Feb. 20, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The fifth-ranked Maryland men's lacrosse team plays its second game in four days today when it hosts the Catamounts of Vermont. The game is slated for a 3 p.m. start at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

• The Terps are coming off of a season-opening 11-6 victory over Bellarmine on Saturday. Nine different Terps scored goals vs. the Knights and six had at least two points. Leading the way for Maryland was its two veteran attackmen, senior Michael Phipps and junior Max Ritz with three points apiece. Defensively, Maryland got a solid showing from freshman goalkeeper Brian Phipps, who turned in a nine-save performance in his college debut.

• The contest will be Vermont's season opener. At the helm for the Catamounts will be first-year head coach Ryan Curtis. Vermont was 9-6 in 2006 with a 1-4 record in the America East Conference. Offensively, the Catamounts will be led by midfielder Sean Layton, who was the team's leading scorer last season with 26 goals and 16 assists.

• The game will be broadcast by WMUC, Maryland's student-run radio station. Calling the game for WMUC will be the crew of John Willmott, Adam Winer, Norman Carter, Russell Dinallo and Gregg Sussman.

ACC Select
• The Maryland-Bellarmine game is the first of five Terp games slated to be aired on ACC Select, the new live web broadcasting service of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Fans can view the action by logging on to accselect.com. Individual games are available for $3.99 per event or unlimited events can be accessed for a $5.99 monthly subscription fee.

Tickets and Game Promotions
• Click here for ticket information for all 2007 Maryland men's lacrosse home games.

• Click here for a complete list of game promotions for this season.

Coaching Match-Up
• Now in his 25th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle comes into the game with a 238-92 career record for a 72.2 win percentage, second-highest among active coaches. His win total is sixth among active coaches. He is 58-22 (72.5) in his six seasons at Maryland.

• Tuesday's game will mark the head coaching debut of Vermont coach Ryan Curtis.

Series History vs. Vermont
• This will mark the first-ever meeting between Maryland and the Vermont Catamounts.

• The Terps have only played two other schools that compete in the America East Conference. Maryland annually competes with UMBC and holds a 23-4 series advantage over the Retrievers. The only other AEC school the Terps have played is Stony Brook. Maryland defeated the Seawolves 16-4 in 2003.

First-Time Opponents
• This will be the first meeting between Maryland and Vermont and history says the Terps hold a significant advantage. The Terrapins have played 70 schools in their 82-year history and hold a 66-4 (.943) record in first meetings.

• The only schools to defeat Maryland the first time they met were: Adelphia (13-12, 1982), Army (3-0, 1924), Syracuse (10-3, 1927) and Yale (5-3, 1925).

Opponent Connections
• The Terps and Catamounts have several former high school teammates suiting up for Saturday's match-up.

• Ithaca, N.Y., native Drew Evans will meet up with former Ithaca High teammates Collin and Shane Shore.

• Rob Morrison will reunite fellow Landon alums Brandon Goodwyn and Tommy Archer.

• Freshman attackman Fran Gormley could try to score on fellow Georgetown Prep teammate Thomas Fuge, a freshman goalie for the Catamounts.

• Vermont has three Maryland natives on its roster, but Maryland does not have anyone from the Green Mountain State on its roster. In fact, the only Terrapin men's lacrosse player ever to hail from Vermont is 2005 graduate Dave Matz.

Home Cooking
• A lot is made in sports about the home-field advantage, and for the Maryland men's lacrosse team that advantage has held true since Coach Cottle arrived in College Park. Since 2002, the Terps are 28-9 (.757) when playing on the Maryland campus. At Byrd Stadium Maryland is 20-7 (.741) under Cottle, while the Terps have gone 7-2 (.778) at the Field Hockey/Lacrosse Complex and 1-0 at Ludwig Field.

Maryland In Season Openers
• Maryland has a 78-3-1 (.957) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 14 openers and 22 of the last 23, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993, when it fell to Duke 9-5 on March 6

• After losing their 1925 opener to Yale, 5-3, the Terps went on to win 40 consecutive season openers from 1926 through 1967. The streak was broken when Maryland tied Princeton, 6-6, in the 1968 opener. Following the deadlock, Maryland went on to win its next 14 openers, giving the Terps a 54-0-1 record over a 57-year span (Maryland did not field a team in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.)

14 Straight In Season Openers
• Following their 11-6 win over Bellarmine last Saturday, the Terps have now won 14 straight season openers. Five of those wins came against Villanova (1994-98) and the last nine over Denver, Mount St. Mary's, Air Force, Hobart, Duke, Georgetown (three times) and Bellarmine. Over the 14-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 193-72 (an average score of 13.8-5.1) in those games.

• The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 14 years. Maryland has not allowed an opponent to score 10 or more goals in a season opener since Syracuse beat the Terps, 16-13 on March 9, 1983.

Earlier Than Ever
• Maryland's 11-6 win over Bellarmine on February 17 marked the earliest the Terps have opened a season in their 82-year history. The previous earliest start came on February 21, 1998 - an 18-5 win over Villanova.

A Family Affair
• Many school's refer to their sports programs as families, but under Coach Cottle the Maryland men's lacrosse program has really become a family affair. Since arriving in College Park in 2002, Cottle has had seven sets of brothers don the red and black together for at least one season.

Harry & Thomas Alford: 2004-05-06-07
Brendan & Ian Healy: 2003-04-05
Bryn & Travis Holmes: 2007
Dan & Frank LaMonica: 2002
Chris & Willy Passavia: 2002-03
Brian & Michael Phipps: 2007
Max & Xander Ritz: 2005-06

Defense Ready To Meet Expectations
• On paper this year's Maryland defense shapes up as one of the nation's best. The unit features two preseason first team All-Americans in seniors Ray Megill and Steve Whittenberg and an honorable mention selection in junior Joe Cinosky. Add to that trio senior long pole Ryan Clarke and junior short-stick middie Jeff Reynolds, both two-year starters, and there is no question that the tools are there for defensive coordinator Dave Slafkosky.

• During the last three seasons, Maryland held its' opponents scoreless for long stretches of game time. The 2004 Terps kept opponents scoreless for stretches of 20 or more minutes eight times. In 2005 Maryland did it on seven occasions, and was just seconds away from keeping the high-powered Duke (1st meeting) and Navy offenses off the board for more than 20 minutes. Last season the Terrapin defense did it 10 times in its 17 games. So far the 2007 Terp "D" has one 20+ minute scoring drought to its credit.

• Versus Bellarmine in the season opener, the Knights took a 2-1 lead with 6:46 to go in the first quarter. Maryland's defense, lead by freshman goalie Brian Phipps, who totaled nine saves in his college debut in the 11-6 victory, didn't allow Bellarmine another goal until 11:47 in the third quarter, a total time of 24:59. Maryland's man-down unit was stellar on the afternoon, allowing only one goal (at 11:46 of the fourth quarter with Maryland holding a 9-5 lead) in six opportunities. The defense even got into the scoring column against the Knights as freshman long pole Brian Farrell scored twice in his college debut.

Terps' 82nd Season of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 674-219-4 (.753), 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 81 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 12-5. The program reached the 650-win milestone with a 16-12 win over Army in the first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament at Byrd Stadium.

• Since 2000, Maryland is 81-29 for a .736 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.

2007 Captains: Borell, Feifs, Holmes, Megill
• Four players have been named team captains for the 2007 season. The quartet, which was voted on by the team during the preseason, consists of seniors Travis Holmes and Ray Megill.