March 23, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The ninth-ranked Maryland men's lacrosse team (6-2) plays host to No. 11 North Carolina (6-2) in a critical game with conference and national implications at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium on Saturday, March 24 at 12 noon.

• The game is the first half of a men's and women's lacrosse doubleheader. Following the men's game, the fourth-ranked Maryland women's lacrosse team hosts No. 1 North Carolina at 3 p.m.

• Both the men's and women's games will be televised live on CSTV.

• The game can be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network. Every home game, plus the Navy contest, will be broadcast on TSRN. Stations carrying Maryland men's lacrosse this season are: WJFK AM 1300 - Baltimore, WTBO AM 1450 - Cumberland, WARK AM 1490- Hagerstown, WQMR 101.1FM - Ocean City. Calling the action will be a pair of Maryland alums: Steve Stofberg (`94) and former Terp All-American midfielder Brian Reese ('98). Fans can also log-on to umterps.com to listen to the game via Maryland All-Access.

• Maryland enters the game riding a four-game winning streak, the latest coming via an 18-3 win over Mount St. Mary's this past Tuesday. The Tar Heels are coming off of a tough 9-7 loss to ACC rival Duke last Saturday. North Carolina held a 6-1 lead before the Blue Devils staged the comeback to claim the victory.

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 244-94 career record for a 72.2 win percentage, fourth-highest among active coaches. His win total is fifth among active coaches. He is 64-24 (72.4) in his six seasons at Maryland.

• Head coach Dave Cottle has a 12-10 record vs. North Carolina, winning four of his last five games vs. the Heels. Against UNC coach John Haus, Cottle has a 6-2 record. Cottle led Loyola to a 14-5 over Haus-led Johns Hopkins in 1999 and beat him again in 2002, 2004, 2005 and twice in 2006 while with Maryland.

• Carolina's John Haus is in his sixth year at his alma mater has a 46-42 (.523). Overall in 13 seasons, he has a 113-70 (.617) record at Washington College, Hopkins and UNC.

Series History vs. North Carolina
• Since Maryland and North Carolina began their series in 1964, Maryland holds a 34-18 (.654) advantage. The Terps have won 10 of the last 11, with the lone loss coming in 2003, a 10-6 UNC victory at Byrd Stadium on March 22. Maryland has not lost to North Carolina in Chapel Hill since 1996, a 17-16 Tar Heel win.

• The Tar Heels led for nearly the entire game in the 2006 ACC semifinals, but Xander Ritz scored off a brilliant cross-crease pass from Michael Phipps with just 1:25 left in the fourth quarter to give the third-ranked Terps their first lead of the game and the 10-9 victory. Brendan Healy scored three goals and added a pair of assists for Maryland, while Ritz finished with a hat trick and Bill McGlone scored two and assisted on another two scores.

• In last season's regular season meeting Joe Walters scored five goals to lead the No. 4 Terps to a 9-6 win at North Carolina on March 25. Sophomore attackman Max Ritz added two goals, while Bill McGlone and Michael Phipps each scored one. Defensively, Harry Alford stopped eight shots and allowed just six goals in net for the Terps.

• Terrapin goalie Harry Alford stopped 20 UNC shots in the 2005 meeting to lead the fourth-ranked Terps to a 9-4 win over Carolina in College Park. Michael Hartofilis turned in the finest performance of his Maryland career with a goal and a career-best three assists. Brendan Healy, Michael Phipps and Joe Walters each scored twice in the Maryland win.

• The 2004 meeting in Chapel Hill saw Maryland pick up a thrilling 10-9 victory at Fetzer Field on March 27. The Tar Heels used a five-goal third quarter to take a 8-7 lead into the fourth, but two goals by Maryland's Mike Brown and another by Joe Walters gaves the Terps a 3-1 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter and the 10-9 win. Walters finished the game with four goals, while Michael Phipps scored two goals in the victory.

• In the 2003 game at Byrd Stadium, No. 13 North Carolina upset the No. 2 Terps as goalie Paul Spellman had a career-game with 25 saves. Joe Walters scored two goals for the Terps in the defeat. Bill McGlone also added a tally in the win. UNC was paced by Austin Garrison, who had four goals.

• Seven of the last 15 meetings with North Carolina have been decided by one goal.

