April 25, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The two-time National Champion Maryland field hockey team announced its 2007 fall schedule and its championship hunt begins on Aug. 26 against Central Michigan in Evanston, Ill. The season culminates with the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship semifinal and title match being hosted at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on Nov. 16 and 18.

"We are once again pleased and looking forward to the upcoming schedule," said six-time National Coach of the Year Missy Meharg, who will be entering her 20th season at the helm beginning in the fall. "The schedule features a variety of teams from different regions and six different conferences. We will face the highest quality of play with the most exciting aspect of the schedule being the strength, with 18 of the teams were in the final national poll last year. The schedule will not only prepare us for the rigors of the top conference in the country in the ACC, but also for the postseason."

The Terrapins' opening weekend in Evanston, Ill., wraps up against Northwestern on Aug. 27. The Terps then travel to face Old Dominion on Aug. 31 to continue a storied series, which dates back to 1982. Two of the top field hockey programs in the history of the NCAA, Maryland and ODU have played a home-and-home series every year since 2000. The Lady Monarchs visit the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex in College Park on Oct. 12.

This year's Terrapin Invitational will take place Sept. 8 and 9 and features Ohio State, Northeastern and American. The Terps do battle with the Buckeyes on the opening day of the event and Northeastern the following day. The Terps travel to nearby American 10 days later for a game on Sept. 19, after opening the ACC slate at Boston College on Sept. 15.

The first ACC clash at home is a rematch of last year's NCAA and ACC championship games against Wake Forest on Sept. 22. The Terps won two of the three meetings with the Demon Deacons last season, including a 1-0 victory in the NCAA title game.

The game versus the WF also marks the beginning of a four-game homestand. Traditional regional power, Princeton, makes the trip to College Park for a night game on Sept. 26 and Virginia visits on Sept. 29. Temple closes out the homestretch on Sept. 30.

A rematch with Duke, which handed the Terrapins their only other loss last season, will be played in Durham, N.C., on Oct. 6, before returning home on Oct. 7 to face Boston University. The Blue Devils fell victim to Maryland in the 2005 NCAA Championship game, 1-0.

After the Oct. 12 meeting against ODU, the Terrapins play back-to-back road games at Delaware (Oct. 14) and North Carolina (Oct. 20), closing out the ACC schedule.

Senior Day for the Terps takes place on Oct. 26 when the Villanova Wildcats visit Maryland to conclude the regular season.

The 2007 ACC Championship is being hosted by BC, Nov. 1-4. The Terps have reached the finals in each of the last two seasons and in seven of the last eight.

NCAA Tournament action begins Nov. 10-11 on campus sites. The national semifinals and championship game will be played in the state of Maryland for the first time ever, as the Terrapins play host at the state-of-the-art Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. Maryland advanced to the national semifinals the last four years, a first in the history of the program.

The Terps won the NCAA title last year for the second-straight season. They return 13 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last season's 23-2 squad. Six newcomers will also join the squad beginning the 2007 fall campaign.

More information on the NCAA championship weekend will be posted on www.umterps.com at a later date.

-TERPS-