March 27, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The No. 4 Maryland men's lacrosse team hosts No. 1 Virginia on Saturday, March 29 at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Face-off is set for 12 noon. The game will be part of lacrosse history as it will be the first-ever regular season men's lacrosse game televised on ESPN2. Rob Simmelkjaer will handle the play-by-play, while Quint Kessenich will provide color commentary.
• The game between the Terps and the Cavaliers can also be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network's flagship station, ESPN Radio 1300 AM (WJFK) in Baltimore and surrounding areas. Steve Stofberg (Maryland '94) is in his third season as the vioce of Terrapin lacrosse. He will be joined in the booth by analyst Brian Reese, who played for Mrayland from 1995-98 and was an All-American in 1998.
• Maryland is 6-2 on the season and 1-1 in the ACC after a convincing 13-8 victory at then-No. 5 North Carolina last Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C. Redshirt junior midfielder Jeff Reynolds had his finest offensive performance in the win over UNC with his first career hat trick. The Cavaliers (9-0) enter the game as the nation's top-ranked team and are one of two undefeated teams in 2008 (Quinnipiac is the other). Virginia, which is just beginning its ACC schedule, boasts the nation's second-best offense and features nine players who have double-digit points this season.
Ritz and Holmes To Chat On ESPN.com
• Be sure to check out ESPN.com on Friday, March 28 at 2 p.m. when senior Max Ritz and sophomore Bryn Holmes answer your questions on Inside Lacrosse's weekly chat on ESPN.com's Sports Nation.
Gameday Fan Guide - Essential Information For Fans Attending Games At Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium
Due to ongoing construction of The Suites at Byrd Stadium, fans will find significant differences when attending games at Chevy Chase Bank Field this season. Fans are encouraged to check umterps.com for the most current information before heading to the stadium on game days.
STADIUM ENTRY
• Gates will open one hour prior to the start of games.
• Fans must enter the stadium on the North side of the field -- opposite Tyser Tower, directly under the Upper Deck. Fans will not be allowed to enter the stadium on the South side of the field.
FAN SEATING
• All seating is general admission in Sections 2 through 12 in the Lower Bowl, approximately 15,000 seats. Please note that all seats in the West end zone and the South (Tyser Tower) side of the stadium will be closed due to the construction.
TICKETS
• Ticket Booths will open one hour prior to the start of games for sales and will call.
• Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by calling the Terrapin Ticket Office at 1-800-462-TERP (8377) or on-line at umterps.com.
• Player Guest Tickets will be located at Gate B.
• Media Will Call will be located at Gate B.
PARKING
Fans have parking options similar to past seasons, including:
• Lot 1 and Lot Z: Permit Parking only weekdays between 7am and 4pm. Open to all vehicles, no permit required at all other times. Tailgating is permitted in campus surface parking lots, therefore fans who wish to tailgate should park in Lot 1 and Lot Z.
• Regents Drive Parking Garage: Permit Parking only weekdays between 7 am and 4 pm. Open to all vehicles, no permit required at all other times. Please note that tailgating is not allowed in campus parking garages.
• Stadium Drive Garage: $2 per hour (up to $10 maximum) weekdays from 7:30am to 11:30pm. Open to all vehicles at no charge at all other times. Please note that tailgating is not allowed in campus parking garages.
• Union Lane Garage: $2 per hour (up to $10 maximum) from 7am to 1:45am, seven days a week. Please note that tailgating is not allowed in campus parking garages.
REMAINING HOME SCHEDULE
• April 4 vs. Navy, 8 p.m. at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium
• April 19 vs. Penn, 1 p.m. at Ludwig Field
• May 3 vs. Yale (Senior Day), 1 p.m. at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium
US Lacrosse Day!
• All US Lacrosse members will get in for the discounted price of $3.00 per ticket. Just bring your US Lacrosse membership card or a recent issue of Lacrosse magazine to the ticket office window on game day to redeem this special offer.
| Tale
of the Tape |
Maryland |
Category |
Virginia |
11.8 |
Goals/Game |
15.6 |
7.4 |
Opp.