• The Terps lost their only NCAA Tournament meeting with the Heels in 1986, 12-10.

• In ACC Tournament action, Maryland picked up its first win over UNC since the tournament started in 1989 with a 13-8 win on April 17, 1998. The Terps had dropped the first six games against the Heels in the ACC's all during a stretch from 1990 to 1995.

Individual Terps Vs. UNC
• Only three Terps have posted points against UNC during their careers.

• Michael Phipps scored two goals in each of his first two games vs. UNC and added a goal and an assist in the 2006 regular season meeting. In last season's ACC tournament he totaled three assists in Maryland's 10-9 victory.

• Max Ritz scored twice in the 2006 regular season meeting between the two schools and added another goal in the ACC semifinals.

• Junior long-pole Ryan Clarke tallied his first of three assists in 2006 in the regular-season victory over UNC.

• In goal, Harry Alford posted the second 20-save performance of his career in the 2005 meeting. Last season the All-American made eight saves, while allowing only six goals in the regular season before making 14 saves in the ACC tournament meeting.

• Will Dalton and Thomas Alford are a combined 11-of-20 vs. the Tar Heels at the face-off stripe.

Maryland-North Carolina Connections
• There are 16 players combined from the Maryland and North Carolina rosters that will face high school teammates in Saturday's game.

• Five schools from Maryland will be represented by both teams, including Gilman and Loyola Blakefield which will have four representatives each.

• Ten players on the North Carolina roster hail from the state of Maryland. The only player for the Terps from North Carolina is senior co-captain Chris Feifs (Durham, N.C.).

Stepping In, Stepping Up
• Usually a player's first season is spent getting used to new surroundings, understanding new systems, getting comfortable with new teammates and a lot more. Freshmen usually don't expect to see a lot of playing time, let alone playing time in big games against top-ranked opponents. Usually. But that's not the case for the Terps this season as several freshmen has become integral pieces of the Maryland puzzle. Injuries to key returners may have forced these players into the spotlight ahead of schedule, but they have responded better than could have ever been expected.

• Brian Phipps, the first true freshman in recent memory to start the season in goal, has been better than advertised. The No. 1 goalie prospect in the nation, according to Inside Lacrosse, was pressed into service ahead of schedule due to injuries to two-time All-American Harry Alford and back-up Jason Carter. All Phipps has done since assuming the starting job is lead the ACC in save percentage (.624) and saves per game (12.6).

• Brian Farrell was expected to see some playing time this season but not this much this soon. The long pole from Boy's Latin came to College Park with a reputation as a playmaker and he's lived up to that billing. Through eight games Farrell is ninth on the team with six points on four goals and two assists. Against Towson he picked up the first game-winning goal of his college career with a man-down goal in transition at the 3:44 mark of the fourth quarter.

• Bryn Holmes was penciled in as a face-off wing-man and facing-off some himself, but with Jimmy Borell missing the first two games due to a preseason injury and Jeff Reynolds suffering a torn ACL against Vermont he has had to be much more than that. Holmes has risen to the occasion and is now one of Maryland's top two short-stick defensive midfielders. He's tied for first on the suqad with 13 caused turnovers, many of which have been caused by the bone-jarring hits that have become Holmes' signature on the field, and he's also tied for third with 21 groundballs.

• Adam Sear arrived at Maryland just before the spring semester and the Australian import has gone from just getting used to his surroundings to making an impact on the field. The 2006 Australian Lacrosse League All-Star started the season on the third midfield line, but when Travis Holmes was forced to the sidelines with an illness Sear was ready to take advantage of the opportunity. He showed a glimpse of what he can do with a goal in limited action against Duke, but Sear's true abilities came through against Towson with a goal and an assist. He tallied his first two-assist game in Maryland's 11-7 win over No. 19 UMBC and is now tied for fifth on the team with eight points.

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 senior short-stick middie Jimmy Borell, 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 eight 20+ minute scoring droughts 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.

• The Catamounts of Vermont scored on three of their first four shots and were tied with the Terps at 3-3 after the first period. But the Maryland defense gave up just one goal in the next 36:09 and allowed the offense to go on an 8-1 run. The Terrapins held Vermont without a goal for 26 minutes, spanning the second, third and fourth quarters. Brian Phipps made 14 saves in the win. The defensive effort was even more impressive considering that All-American Ray Megill, Zach Hinton and Jimmy Borell did not play in the game.

