach Tina Steck has handled the coaching duties in Wray's absence.
Scouting The Retrievers
• The UMBC Retrievers are 1-1-0 on the season for first-year head coach Tara Koleski.
• UMBC opened the 2006 season with a dissapointing 1-0 loss at home to George Washington on Aug. 25. The Colonials pulled out the victory with the game's lone goal with just 33 seconds remaining in the second half.
• The Retrievers rebounded from that loss to defeat Rider, 2-1, on Aug. 27 to even their record to 1-1. Michelle Worrest scored the game-winner off the bench for UMBC, while Jessica Young also scored.
A Quick Look At The Terps
• Maryland is 1-1-0 after opening the season against a pair of Top 10 teams at the Penn State Classic.
• In the 2006 opener, Maryland showed the college soccer community that it is a force to be reckoned with after defeating No. 10 Tennessee, 1-0, on Aug. 25. That win marks the first time in the 20-year history of the Terrapin program that Maryland has defeated a ranked team on the road in the season opener. The freshman class made its presence know with defender Brittany Cummins sending a long, cross-field pass to midfielder Emily Maynard, who punched the ball over the Lady Vols' keeper from 35 yards out for the game-winning goal.
• The Terps didn't have much time to enjoy their win over Tennesse, because their second game at the Penn State Classic was against top-ranked UCLA. The Bruins, who lost to the host Nittany Lions, 3-1, in their opener, defeated Maryland 3-0 on Aug. 27. Senior All-ACC goalkeeper Nikki Resnick made four saves in the loss.
Back in the Polls
• Maryland is back in one of the major college polls this week - the first time the Terps have been ranked since the final poll in 2004.
• The Terrapins are 25th in the latest Soccer America Top 25 and also received votes in the current Soccer Times poll.
The Maryland-Towson Series
• This will be the fourth straight season the Terps and the Tigers have squared off against each other.
• Maryland is 5-0-1 all-time vs. Towson and has outscored the Tigers 20-2 in the series.
• No current Terrapin player has scored a goal or assisted on a goal vs. Towson.
The Maryland-UMBC Series
• The Terrapins and Retrievers renew their intrastate rivalry this season after a six-year break in the series. Maryland and UMBC first met in 1988 and played every season through 1996. The squads did not play in 1997 or 1998, but did meet on Sept. 1, 1999 - a 6-1 Terrapin victory.
• Maryland is 9-1-0 all-time vs. UMBC and has outscored the Retrievers 33-6 in the series. The lone UMBC victory came in 1989, a 2-1 decision at UMBC.
• No current Terrapin player has scored a goal or assisted on a goal vs. UMBC.
Playing The Best
• Once again in 2006, Maryland will play one of toughest schedules in the nation.
• The Terps take on eight teams ranked in the preseason NSCAA poll including four of the top eight teams. The Terps face No. 2 UCLA (L, 0-3/Aug. 27) and No. 14 Tennessee (W, 1-0/Aug. 25) at the Penn State Classic, at No. 4 North Carolina (Oct. 1), host No. 6 Florida State (Oct. 5), host No. 8 Virginia (Oct. 22), at No. 10 Boston College (Oct. 27), host No. 12 Duke (Oct. 14) amd at No. 23 Wake Forest (Sept. 28).
Beating The Best
• During seven of the past eight seasons, Maryland has at least one upset win or tie of a top-10 ranked team: 4-3 win at No. 9 Duke on Sept. 19, 1999 and a 2-1 victory over Clemson on Oct. 17, 1999; a 3-1 win over No. 4 Penn State on Aug. 29, 2000; a 1-0 overtime over No. 8 Clemson on Oct. 13, 2001 and a 1-1 tie at No. 2 North Carolina on Nov. 1, 2002. The Terps stunned No. 3 UCLA 2-1 at the Virginia Soccer Classic on Sept. 12, 2004. A month and a half later, Maryland beat No. 10 Duke 1-0 in overtime at Ludwig Field. The Terps topped all of those victories with a 1-0 shutout of No. 2 seed Penn State in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The win also snapped the Nittany Lions 39-game home winning streak and was head coach Paula Wilkins' first-ever loss at Jeffrey Field. The Terps extended that streak in 2005 with a 2-1 upset of No. 8 Boston College on Oct. 29 at Ludwig Field. Jeffrey Field proved lucky for the Terps again in the 2006 season opener as they knocked off No. 10 Tennessee 1-0 at the Penn State Classic on Aug. 25.
Playing Overtime
• Maryland played six overtime games in 2005, tying for the second most in team history with the 1988 team. That '88 squad was 1-3-2 in those six games, while the 2005 Terrapins were 1-2-3.
• The record for most overtime games in a single season belongs to the 2004 Maryland team, which played in eight overtime contests (2-2-4).
Media Information
• WMUC Radio: Maryland's student radio station WMUC (88.1 FM) will broadcast most home Maryland women's soccer games in 2006 and select road games. A pregame show will air approximately 30 minutes prior to kickoff. WMUC's broadcasts can be heard live on the Internet at wmucsports.com and will be linked to umterps.com.
• Email Straight To You: If you would like the latest Maryland women's soccer news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email women's soccer contact Patrick Fischer at pfischer@umd.edu with the message "Women's Soccer Email" as the subject and you will receive every update.
• Terps on the Web: For up-to-date game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please locate www. umterps.com on the Internet.
• GameTracker: Follow Terps games live in 2006 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.
