COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland field hockey team announced its 2008 fall schedule, starting on Aug. 30 at Bucknell, kicking off a three-game swing in Pennsylvania. The Terps will get an early chance to redeem themselves traveling to Penn State on Sept. 2. The Nittany Lions knocked out the Terps in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament.

"The 2008 schedule is powerful and exciting. We enjoy the toughest competition and competing at home where our fan base is extremely supportive," said head coach Missy Meharg, who completed her 20th season at the helm in 2007. "The schedule includes rigorous ACC play and non-conference games with teams from the top conferences, including the Big Ten, Big East and the Ivy League. We also look forward to bringing in top teams for the annual Terrapin Invitational, which includes Northwestern, Syracuse and our local-rival American."

The Terrapins will add another chapter to a storied series, which dates back to 1982. Two of the top field hockey programs in the history of the NCAA, Maryland and ODU open the home-and-home series, which dates back to 2000, with the Lady Monarchs visiting the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex in College Park on Sept 5. The Terps will then travel to Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 17. Maryland has won the last five meetings between the teams.

After the 5 meeting with ODU, the Terrapins will hit the road to play Michigan in on Sept. 7. The Wolverines finished the season ranked sixth by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Poll.

This year's Terrapin Invitational takes place Sept. 13-14 and features Syracuse, Northwestern, Delaware and American. The Terps battle with the Orangewomen on the opening day of the event and Northwestern the following day.

What has become one of the top rivalries in NCAA field hockey, the Terrapins host American on Sept. 17, in what has become a fan favorite event.

The Terrapins open the ACC slate versus Boston College on Sept. 20 as part of a five game stretch that features four ACC teams. The Terps travel to Winston-Salem, N.C, to face Wake Forest on Sept. 27. Richmond will break up the ACC stretch on Sept 28, before the Terrapins play games at Virginia on Oct. 4, and versus rival Duke on Oct. 11.

The Terps will play consecutive games versus the Ivy League, beginning with the University of Pennsylvania on Oct. 12, and continuing with a game at defending Ivy League Champion, Princeton on Oct. 14.

After the Terps' trip to New Jersey, they stay on the road to close out the series with ODU, before returning home to finish the regular season with three-straight games. Regional foe Delaware visits on Oct. 19, then defending National Champion North Carolina comes to the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on Oct. 25 in an attempt to avenge last year's 3-0 loss in what is expected to be a near-capacity crowd. The regular season concludes with Senior Night versus Virginia Commonwealth at 7 P.M.

The 2008 ACC Championship will be hosted by Duke, Nov. 6-9. The Terps have reached the finals seven of the last nine seasons. NCAA Tournament action begins Nov. 15-16 on campus sites. The national semifinals and championship game will be played in Louisville, Ky. Maryland advanced to the national semifinals in four out of the last five years. The Terps won the NCAA title two out of the last three seasons. They return 17 letterwinners from last year's team, including All-Americans Katie O'Donnell, Susie Rowe and Nicole Muracco.

For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.umterps.com.

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