March 29, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The eighth-ranked Maryland men's lacrosse team (7-2) travel to Charlottesville, Va., to battle No. 2 Virginia (7-1) in a pivotal ACC game. The game is the Terps' final ACC regular season game of the season, but will be just the first for the Cavaliers. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start at Klöckner Stadium.

• Maryland enters the game in second place with a 1-1 record in the ACC this season. A win will keep alive the possibility of a tie for the conference regular season title. With a victory Maryland would be 2-1 in the league and would need help, ironically, from Virginia when the Cavaliers play at Duke on April 14. The No. 6 Blue Devils currently sit at 2-0 in the league with just the game vs. Virginia standing in their way of the regular season title.

• 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.

• The game will also be televised on ACC Select, the new live web broadcasting service of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Coaching Match-Up
• Now in his 25th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle comes into the game with a 245-94 career record for a 72.3 win percentage, fourth-highest among active coaches. His win total is fifth among active coaches. He is 65-24 (72.7) in his six seasons at Maryland.

• Dom Starsia, also in his 25th season as a head coach, has won 72.6 percent of his games at Brown and Virginia (267-101) overall record) and is third on the active coaches' winning percentage list. His 267 wins also ranks him second among active coaches.

• Cottle has a 7-10 record vs. Virginia. He went 3-5 vs. Virginia while he was the coach at Loyola, but none of the games came against a Dom Starsia-led team. Cottle is 4-5 against the Wahoos while at Maryland. Prior to 2002, the last time Cottle coached against Virginia came in 1991, finishing a run of eight games in a nine-year span.

• Both Starsia and Cottle began their head coaching careers in 1983, Cottle at Loyola and Starsia at Brown. Despite both coaches running major programs for the last 20 years, they have only coached against each other 12 times with Starsia winning seven of the games, including his last game at Brown, a 19-12 win in the NCAA Tournament first round in 1992 -- the only other time they have coached against each other in the NCAA Tournament prior to the 2003 season.

Series History vs. Virginia
• The Maryland-Virginia rivalry is the third-longest in Terrapin lacrosse history with Maryland holding a 44-32 (.579) advantage, dating to the first game -- a Terps' 10-1 victory on April 24, 1926. The 44 wins are the third-highest number of victories Maryland has against any team. The Terps have defeated Duke 54 times and Navy 48 times.

• On April 1 of last season, the No. 1 Cavaliers jumped out early, scoring just 15 seconds into the game, and never looked back, handing Maryland a 15-5 loss at Byrd Stadium. The Ritz brothers, Max and Xander, each scored two goals with Max also picking up a pair of assists. Bill McGlone scored the other goal for the Terps.

• The two schools hooked up again in the ACC title game and again it was Virginia taking the game, this time by an 11-5 margin. Brendan Healy and Bill McGlone each had three points in the loss, while Michael Phipps scored a goal as well.

• The 2005 regular season game was tough for the fourth-ranked Terps as they were handed a 10-2 loss at No. 3 Virginia on April 2. The Cavaliers held Maryland scoreless until the 4:51 mark of the third quarter when Joe Walters scored. It was the first time Maryland had been held without a goal in a half since a 7-2 loss at Virginia in 2001. Xander Ritz tacked on the second Terp goal in the fourth.

• Things were a little different in the rematch on April 29, 2005 in the ACC Semifinals. Brendan Healy gave Maryland a 1-0 lead in the first, but the 'Hoos scored three unanswered to take a 3-1 lead. But the Terps stormed back with a 3-0 run of their own on goals from Max Ritz, Healy and Xander Ritz to take a 4-3 lead into the half. The Cavaliers took a 7-5 lead into the fourth quarter, but Andrew Schwartzman and Bill McGlone scored the final to goals in regulation to send the game into sudden death. In the overtime period, freshman Max Ritz proved to be the hero for Maryland, but putting back a rebound off of a Mcglone shot to sent the Terps into the ACC finals with an 8-7 win.

• The 2004 regular season meeting between Maryland and Virginia saw the Terps enter the game as the No. 1 team in the country, the first time Maryland had earned the top ranking since 2001. Maryland lived up to its billing, pounding the Cavaliers 11-2 in College Park. Xander Ritz scored three goals and assisted on another three, while Joe Walters added a goal and three assists to pace the Terrapin offense. The game was never really in doubt as the Terps opened the game with a 5-0 run. The Maryland defense was stellar all afternoon, holding Virginia's top seven scorers without a single point.