Goals/Game |
8.7 |
38.8 |
Shots/Game |
45.6 |
31.3 |
Shot
Pct. |
34.6 |
24.5 |
Shots
on Goal/Game |
30.6 |
63.2 |
Shots
on Goal Pct. |
67.1 |
9.1 |
Saves/Game |
9.6 |
54.5 |
Save
Pct. |
52.1 |
38.1 |
Groundballs/Game |
43.4 |
29.3 |
Opp.
Groundballs/Game |
34.4 |
18.6 |
Turnovers/Game |
16.8 |
13.4 |
Caused
Turnovers/Game |
9.6 |
54.1 |
Face-Off
Pct. |
53.4 |
81.8 |
Clear
Pct. |
82.5 |
75.6 |
Opp.
Clear Pct. |
69.7 |
3.1 |
Penalties/Game |
4.1 |
2.8 |
Penalty
Minutes/Game |
4.1 |
35.5 |
Man-Up
Conversion Pct. |
68.8 |
21.7 |
Opp.
Man-Up Conversion Pct. |
47.1 |
Coaching Match-Up
• Now in his 26th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle enters today's game with a 254-100 career record for a 71.7 win percentage, sixth-highest among active coaches with at least 100 career wins. His win total is fourth among active coaches. He is 73-30 (70.9) in his seven seasons at Maryland.
• Dom Starsia, also in his 26th season as a head coach, has won 72.9 percent of his games at Brown and Virginia (280-104) overall record) and is fourth on the active coaches' winning percentage list. His 280 wins also ranks him second among active coaches.
• Cottle has a 7-12 record vs. Virginia. He went 3-5 vs. Virginia while he was the coach at Loyola, but none of the games came against a Dom Starsia-led team. Cottle is 4-7 against the Wahoos while at Maryland. Prior to 2002, the last time Cottle coached against Virginia came in 1991, finishing a run of eight games in a nine-year span.
• Both Starsia and Cottle began their head coaching careers in 1983, Cottle at Loyola and Starsia at Brown. Despite both coaches running major programs for the last 20 years, they have only coached against each other 12 times with Starsia winning seven of the games, including his last game at Brown, a 19-12 win in the NCAA Tournament first round in 1992 -- the only other time they have coached against each other in the NCAA Tournament prior to the 2003 season.
Series History vs. Virginia
• The Maryland-Virginia rivalry is the third-longest in Terrapin lacrosse history with Maryland holding a 44-33 (.571) advantage, dating to the first game -- a Terps' 10-1 victory on April 24, 1926. The 44 wins are the third-highest number of victories Maryland has against any team. The Terps have defeated Duke 54 times and Navy 49 times.
• These two teams locked up in a classic in the semifinals of the 2007 ACC tournament. Maryland jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Cavaliers rallied to take a four-goal lead at 10-6 in the fourth quarter. That's when Maryland stormed back, but the comeback fell short and Virginia was able to hold on for an 11-10 win. Dan Groot led Maryland with five points on four goals and an assist, while Michael Phipps chipped in with a pair of goals and an assist. Thomas Alford and Jeremy Sieverts each had a goal and an assist for the Terps.
• In 2007's regular season meeting, the second-ranked Cavaliers defeated the No. 8 Terps 12-8 in Charlottesville. Wahoo attackman Ben Rubeor scored five goals to pace Virginia, while Max Ritz (3-0) and Michael Phipps (1-2) each had three points for the Terps.
• On April 1 of last season, the No. 1 Cavaliers jumped out early, scoring just 15 seconds into the game, and never looked back, handing Maryland a 15-5 loss at Byrd Stadium. The Ritz brothers, Max and Xander, each scored two goals with Max also picking up a pair of assists. Bill McGlone scored the other goal for the Terps.
• The two schools hooked up again in the ACC title game and again it was Virginia taking the game, this time by an 11-5 margin. Brendan Healy and Bill McGlone each had three points in the loss, while Michael Phipps scored a goal as well.
• The 2005 regular season game was tough for the fourth-ranked Terps as they were handed a 10-2 loss at No. 3 Virginia on April 2. The Cavaliers held Maryland scoreless until the 4:51 mark of the third quarter when Joe Walters scored. It was the first time Maryland had been held without a goal in a half since a 7-2 loss at Virginia in 2001. Xander Ritz tacked on the second Terp goal in the fourth.