• After a first half that saw Georgetown score six goals, the Maryland defense settled down and shutout the Hoyas in the third quarter, allowing the Terps to score five unanswered goals to tie the game at 6-6. During that 5-0 Terrapin scoring run, the Maryland defense held Georgetown scoreless for 25:14. Senior All-American Steve Whittenberg was magnificent, causing five Hoya turnovers and picking up three groundballs. Long pole All-America candidate Ryan Clarke had five groundballs to his credit and caused a pair of turnovers. Freshman short-stick Bryn Holmes, who saw his most significant playing time so far due to the loss of Jeff Reynolds for the season with a torn ACL, caused three turnovers and had one groundball.

• The Terps gave up 14 goals to the high-powered Duke offense, but responded with a tough, physical effort against Towson. Maryland's defense pitched a shutout for the first 29:57 of the game and allowed its offense to build a 4-0 lead. The starting defense of All-Americans Steve Whittenberg, Ray Megill and Joe Cinosky, along with long pole Ryan Clarke, held the Tiger starting attack and first midfield to just one goal, while compiling seven groundballs and three caused turnovers. But it wasn't just the upperclassmen that led the charge for the Terp "D." Freshmen Brian Phipps, Bryn Holmes and Brian Farrell all played key roles in Maryland's 8-7 win. Phipps was solid in the goal for the Terps, turning away a career-best 16 Towson shots. Holmes has a career-day of his own, setting personal bests with eight groundballs and five caused turnovers (both surpassing his season totals in each category prior to the Towson game) and setting the tone with numerous big hits. Not to be outdone was Farrell, as the long pole continued to be a force on the offensive end as well as the defensive side of the field. Farrell caused a turnover and picked up a pair of groundballs, but it was his goal with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter when the Terps were a man-down that proved to be the game-winner. You won't know it by looking at the boxscore, but Jimmy Borell was a huge factor in the victory as well. The senior gave up his body, throwing himself in front of a last-second Tiger shot to block the ball and lock-up the Terrapin win.

• The defense was at it again vs. Lafayette. The Leopards scored three goals in the first quarter and took a 3-1 lead into the start of the second, but the Maryland defense would not allow another goal for the next 21:01. The Terps went on a 9-0 run to take control of the game 10-3 before Lafayette scored is final goal at the 9:24 mark of the third quarter. Maryland shutout the Leopards in the second and fourth quarters and allowed just that one goal for the final 45:22 of the game. The Terps got tremendous defensive effort from everyone on the roster. Maryland picked up a season-best 51 groundballs and caused 24 turnovers, one shy of a season high. Steve Whittenberg and fellow All-American Ray Megill totaled five groundballs and five caused turnovers. Junior defender Ryne Adolph had his finest day as a Terp, picking up a career-high three groundballs and causing a turnover while playing three different defensive positions.Maryland's trio of long poles, senior All-America candidate Ryan Clarke, senior Sean Sullivan and freshman Brian Farrell, combined for seven groundballs and four caused turnovers. Other defensive standouts included freshman short-stick Bryn Holmes, who had three groundballs and a caused turnover, and sophomore defender Mike Griswold, who caused a career-high two turnovers.

• The UMBC game was another defensive showcase and not just on defense. Sure the Terps shutout the Retrievers in the third quarter and allowed only one goal during a 29-minute span that allowed the offense to go on a 9-1 run and all but wrap up the victory. But the real story for the Terp "D" vs. UMBC was All-American Ray Megill. The senior had played in 49 games for the Terrapins, but never scored a goal or picked up an assist. That all changed vs. the Retrievers as Megill pushed the ball in transition twice, scoring a goal the first time down the field and assisting on a Man Ritz goal on the second.

• Mount St. Mary's proved to be no problem for the Terrapin defense as the Terps held the Mount scoreless for 37:29 spanning the second, third and fourth quarters. Fourteen different Terps combined to force 19 of the Mount's 26 turnovers. Senior goalkeeper Harry Alford made his season debut after missing the first seven games recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. The defense got into the scoring act again as defensive midfielders Chris Rhine and Zach Hinton scored goals in the 18-3 victory.

