April 18, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The eighth-ranked University of Maryland men's lacrosse team (8-4) travels to the "City of Brotherly Love" for an ACC-Ivy League showdown with the Penn Quakers (6-5). The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start at historic Franklin Field on Saturday April 21.

• The game will be broadcast by live 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 Terrapins will look to rebound after a tough 8-7 loss in overtime to Johns Hopkins last Saturday at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Senior co-captain Chris Feifs scored his first career hat trick in the defeat to pace the Terps. Senior All-America candidate Michael Phipps leads Maryland in scoring 21 goals, which surpasses his career total of 20 goals coming into this season.

• Penn, which owns a 3-1 record at home so far in 2007, is coming off of a 12-10 upset of then-No. 20 Brown on the road last weekend. Craig Andrzejwski leads the Quakers with 45 points on 22 goals and 23 assists.

Coaching Match-Up
• Now in his 25th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle comes into the game with a 246-96 career record for a 71.9 win percentage, sixth-highest among active coaches. His win total is fifth among active coaches. He is 65-26 (71.4) in his six seasons at Maryland.

• Penn's Brian Voelker is 31-34 (47.7) in his fifth college head coaching season. Voelker spent nine seasons at his alma mater Johns Hopkins, including his playing career. He also served as head coach of the Baltimore Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse in 2001, leading the Bayhawks to the very first MLL championship game.

• Cottle has a 5-4 lifetime record against Penn, with six games coming while he was at Loyola from 1983-2001. Voelker is 0-3 against Maryland as a head coach, but faced them many times while at Hopkins.

Series History vs. Penn
• Saturday's game will be just the eighth meeting between Maryland and Penn -- two of the oldest lacrosse programs in the nation. Maryland has won all seven previous meetings.

• Last season saw senior All-Americans Joe Walters, Bill McGlone, Brendan Healy and Xander Ritz account for 10 of the Terps' 12 goals in a 12-4 victory on May 6.

• In 2005 10 Terps scored goals en route to a 21-6 Maryland victory at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

• The 2004 meeting, a 13-5 Terp victory, was Senior Day at Byrd Stadium, but it was sophomores Bill McGlone and Joe Walters that stole the show. McGlone totaled a career-best seven points on two goals and a career-high five assists, while Walters scored a hat trick and added another three assists for a six-point effort. Ian Healy also had a banner day against the Quakers, tying his career-high with two goals.

• Prior to the 2004 game, the two team's last met in the 1987 NCAA Quarterfinals. In that game Maryland beat the Quakers, 12-8, at Byrd Stadium. In the win four Maryland All-Americans had multi-goal games: Brendan Hanley (4), Tom Worstell (3), Kirk Thuston (2) and Phil Willard (2).

• Before the '87 NCAA meeting, the Terps and Quakers played three times prior to 1930. The Terps won the first game, 4-3 in 1924 -- in the first-ever varsity recognized lacrosse game at Maryland. Maryland also won 9-1 in 1926 and 15-2 in 1930.

Individual Terps Vs. Penn
• Eight current Terps have registerd points vs. Penn but none have more than two career goals vs. the Quakers.

• Leading the way for the Terps is junior midfielder Drew Evans with a goal and a pair of assists for three points.

• The 2005 game saw four Terps score their first collegiate goals in the 21-6 win over Penn, including current Terrapins Chris Feifs and Jay Feeley.

• Max Ritz, a Wayne, Pa., native, which is just outside of Philadelphia, has scored a goal in each of his two games vs. Penn.

• Long pole Ryan Clarke has registered two of his six career assists vs. Penn.

• Harry Alford has seen time in the last three meetings with the Quakers, allowing only eight goals in more than 102 minutes of action against Penn.

Maryland-Penn Connections
• Penn features seven players who played high school lacrosse with 11 current Terrapins.

• McDonogh School has the most alums in the game with the Terps' Bryn and Travis Holmes and Jeremy Sieverts along with Quaker Brian Weiss.

• Georgetown Prep (Fran Gormley, Chris Casey, Matt Kelleher), Landon (Mike Griswold, Rob Morrison, Alex Staffier), Loyola Blakefield (Casey Creaney, Patrick Hutchinson, Joe Kelly)) and St. Albans (Harry & Thomas Alford, Ricky Choi) each have three alums in the game, while West Chester East (Matt Rankin, Greg Murray) is the only Pennsylvania school with a pair of grads.

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 four losses the Terps' shooting percentage is cut to 23.3% (28 goals/120 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 seven of 17 chances (.412) in four 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 33-12 (.733) when playing on the Maryland campus. At Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium Maryland is 22-9 (.710) 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 nine games at home (6-3) 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 11.4 goals per game in its home games, which is nearly 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 7.2 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 18 goals and 15 assists for 33 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 88 games due to injury or illness: Ryne Adolph (2 games), Harry Alford (7), Paul Andrews (1), Jimmy Borell (2), Jason Carter (12), Chris Feifs (1), Dean Hart (2), Travis Holmes (7), Patrick Hutchinson (12), Ray Megill (1), Rob Morrison (8), Jeff Reynolds (10), Chris Rhine (2), Kevin Slafkosky (7), Scott Tompkins (4), Matt Trautman (9), 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 (.604) and saves per game (11.2).

• 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 17 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 32 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 seventh on the team with 10 points on six goals and four assists.

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 12 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.

• Despite losing in overtime, the defense was stellar in the 103rd meeting with Johns Hopkins. The Terps limited the Blue Jays' top five scorers to just two goals and combined to force 15 turnovers with All-American Steve Whittenberg and All-America candidate Ryan Clarke each causing three.

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
• Twelve 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 12 games so far and has a 14-game point scoring streak dating back to the NCAA Quarterfinals against Princeton last season.

• Max Ritz is currently on a 13-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' 12 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 14-game point scoring streak going.

• Sophomore midfielder Dan Groot had scored in six straight games, but that streak came to an end in the 8-7 overtime loss to Johns Hopkins.

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 681-223-4 (.752), 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 88-33 for a .727 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 Jimmy Borell, Chris Feifs, 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.