• Things were a little different in the rematch on April 29, 2005 in the ACC Semifinals. Brendan Healy gave Maryland a 1-0 lead in the first, but the 'Hoos scored three unanswered to take a 3-1 lead. But the Terps stormed back with a 3-0 run of their own on goals from Max Ritz, Healy and Xander Ritz to take a 4-3 lead into the half. The Cavaliers took a 7-5 lead into the fourth quarter, but Andrew Schwartzman and Bill McGlone scored the final to goals in regulation to send the game into sudden death. In the overtime period, freshman Max Ritz proved to be the hero for Maryland, but putting back a rebound off of a McGlone shot to sent the Terps into the ACC finals with an 8-7 win.
• The 2004 regular season meeting between Maryland and Virginia saw the Terps enter the game as the No. 1 team in the country, the first time Maryland had earned the top ranking since 2001. Maryland lived up to its billing, pounding the Cavaliers 11-2 in College Park. Xander Ritz scored three goals and assisted on another three, while Joe Walters added a goal and three assists to pace the Terrapin offense. The game was never really in doubt as the Terps opened the game with a 5-0 run. The Maryland defense was stellar all afternoon, holding Virginia's top seven scorers without a single point.
• The Cavaliers would not go so quietly in the 2004 ACC title game. The Terps built a 12-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter, behind a career-high six goals from Joe Walters, who would be named Tournament MVP. But the Wahoos scored four goals in the fourth and shutdown the Maryland offense to close the gap to 12-11.
• Maryland has won three of four meetings in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps topped the Cavaliers in a pair of first round games in 1978 and 1983 and won a 1997 quarterfinal game, 10-9, played at Byrd Stadium. In that last NCAA meeting, Virginia broke its three-game post-season losing streak to the Terps with a 14-4 win in the NCAA semifinals in Baltimore en route to the 2003 national championship.
Maryland-Virginia Connections
• There are 20 players combined from the Maryland and Virginia rosters that will face high school teammates in Saturday's game.
• Maryland junior Scott Tompkins will reunite with former Gillman teammates Brian and Kevin Carroll.
• Landon will be represented by Terp juniot Mike Griswold and Rob Morrison and Cavaliers George Huguely and Peter Lamade.
• Loyola is the alma mater of Virginia's Ben Rubeor, as well as Maryland sophomore Casey Creaney.
• Two former teammates that could run into each other will be Severn alums Brian Phipps, a Terp goalie, and Virginia freshman midfielder Nick Elsmo.
• A trio of Buckeye state natives will also reunite on the field on Saturday. Maryland's Chris Rhine and Max Schmidt and Virginia's Joe Dewey were teammates at Upper Arlington High School.
• Eleven players on the Virginia roster hail from the state of Maryland, while only three Terps hail from the Old Dominion state.
Terps vs. No. 1
• Since 1978 (the first year rankings were recorded in the Terp media guide), Maryland has played a No. 1-ranked team on 23 occasions and has pulled off the upset five times.
• The last time Maryland upset the nation's top-ranked team was March 4, 2006 when the Terps pulled out a thrilling 8-7 overtime victory at then-No. 1 Duke. Xander Ritz scored five goals vs. the Blue Devils, including the game-winner for the Terrapins. The last time the Terrapins faced a No. 1-ranked team was on April 1, 2006 against Virginia. The Wahoos, who would storm through an undefeated season en route to a national title, took that game by a 15-5 margin.
• Prior to the 2006 win over Duke, the last time the Terps defeated the nation's top team was on May 23, 1998 vs. Loyola in the NCAA Semifinals at Piscataway, N.J. Maryland's Matt Hahn scored five goals to help the Terrapins to a dominating 19-8 win over the Greyhounds, who were coached by current Maryland head coach Dave Cottle.
• Coincidentally, the last time the Terps upset the No.1 team at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium was a 13-11 win over Virginia on March 30, 1996.
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 six victories this season the Terrapins are shooting above 30% (32.9%, 82 goals/249 shots). In their two losses the Terps' shooting percentage is cut to 24.6% (15 goals/61 shots).
• Another standout statistic from Terp wins and losses is man-up conversion percentage. Maryland has converted 11-of-23 opportunities (.478) in its six wins, but is 0-of-8 (.000) in two defeats.
