Maryland Field Hockey Nabs Second Seed in NCAA Tournament
11/6/2007 7:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 6, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The second-ranked Maryland field hockey squad was awarded the second seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host the first and second rounds this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 10 and 11. The Terps play 10th-ranked Old Dominion in the first round with No. 9 Penn State and No. 18 Virginia following.
"The nice thing about ODU is we know each other well," said 20th-year head coach Missy Meharg. "Every time we play [Old Dominion], it's always a competitive match. We're happy to be home and hosting these three wonderful teams. The committee did a great job with the bracket."
The Maryland-ODU clash is slated for an 11 a.m. start. It will be the third meeting between the teams this season. PSU and UVA get started at 2 p.m. The winners of the first-round matches go on to the second round on Sunday, which begins at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students/children. There will be a $10 fee for parking on Saturday due to the Maryland football game that evening. A limited number of spaces will be reserved for field hockey fans in Lot 4i. Lots open at 9 a.m. and attendees should indicate to the parking attendant they are attending the matches. Overflow parking will be directed to the Terrapin Trail Garage or the Paint Branch Garage There will not be a parking charge for Sunday's game.
The Lady Monarchs won the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title and enter the tournament with a 12-9 record overall. A traditional powerhouse, ODU lost to the Terps in the first two meetings of the season by the identical scores of 4-1. ODU leads the all-time series, 22-19-1, but Maryland has won the last five meetings and nine of the last 11.
UVA is making its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and enters the postseason with an 11-9 record. Maryland has also claimed a win over UVA, winning the regular-season clash, 4-0, at home. The Terps last faced the Nittany Lions in last year's NCAA Tournament. Maryland came out victorious, 1-0, in the second round of the tournament. PSU enters the weekend with a 13-7 record.
Other first-round sites are Chapel Hill, N.C., Storrs, Conn., and Ann Arbor, Mich. North Carolina garnered the No. 1 seed overall, while Wake Forest is the third seed in the tournament. The fourth seed was awarded to Connecticut, who won the Big East title. Winners of all the second round games move on to the national semifinals, which will be held in College Park on Nov. 16 and 18.
Ticket for all four rounds of the NCAA Tournament can be purchased through the Comcast Center Ticket Office by calling 1-800-IM-A-TERP or by visiting www.umterps.com.
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