University of Maryland to Host CWPA Southern Division Championship
4/17/2007 8:00:00 AM | Water Polo
April 17, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md.- The University of Maryland women's water polo team will host the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Championship this upcoming Saturday, April 21 at the Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium in College Park. The teams will compete for a berth to the CWPA Eastern Division Championship in Princeton, N.J. taking place on Saturday, April 28.
The Terps have been out of play action for two weeks, most recently facing division rivals Bucknell and Princeton on March 30 and 31. Maryland achieved a decisive 9-4 victory over Bucknell before falling to No. 16 Princeton 11-6 in the Terps' final regular season game.
Maryland's record stands at 13-16 overall, 4-2 in the CWPA South. Princeton handed the Terps their only two division losses, but the two teams will not potentially face each other in this weekend's tournament until the championship game.
Instead, the Terps will match up against Bucknell in the opening round on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in College Park. Bucknell previously defeated the Terps 7-5 at the Terrapin Invitational, and then topped the Terps 9-7 in overtime at the ECAC Championships.
In division play, the Terps flipped the momentum and downed the Bison 8-6 in overtime on March 10, and 9-4 on March 30.
Maryland will rely on team-high scorer sophomore Elizabeth Hopkins as an offensive threat in the tournament. Hopkins was named CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week on March 26 after scoring fifteen goals during Maryland's eight-game trip to California. Hopkins has 50 goals on the season, followed closely by freshman Shannon Simerly's 43 goals.
Fellow starter Blaise Stanicic has also become a serious scoring threat, with 38 goals total and a team-high .339 shooting percentage. Stanicic performed admirably in the Terps' final regular season games, netting two in the win against Bucknell and a hat trick against nationally-ranked Princeton.
In goal, the Terps can expect a strong showing from senior captain Marissa Corwin, who currently holds a .489 save percentage and 4.9 blocks per game average.