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 only three games at home (3-0) and five on the road (3-2) and the numbers show an edge for the Terps when they are on familiar ground.
• Maryland is averaging 13.7 goals per game in its home games, which is nearly three goals better than the 10.8 goals the Terps average on the road.
• Just like the offense, the Maryland defense has been more comfortable at home this season. As a team, the Terps are allowing opponents 5.3 goals per game at home, but that inflates by more than three goals to 8.7 gpg on the road.
• Freshmen lead the Terps in scoring both at home and on the road. Ryan Young, the team's leading scorer overall, is also the Terps' top scorer at home with 11 points on two goals and nine assists. Grant Catalino leads the squad in scoring on the road with nine goals and three assists for 12 points.
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 37-13 (.740) when playing on the Maryland campus. At Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium Maryland is 23-10 (.670) under Cottle, while the Terps have gone 8-3 (.727) at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex and 6-0 at Ludwig Field.
Streaking Terps
• Eight games into the 2008 season and a lot of streaks have been broken and started for the Terps.
• Freshmen attackman Ryan Young was the only Terp to have at least one point in every game until the North Carolina game. Young went scoreless for the first time in his Maryland career, ending his scoring streak at seven.
• Some Terps with modest streaks that are currently going are: Jeff Reynolds (five-game goal and point-scoring streaks), Grant Catalino (four-game point-scoring streak) and Will Dalton (four-game goal and point-scoring streaks).
• Jeremy Sieverts point-scoring streak ended at eight in the 16-4 win over Air Force.
• Freshman attackman Travis Reed had his goal and point streaks stopped at five in the UMBC loss.
• Senior midfielder/attackman Max Ritz had both his 17-game multi-point streak and 20-game point scoring streak snapped at Georgetown.
• Dan Groot had his point-scoring streak stopped at six in the Terps' 15-7 loss at No. 2 Duke on March 1.
Offensive Defenders
• Through eight games Terrapin defensive players have been surprisingly offensive. So far in 2008, seven Maryland defenders (close, long poles and short-stick d-middies) have scored goals or tallied assists. In total, Terrapin defenders have eight goals and seven assists for 15 points. The Terps have totaled 149 points as a team, which means that about 10 percent of Maryland's offense has come from a defensive player.
• Sophomore long pole Brian Farrell leads the defense with four goals and an assist and is actually tied for 10th on the squad in points. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Baltimore native, had scored at least one goal in three of the Terps' last four games.
• Three short-sticks and one long pole each have two points on the year. Short-stick Spencer McAllister has two goals, while Dan Burns and Dean Hart each have two assists. Junior long pole Chris Rhine also has two points on a goal and an assist.
• Sophomore long pole Dan Halayko has one goal, while senior All-America candidate Joe Cinosky has added an assist.
Defense Meeting Expectations
• On paper this year's Maryland defense may appear to have some holes, but the 2008 Terrapin defense is looking to uphold the Terps' tradition of great defenses. Sure, the unit lost two second team All-Americans in seniors Ray Megill and Steve Whittenberg and also three-year starting long pole Ryan Clarke, but one look at the talent this year's "D" and you'll see it's more than capable. Three-year starter Joe Cinosky returns for his senior season along with a trio of experienced seniors in Ryne Adolph, Jacob Baxter and Zach Hinton. Talented freshman Max Schmidt is expected to see plenty of playing time as well at close defense. At long pole sophomore Brian Farrell is one of the best in the NCAA and the Terps have depth behind him in senior Matt Rankin, junior Chris Rhine and sophomore Dan Halayko. Redshirt junior Jeff Reynolds is back after missing 14 games in 2007 with a torn ACL. This season he's set to pair up with sophomore Bryn Holmes to give Maryland one of the best short-stick tandems in the country.
• During the last four 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. The 2006 season saw the Terrapin defense do it 10 times in 17 games. In 2007 Terp "D" had 11 20+ minute scoring droughts to its credit in 16 contests. So far in 2008, Maryland has held opponents scoreless for more than 20 minutes three times.