• The Cavaliers would not go so quietly in the 2004 ACC title game. The Terps built a 12-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter, behind a career-high six goals from Joe Walters, who would be named Tournament MVP. But the Wahoos scored four goals in the fourth and shutdown the Maryland offense to close the gap to 12-11. Virginia's comeback ran short giving the Terps just their second ACC Tournament championship.

Individual Terps Vs. Virginia
• Only two current Terps have scored goals vs. Virginia during their careers.

• Max Ritz has been a thorn in the Cavaliers' side since he arrived in College Park in 2005. The junior scored two goals, including the game-winning put-back in overtime, in the 2005 ACC semifinals. In 2006 he scored twice and added two assists in the regular season game.

• Michael Phipps scored a goal vs. the Wahoos in the 2006 ACC finals.

• The only other Terps to register a point against Virginia is Jeff Reynolds, but he will be unable to play due to suffering a torn ACL vs. Vermont in February..

• Will Dalton and Thomas Alford are a combined 30-of-49 vs. the Cavaliers at the face-off stripe.

Maryland-Virginia Connections
• There are 20 players combined from the Maryland and Virginia rosters that will face high school teammates in Sunday's game. Five schools from Maryland will be represented by both teams with three alumni from each school.

• Georgetown Prep will have Maryland freshman Fran Gormley, while the Cavaliers have Prep alums Danny Glading and Drew Jordan.

• Maryland sophomore Scott Tompkins will reunite with former Gillman teammates Brian and Kevin Carroll.

• Landon will be represented by Terp sophomores Mike Griswold and Rob Morrison and Cavalier freshman George Huguely.

• Loyola is the alma mater of Virginia's leading scorer Ben Rubeor, as well as Maryland freshmen Casey Creaney and Patrick Hutchinson.

• Two former teammates that will most certainly run into each other will be Severn alums Michael Phipps, a Terp attackman, and Kip Turner, the Cavaliers' starting goalie. Another Severn alum will start in goal for the Terps in freshman Brian Phipps.

• Only one high school from Virginia has players on both sidelines - Lake Braddock. Maryland juniors Jimmy Borell and Steve Whittenberg will meet fellow Bruin Mark Wade.

• A pair of Buckeye state natives will also reunite on the field on Saturday. Maryland's Chris Rhine and Virginia's Joe Dewey were teammates at Upper Arlington High School.

• Ten players on the Virginia roster hail from the state of Maryland, while only two Terps hail from the Old Dominion state.

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 seven victories this season the Terrapins are shooting above 30% (31.9%, 91 goals/285 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 seven 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 75 games due to injury or illness: Ryne Adolph (2 games), Harry Alford (7), Paul Andrews (1), Jimmy Borell (2), Jason Carter (9), Chris Feifs (1), Dean Hart (2), Travis Holmes (6), Patrick Hutchinson (9), Ray Megill (1), Rob Morrison (8), Jeff Reynolds (7), Chris Rhine (2), Kevin Slafkosky (7), Scott Tompkins (4), Matt Trautman (6), Nick Ward (1).

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 ranking second in the ACC in save percentage (.629) and saves per game (11.7).

• 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 10th 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 leading squad with 15 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 fourth with 23 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 sixth on the team with nine 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 nine 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.

• The defense came to play again against North Carolina. With the Terps holding a 2-0 lead, the Tar Heels tried to get back into the game following Nick Tintle's first quarter goal. But the Maryland defense held Carolina scoreless for the next 24 minutes to allow the offense to build an 8-1 lead. Freshman goalie Brian Phipps was spectacular in cage for the Terps, making 15 saves and starting several scoring opportunities with precision outlet passes. All-America Steve Whittenberg picked up four groundballs, while fellow All-American Ray Megill caused two turnovers.

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. Mount St. Mary's: 0 goals in 37:29
Mar. 24 vs. North Carolina: 0 goals in 24:28

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 33-11 (.750) when playing on the Maryland campus. At Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium Maryland is 22-8 (.733) under Cottle, while the Terps have gone 8-3 (.727) at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex and 3-0 at Ludwig Field.

Streaking Terps
• Nine 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 nine games so far and has a 10-game point scoring streak dating back to the NCAA Quarterfinals against Princeton last season.

• Max Ritz is currently on a 10-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' nine 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 an 11-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 six-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 680-221-4 (.754), 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 87-31 for a .737 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.