April 13, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Lacrosse's greatest rivalry renews for the 103rd time this Saturday as seventh-ranked Maryland (8-3) plays host to No. 10 Johns Hopkins (4-4). The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

• The game will be broadcast live locally on WMAR Channel 2 in Baltimore as well as nationally on ESPNU. Handling the play-by-play will be Scott Garceau, while four-time All-American Quint Kessenich will provide the analysis.

• The game can also 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-America midfielder Brian Reese ('98).

• The game will also 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.

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.

Parking and Traffic Information
• Due to numerous other events on campus on Saturday, including a gala at the Alumni Center, fans are encouraged to arrive early and enter the campus through the main entrance (Campus Drive) via Route 1. Fans entering campus via Route 193 could experience significant congestion and delays. For a map of campus click here.

Coaching Match-Up
• Now in his 25th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle comes into the game with a 246-95 career record for a 72.1 win percentage, fourth-highest among active coaches. His win total is tied for fourth among active coaches. He is 65-25 (72.2) in his six seasons at Maryland.

• Hopkins' Dave Pietramala is in his seventh season at Hopkins and has a 76-19 (80.0) record with the Jays. He is 99-36 overall in nine years as a coach for a 73.3 win percentage at both Hopkins and Cornell.

• Head coach Dave Cottle has won four of 15 career games against Hopkins, 10 of which came while coaching at Loyola. He led the Greyhounds to back-to-back wins against Hopkins in 1998 (10-7) and 1999 (14-5). Against coach Dave Pietramala, Cottle is 1-5, as his Loyola team dropped a 13-10 decision on May 4, 2001, in addition to four losses while he has been at Maryland. His lone victory over Pietramala came last season when the Terps dropped the Blue Jays 11-4 at Homewood Field.

Series History vs. Johns Hopkins
• Maryland and Hopkins are the two most storied lacrosse programs in the nation, with the rivalry beginning with back in 1895 as Hopkins defeated the Maryland Agricultural College. The Blue Jays (35) and Terps (29) have played in the first and third most NCAA Tournaments since the event began in 1971, respectively. Maryland (111) and Hopkins (175) have produced the most first team All-Americans in the history of lacrosse dating to the first awards in 1922.

• While this will be the 103rd meeting between the two schools, Maryland's official record vs. Hopkins is 37-55-1. The first ten meetings between the two happened before lacrosse was an official sport at Maryland. This will also be the first time Maryland enters the game ranked higher than Hopkins since 2000.

• Maryland is 16-20 all-time at home vs. Hopkins and has is 4-6 in the last 10 played in College Park. The last time the Terps defended their home field successfully against the Blue Jays was 2001 with a 10-9 victory. In that dramatic win on April 14, 2001, the No. 5 Terps scored four fourth-quarter goals to overcome a 8-6 deficit entering the final stanza. First team All-American Pat McGinnis made 21 saves and was named the WMAR Player of the Game in the win.

• Prior to 2004's 14-10 Hopkins win, the previous three games in the series were one-goal affairs -- with the two going to overtime. Five of the last nine have been one-goal games.

• Last season the Terps snapped a four-game losing skid to Hopkins with a decisive 11-4 win at Homewood Field on April 14, 2006. Leading the way was Attackman of the Year Joe Walters, who scored six goals and added two assists. Eight points and six goals were the most ever by a Maryland player against the Blue Jays. Bill McGlone chipped in with a pair of goals, while junior goalie Harry Alford was solid in the cage, stopping nine shots.

• Before last season Hopkins had won the last four games, two (2003 & 2002) in overtime. The 2005 game saw the Blue Jays use a four-goal run in the third quarter to secure an 11-6 victory over the ninth-ranked Terrapins on April 15. Six different Terps scored in the game, led by Joe Walters, Xander Ritz and Dave Matz, who each scored one and added an assist. The loss dropped the Terps to 5-5 on the season, but they would go on a six-game winning streak en route to an ACC Tournament championship and a berth in the Final Four.

• At Homewood Field on April 17, 2004, Hopkins raced out to an 8-1 lead in the first quarter en route to a 14-10 victory in the 100th meeting between the two schools. In the 2003 meeting at Byrd Stadium, on April 12, Joe McDermott scored the game-winner 1:21 into overtime for the 6-5 Hopkins win in front of 8,183 in attendance.

• This game marks just the second time since 2002 that Hopkins does not come into the contest ranked No. 1 in the nation. Last year was the 10th time in the last 23 meetings that either Maryland or Hopkins comes into the game ranked No. 1. In those nine games, the No. 1-ranked team has been upset by the lower-ranked team three times with the most recent occurrence coming in 1998 as the No. 6 Hopkins squad handed the top-ranked Terps their first loss after an 8-0 start.

Individual Terps Vs. Johns Hopkins
• Only two current Terps have scored goals vs. Hopkins during their careers, while two others have added assists vs. the Blue Jays.