• The emphasis on team defense was evident in the Terps' 2008 opener at No. 4 Georgetown. Maryland held the lauded Hoya offense to just six goals and two of those came when Georgetown converted on man-up opportunities. The Terrapin defense held Georgetown's starting attack and first midfield, which combined for 95 goals (6.3 per game) in 2007, to just three scores.
• The defense was solid in allowing just seven goals at Mount St. Mary's on a rainy, foggy afternoon. The fog was the most difficult on the defense as it made the ball very hard for the goalies to see shots clearly. Even so, the Terrapins came up with a good defensive effort, holding the Mount to just one goal over a 22-minute span covering parts of the first, second and third quarters. Junior Mike Griswold led the Terps with three caused turnovers on the afternoon. Overall, 12 Terps combined to force 19 of the Mount's 25 turnovers.
• The defense turned in its first shutout quarter of the season in the 13-5 win over Providence. The Terps held the Friars scoreless in the first quarter, allowing the offense to jump out to a 5-0 lead. Overall, Providence was held off the board for the first 23:30 of the game. Maryland forced 20 of the Friars' 21 turnovers. Leading the way was sophomore long pole Brian Farrell who had three caused turnovers to go along with four groundballs.
• In the Terps' 12-7 win over No. 18 Towson, Maryland's "D" proved to be a physically dominant unit. The Terrapins forced 16 of the Tigers' 23 turnovers. Even more impressive was Maryland's plus-22 advantage in groundballs (53-31). Senior defender Ryne Adolph had a career-best six pick-ups off the turf and led a contingent of nine Terps who had at least four groundballs apiece. In addition to playing great on its side of the field, the defense also contributed on the offensive side of things vs. Towson as Brian Farrell scored two of Maryland's 12 goals.
• The Maryland defense had its finest showing of the season to date against Air Force, holding the Falcons to just four goals. After surrendering three scores in the first quarter, the Terrapin defense tightened down and did not allow another goal for 44:03; the longest scoreless stretch for the season by the Terp "D". Maryland's defenders also got into the scoring act against Air Force. Five Terrapin defenders combined for a pair of goals and three assists.
• At fifth-ranked North Carolina, the Terps bottled up the Tar Heels offense, holding them to just eight goals. Senior All-America candidate Joe Cinosky continued his dominant play with four groundballs and a pair of caused turnovers. In total, the Maryland defense held Carolina's starting attack to two goals and one assist. The "D" held the Tar Heels without a goal for 20:13, spanning the third and fourth quarters. That allowed the Maryland offense to go on a 5-0 scoring run and put the game out of reach.
Where's The Beef? Check The "D"
• How big is Maryland's defense this season? Well, Towson head coach Tony Seaman, who's Tigers have a big defensive unit of their own, had this to say: "We're certainly nothing like the bullies down at Maryland with size or strength ...". Take a look at the top seven close defensemen and/or long poles for the Terps in 2008 - the average for the group is 6-foot-3, 221 pounds.
Brian Farrell: 6-5, 240
Mike Griswold: 6-4, 230
Max Schmidt: 6-4, 230
Joe Cinosky: 6-3, 225
Zach Hinton: 6-3, 205
Jacob Baxter: 6-1, 230
Ryne Adolph: 6-1, 190
Freshmen Leading The Way
• The season is just about a quarter gone (there's still a long way to go), but the top three scorers for the Terps right now are freshmen. This is rare air for the Maryland program.
• Going back to 1962 only two Terrapins (Mike Mollot, who was a redshirt freshman, in 2000 and Joe Walters in 2003) led the team in points as a rookie. Only four (Walters, Matt Hahn in 1995, Rob Wurzburger in 1988 and Pete Worstell in 1977) led the team in goals and another four (Dan LaMonica in 2001, Mollot, Rob Chomo in 1991 and Tim Cox in 1989) led the squad in assists.
• Travis Reed, Ryan Young and Grant Catalino are already approaching some freshmen milestones and are poised to crack the freshman class records in several categories. Reed is already tied for 12th on the all-time freshman goals scored list with 15. With four assists vs. Air Force Young is now tied with Dave Dempsey for 15th on the freshman points list with 20. Reed and Catalino are each just two points shy of that 15th spot as well. Young's 14 assists has him in ninth place on the freshman assist chart, moving him ahead of Joe Walters (13 in 2003) and Jack Lamon (12 in 1976). Catalino moved ahead of Lamon (nine in '76) and Jim Wilkerson (12 in 1980) for the 15th spot on the first-year goals list with one score at North Carolina.
