April 5, 2009

PRINCETON, N.J. - The University of Maryland women's water polo team secured the top seed in the CWPA Southern Division Championship with a dramatic 11-9 overtime win over Princeton at DeNunzio Pool on Sunday.

The Terps (12-12, 5-1) got strong performances from seniors Elizabeth Hopkins, Rachel Jordan, and Ashleigh Jobson in their final regular season game, en route to the first CWPA South regular season crown in school history.

"We did a better job of starting this game," said coach Carl Salyer. "We came out with more passion and fire than we have over the past couple weeks."

Maryland scored consistently throughout the game with goals in every period. They took a 3-2 lead into halftime and a 6-5 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Tigers rallied back to tie the match at 9-9 at the end of regulation. The Terps got their first overtime victory in five attempts this season by scoring in each overtime period and holding Princeton scoreless.

Jobson played her best game as a Terrapin, stopping a career-high 18 shots in a complete game to sweep the season series against Princeton.

Hopkins led all scorers with a season-high four goals, her fifth hat trick of the season. Jordan and junior Shannon Simerly each posted hat tricks of their own. Blaise Stanicic accounted for the final Maryland goal.

The Terps host the CWPA Southern Championship on Saturday April 18th, where they will play fourth-seeded George Washington in the semifinals.

Maryland 11, Princeton 9

DeNunzio Pool
		1	2	3	4	OT1	OT2	F
Maryland	2	1	3	3	1	1	11
Princeton	2	0	3	4	0	0	9
Maryland Goals: Hopkins, 4; Jordan, 3; Simerly, 3; Stanicic, 1
Maryland Saves: Jobson, 18
Princeton Goals Allowed: Jobson, 9