• Senior co-captain Travis Holmes scored the biggest goal of his career in last season's 11-4 win at Homewood Field. His skip-shot from the right wing at the 9:44 mark of the first quarter opened the scoring and set the tone for Maryland's victory.

• Max Ritz is the only other current Terp to score a goal vs. Hopkins. That goal came in the 2005 meeting, an 11-6 Blue Jay win, and was just the second score of Ritz's career. He also assisted on Joe Walters' third goal in last seasons game.

• Senior attackman Michael Phipps and junior midfielder Drew Evans each picked up a pair of assists last season against the Blue Jays.

• All-America goalie Harry Alford allowed 11 goals to Hopkins in 2005, but rebounded last season to make nine saves, while allowing just four goals.

Maryland-Hopkins Connections
• Despite being bitter rivals, Maryland-Hopkins still have many notable connections.

• Hopkins senior attacker Jake Byrne is the brother of Matt Hahn (1995-98), who is second on Maryland's all-time goals with 149 goals. Hahn is also 11th on the Terps' all-time scoring list with 180 career points. Hahn scored three goals in both the Terrapins' 1995 NCAA Semifinal and 1998 NCAA Quarterfinal wins over Hopkins.

• Now is his 24th season as a Maryland assistant coach, Dave Slafkosky is a 1974 graduate of Johns Hopkins, where he played lacrosse from 1972-74. He helped the Blue Jays to the 1974 title, beating Maryland in the championship game, one year after the Terps had beaten Slafkosky and the Blue Jays in the title game.

• In total the two squads have 27 players who played together in high school.

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 eight victories this season the Terrapins are shooting above 30% (32.0%, 99 goals/309 shots). In their three losses the Terps' shooting percentage is cut to 22.1% (21 goals/95 shots).

• Another standout statistic from Terp wins and losses is man-up conversion percentage. Maryland has converted 14 of 24 opportunities (.583) in its eight wins, but has only cashed in on five of 14 chances in three defeats.

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.

Home Vs. Away
• A lot is made in sports about the home-field advantage, but for the Maryland men's lacrosse team it has been better away from home than it has been in College Park. The Terps have played eight games at home (6-2) and three on the road (2-1) and the numbers show an edge for the Terps when they are on familiar ground.

• Maryland is averaging 12.0 goals per game in its home games, which is more than four goals better than the 7.8 goals the Terps average on the road.

• The Maryland defense has been dominating no matter where it has played this season. As a team, the Terps are allowing opponents 7.1 goals per game at home and just 8.5 gpg on the road.

• All-America candidate Michael Phipps, the team's leading scorer overall, is also the Terps' top scorer at home with 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points. All-America candidate Max Ritz leads the squad in scoring on the road with seven goals and two assists for nine points. Phipps is second in road scoring, totaling six points on three goals and three assists.

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 84 games due to injury or illness: Ryne Adolph (2 games), Harry Alford (7), Paul Andrews (1), Jimmy Borell (2), Jason Carter (11), Chris Feifs (1), Dean Hart (2), Travis Holmes (7), Patrick Hutchinson (11), Ray Megill (1), Rob Morrison (8), Jeff Reynolds (9), Chris Rhine (2), Kevin Slafkosky (7), Scott Tompkins (4), Matt Trautman (8), 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 (.608).

• 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 10 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 tied for third on the team with 15 caused turnovers, many of which have been caused by the bone-jarring hits that have become Holmes' signature on the field, and is also third with 30 groundballs. He also picked up his first career goal at Virginia on March 31 and added his first collegiate assist on April 6 in the Terps' 8-7 win at Navy in double-OT.

• 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 Exceeding 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 10 20+ minute scoring droughts to its credit. In addition to that stat, Maryland has held every one of its 11 opponents below their season scoring averages.

• 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.

• The goal scorers get the glory in thrilling wins, but the Terrapin defense was dominating in the 8-7 double-OT win at No. 7 Navy on April 6. The defense held the Mids scoreless for 20:23 to allow the offense to build some momentum and claw back from a 6-4 deficit. But the offensive spark came from a defensive player when senior All-American Ray Megill won his first career face-off attempt and raced down the field to score his second career goal. Megill would finish with a career-best seven groundballs, while combining with Steve Whittenberg, Joe Cinosky and Ryan Clarke to force 12 Navy 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
Apr. 6 at Navy: 0 goals in 20:23

Streaking Terps
• Eleven games into the 2007 season and so far and two Terps have nothced at least one point in every game.

• Michael Phipps has scored at least one point in each of the 11 games so far and has a 13-game point scoring streak dating back to the NCAA Quarterfinals against Princeton last season.

• Max Ritz is currently on a 12-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' 11 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 13-game point scoring streak going.

• Freshman midfielder Adam Sear had his six-game point-scoring streak end with the Terps' 12-8 loss at Virginia on March 31. Sophomore midfielder Dan Groot now has the third-longest streak on the team, having scored in six straight games.

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 681-222-4 (.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 88-32 for a .733 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 Travis Holmes and 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.