Opponent Scoring Droughts
Feb. 17 vs. Bellarmine: 0 goals in 24:59
Feb. 20 vs. Vermont: 0 goals in 26:00
Feb. 24 vs. Georgetown: 0 goals in 25:14
Mar. 10 at Towson: 0 goals in 29:57
Mar 13 vs. Lafayette: 0 goals in 21:01
Mar 13 vs. Lafayette: 0 goals in 24:21
Mar 17 vs. UMBC: 1 goal in 29:39
Mar. 20 vs. MSM: 0 goals in 37:29

Shooting Tells The Story
• The difference between winning and losing for Maryland this season is simple - when the Terps shoot well they win. Coach Dave Cottle is on record saying that good teams will shoot at least 30%. As it turns out 30% is the magic number for the Terps this season.

• In Maryland's four victories this season the Terrapins are shooting around 30% (30.8%, 77 goals/250 shots). In their two losses the Terps' shooting percentage is cut to 21.3% (13 goals/61 shots).

• Another standout statistic from Terp wins and losses is man-up conversion percentage. Maryland has converted 13 of 22 opportunities (.591) in its five wins, but has only cashed in on five of 12 chances in two defeats.

Missing Time
• All athletic teams have injuries, but this season the Terps have had more than their fair share. From torn ligaments to broken bones to food poisoning and everything in between, Maryland men's lacrosse student-athletes have missed games this season as what seems like a record pace.

• Not counting the Terps' four preseason scrimmages and valuable practice time, no fewer than 17 Terps have missed a total of 70 games due to injury or illness: Ryne Adolph (2 games), Harry Alford (7), Paul Andrews (1), Jimmy Borell (2), Jason Carter (8), Chris Feifs (1), Dean Hart (2), Travis Holmes (5), Patrick Hutchinson (8), Ray Megill (1), Rob Morrison (8), Jeff Reynolds (6), Chris Rhine (2), Kevin Slafkosky (7), Scott Tompkins (4), Matt Trautman (5), Nick Ward (1).

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 32-11 (.744) when playing on the Maryland campus. At Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium Maryland is 21-8 (.724) under Cottle, while the Terps have gone 8-3 (.727) at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex and 3-0 at Ludwig Field.

Streaking Terps
• Eight games into the 2007 season and so far and three Terps have modest scoring streaks.

• Michael Phipps has scored at least one point in each of the eight games so far and has a nine-game point scoring streak dating back to the NCAA Quarterfinals against Princeton last season.

• Max Ritz is currently on a nine-game multi-point streak dating back to last year's NCAA Semis vs. UMass. So far this season he has had at least two points in each of the Terps' eight games. His streak of three-plus point games came to an end with a two-point effort in limited time vs. Mount St. Mary's Overall he has a 10-game point scoring streak going.

• Maryland's third streaker may come as a surprise even to die-hard Terp fans. Freshman midfielder Adam Sear has a five-game point scoring streak going. Not bad for a player who wasn't on the team until just before the season started.

Three Terps Named To Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List
• Three defenders -- seniors Ray Megill and Steve Whittenberg along with junior Joe Cinosky -- were named to the preseason "Watch List" for the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy. All three Terps are making their first appearance on the list.

• The Tewaaraton Trophy is awarded each year to the top male and female varsity lacrosse player, as chosen by the selection committee. The seventh annual award will be given at a banquet in June. The event will take place in Washington D.C. at the National Geographic Society headquarters.

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 & Mike LaMonica: 2002
Chris & Willy Passavia: 2002-03
Brian & Michael Phipps: 2007
Max & Xander Ritz: 2005-06

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.

Terps' 82nd Season Of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 679-221-4 (.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 86-31 for a .735 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.

Game No. 900 - March 2 Vs. Duke
• The Maryland men's lacrosse program reached the 900-game milestone on Friday, March 2 when the Terps hosted Duke at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

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 they fell 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.

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 Ray Megill.

Media Information
• Email Straight To You: If you would like the latest Maryland men's lacrosse news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email men's lacrosse contact Patrick Fischer with "Men's Lacrosse E-Mail" 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 log-on to www.umterps.com on the Internet.

• GameTracker: Follow Terps games live in 2007 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.