Janessa Pope Named Co-ACC Player of the Week
9/22/2009 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 22, 2009
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Freshman Janessa Pope of the top-ranked Maryland field hockey team earned the Atlantic Coast Conference's Field Hockey Co-Player of the Week award the league announced Tuesday. She won the award for her impressive performance in the Terps' first ACC game against No. 9 Boston College on Saturday.
Pope will share the award with Danielle Forword of No. 2 North Carolina. Forword helped North Carolina extend its streak of shutouts to six games with an 8-0 win against Radford (Sept. 16), a 4-0 win against No. 15 Old Dominion (Sept. 18), and a 6-0 win against Longwood (Sept. 20) last week.
Pope, a native of Harrisburg, Pa., helped the Terrapins to a 1-0 ACC record over the weekend and an 8-0 record on the year. In the Terps' win over the Eagles, she notched one goal and one assist. Her assist to Katie O'Donnell in the game gave the Terps a 2-0 lead and her unassisted goal in the second half put the team up 4-2
"Janessa's assist and goal to keep a two-goal spread for most of the game proved to be pivotal," head coach Missy Meharg. "She is growing daily as an ACC forward."
Pope currently has four goals and two assists on the year. Her shot percentage is .400. She is the third consecutive Terp to win the award in the 2009 season, following senior Nicole Muracco last week and junior Katie O'Donnell the week before.
Maryland is currently ranked No. 1 in the Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. Pope and the rest of the Lady Terps will host No. 3 Wake Forest Saturday morning at 11 a.m. in a rematch of last year's national championship game. Fans wishing to attend will be able to park for free in lot 4i, the lot next to the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex, before 9:30 a.m. Due to the home football game, all fans parking after 9:30 a.m. will be charged $15 to park.