Fast Starts
• Since Coach Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002 only 16 players have totaled 18 points or more in the first eight games of a season. Three of those are 2008 freshman attackmen Ryan Young, Grant Catalino and Travis Reed. Young's 14 assists through eight games is tied for second most of any player in the last seven seasons through eight games. The only rookie since 2002 to be on a better pace than Young, Reed and Catalino was Joe Walters in 2003 when he had 28 points on 22 goals and six assists through eight games.
Freshmen Starters
• There was a lot of speculation about which freshmen would start in the season opener at Georgetown. The question was answered with four (see below). But freshmen starting the season opener is nothing new for the Terps under Coach Cottle. Since 2002 there have now been eight Terrapins that have started the season opener as freshmen.
2002: None
2003: Joe Walters vs. Duke
2004: None
2005: Max Ritz vs. Georgetown
2006: Dan Groot vs. Georgetown
2007: Brian Phipps vs. Bellarmine
2008: Grant Catalino, Travis Reed, Max Schmidt and Ryan Young at Georgetown
Memorable Debut
• Freshman Grant Catalino scored four goals in the Terps' 11-6 season-opening win at Georgetown on Feb. 23. That performance marked the most goals by a Maryland freshman since Rob Wurzburger tallied four scores in a 19-4 win over Hambden-Sydney.
• For his performance against the Hoyas, Catalino was named both the ACC Player of the Week (along with UNC goalie Grant Zimmerman) and the University of Maryland's male athlete of the week.
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 eight sets of brothers don the red and black together for at least one season.
Harry & Harry: 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
Mark & Michael White: 2008
Fathers and Sons
• Maryland's family tradition doesn't end with brothers. Fathers and sons are also part of the Terps' tradition and that's never been more evident than this season. This year's Maryland men's lacrosse roster features three players whose father's not only played at Maryland, but won a nation title together. Mike Farrell, father of Brian, Wilson Phipps, father of Brian, and Jake Reed, father of Travis, were all members of the Terps' 1975 NCAA championship squad.
Terps' 83rd Season of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 689-227-4 (.751), 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 82 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 10-6. 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 97-38 for a .719 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.
Road Work
• For just the second time in program history, the Terps opened the season with three-straight games away from College Park. In 1978 Maryland opened with a pair of games in North Carolina - a 25-11 win at NC State and a 14-7 win at Duke - before beating Dartmouth, 16-3, in a neutral site game at Garden City, Long Island.
• 2008 marks the 12th time in the 83 years of Maryland lacrosse that the Terps will open a season with at least two road games. In the previous 11 seasons (1952, 1954, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, 2001, 2004 and 2006) Maryland has a combined record of 23-0 in those road games. This season the Terps were 2-1 in its three-game road trip to open the season, bringing its record to 25-1 (.962).
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 eight sets of brothers don the red and black together for at least one season.
Harry & Harry: 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
Mark & Michael White: 2008
Fathers And Sons
• Maryland's family tradition doesn't end with brothers. Fathers and sons are also part of the Terps' tradition and that's never been more evident than this season. This year's Maryland men's lacrosse roster features three players whose father's not only played at Maryland, but won a nation title together. Mike Farrell, father of Brian, Wilson Phipps, father of Brian, and Jake Reed, father of Travis, were all members of the Terps' 1975 NCAA championship squad.
Maryland In Season Openers
• Maryland has a 79-3-1 (.958) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 15 openers and 23 of the last 24, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993, when they fell to Duke 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.)
15 Straight In Season Openers
• After beating No. 4 Georgetown to open the 2008 season the Terps now have a 15-game winning streak in 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 (four times) and Bellarmine. Over the 15-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 204-78 (an average score of 13.6-5.2) in those games.
• The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 15 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.
2008 Captains: Adolph, Cinosky, Dalton, Evans & Ritz
• Five players have been named team captains for the 2008 season. The quintet, which was voted on by the team during the preseason, consists of seniors
Ryne Adolph,
Joe Cinosky,
Will Dalton,
Drew Evans and
Max Ritz.
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 2008 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.
