April 28, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md.- The University of Maryland fell to Princeton 11-7 on Saturday morning in the opening round of CWPA Eastern Division Championship play. The Tigers avenged last weekend's 9-8 loss to the Terps in the Southern Division Championship, jumping to a 6-3 halftime lead.

Maryland head coach Carl Salyer said, "Princeton came out ready to play. They were fired up to play us in their home pool."

The Terps launched a comeback effort in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Tigers 4-2, but were unable to overcome the early Princeton lead. Elizabeth Hopkins, Rachel Jordan, Shannon Simerly, and Blaise Stanicic each netted two for Maryland.

"We weren't able to handle their perimeter pressure, or able to match their level of physicality," said Salyer.

Maryland bounced back in Round Two, defeating Bucknell 11-6 for the Terps' fourth staight victory over the Bison this season.

Simerly and Christen Vagts spearheaded the Terrapin offense with three goals apiece. Rachel Jordan added two, and Hopkins, Bryndis Klein, and Sarah Ivry each found the back for Maryland.

In goal, Marissa Corwin blocked two and Anna Gossett grabbed a save to anchor the Terps' defense.

"We came back from a disappointing loss with a good attitude," said Salyer. "We got a lot of great counterattack goals that started with our strong defense."

Maryland will face fourth-seeded Brown on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool to compete for fifth place. Brown was upset 9-8 by fifth-seeded Indiana in Round One, then trounced Harvard 12-3 on Saturday afternoon.

The Terps last faced Brown in the second round of the CWPA Eastern Division Championship last year, falling 5-4. Maryland's record stands at 16-17 overall.