April 15, 2010

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - Lacrosse's greatest rivalry renews for the 106th time this Saturday as 4th-ranked Maryland (7-2) battles No. 16 Johns Hopkins (5-5) at the Smartlink Day of Rivals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Terps and the Blue Jays are the second game of a double-header with a scheduduled 6:30 p.m. start. The opener has Navy taking on Army in the two programs' annual "Star Game," beginning at 4 p.m. Both games will be televised live on ESPNU. Eamon McAnaney will be handling the play-by-play, while Mark Dixon and Jack Emmer will provide the analysis.

• Maryland is 7-2 on the season following its 11-9 victory over Navy last Saturday in College Park. The attack trio of Grant Catalino (3-0=3), Ryan Young (1-4=5) and Travis Reed (4-1=5) led the Terps vs. the Mids with a combined eight goals and five assists. Defensively, Brett Schmidt had held his last two assignments to zero goals and just two assists in the Terps' last two games.

• Hopkins is now 5-5 on the year after snapping a four-game losing skid with a 19-7 home win over Albany last Saturday. Steven Boyle leads the Blue Jay offense with 40 points on 24 goals and 16 assists. Freshman Pierce Bassett has started the last two games in goal and has a 9.88 goals-against average and a .450 save percentage in three total appearances..

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Maryland Set To Host 2010 ACC Tournament
• The University of Maryland will be the host school for the 2010 ACC Men's Lacrosse Tournament, which will be held at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The semifinals will take place on Friday, April 23 with the opener set for a 5 p.m. face-off and the nightcap slated for a 7:30 p.m. start. The finals are set for a 3:30 p.m. start on Sunday, April 25.

• Suites, premium seating and general admission tickets are available by calling the Terrpain Ticket Office at 1-800-462-8377 or on-line by clicking here.

• The ACC men's lacrosse tournament will feature four of the nation's top five teams, according to the latest Inside Lacrosse media poll. The semifinal pairings will be officially announced by the ACC following Saturday's Duke-Virginia game.

The Count Down
10 ... With just over 10 caused turnovers per game (10.56), Maryland ranks third in the NCAA in caused turnovers per game.
9 ... Grant Catalino has nine goals in the three games he has played in M&T Bank Stadium (2, 2009 Face-Off Classic; 2, 2009 Day of Rivals and 5, 2010 Face-Off Classic)
8 ... This week's game vs. Johns Hopkins is Maryland's eighth-straight weekend game broadcast on ESPNU.
7 ... Maryland and Hopkins have played seven overtime games with the Blue Jays holding a 5-2 edge in those games.
6 ... The Terps are undefeated in six non-conference games so far in 2010.
5 ... Grant Catalino leads all current Terps with five career points vs. Hopkins (3 goals and 2 assists).
4 ... Maryland is ranked fourth in the NCAA in groundballs per game with a 37.56 average.
3 ... This is the third time in the last four meetings between Maryland and Hopkins that the Blue Jays are ranked lower than the Terps.
2 ... Brian Phipps has won the two games he has started at M&T Bank Stadium (2008 & 2009 Konica Minolta Face-Off Classics).
1 ... Grant Catalino needs one point to tie Alan Lowe for 25th on the career points list with 124.

Coaching Match-Up
• Now in his 28th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle enters today's game with a 275-113 career record for a 70.9 win percentage, seventh-highest among active coaches with at least 100 career wins. His win total is seventh among active coaches. He is 94-43 (68.6) in nine seasons at Maryland.

• Hopkins' Dave Pietramala is in his 10th season at Hopkins and has a 106-35 (76.0) record with the Jays. He is 134-52 overall in 13 years as a coach for a 72.0 win percentage at both Hopkins and Cornell.

• Head coach Dave Cottle has won four of 18 career games against Hopkins, 10 of which came while coaching at Loyola. He led the Greyhounds to back-to-back wins against Hopkins in 1998 (10-7) and 1999 (14-5). Against coach Dave Pietramala, Cottle is 1-6, as his Loyola team dropped a 13-10 decision on May 4, 2001, in addition to six losses while he has been at Maryland. His lone victory over Pietramala came in 2006 when the Terps dropped the Blue Jays, 11-4, at Homewood Field.

Series History vs. Johns Hopkins
• All-Time Series vs. Johns Hopkins

• Maryland and Hopkins are the two most storied lacrosse programs in the nation, with the rivalry beginning with back in 1895 as Hopkins defeated the Maryland Agricultural College. The Blue Jays (38) and Terps (32) have played in the first and third most NCAA Tournaments since the event began in 1971, respectively. Maryland (111) and Hopkins (178) have produced the most first team All-Americans in the history of lacrosse dating to the first awards in 1922.

• While this will be the 106th meeting between the two schools, Maryland's official record vs. Hopkins is 37-58-1. The first ten meetings between the two happened before lacrosse was an official sport at Maryland.

• This year's meeting between the Blue Jays and the Terps will be just the second time the two teams have met on a neutral field since 1987. That season the two teams played at Rutgers Stadium with Maryland dropping a 13-8 decision to Hopkins in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Last year the two teams played at M&T Bank Stadium in the inaugural Smartlink Day of Rivals event with Hopkins taking a 10-9 win.

• Prior to 2004's 14-10 Hopkins win, the previous three games in the series were one-goal affairs -- with the two going to overtime. Seven of the last 12 have been one-goal games.

• Last season was another one-goal game with the Blue Jays edging the Terps, 10-9, at the inaugural Smartlink Day of Rivals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Hopkins was the beneficiary of nine second-half penalties called against the Terps. Dan Groot had a hat trick for the Terps, while Grant Catalino (2-1=3), Jeremy Sieverts (2-1=3) and Ryan Young (1-2=3) also had three points apiece.

• The 2008 game was not a one-goal affair as Hopkins controlled the game on their home field and took a 10-4 decision. The game was tight in the first half, with the Blue Jays taking a 3-2 lead into halftime. But the third quarter saw Hopkins outscore the Terps 6-1 to put the game out of reach. Grant Catalino was the Terps' lone multi-point scorer with a goal and an assist, but the highlight of the game for Maryland came on Brian Farrell's highlight-reel one-handed bounce shot with a pair of Blue Jay defenders draped on him.

• The series returned to its one-goal history in 2007 with the Blue Jays pulling out an 8-7 victory in overtime. Paul Rabil hit a running left-handed shot just 43 seconds into the extra session. Senior midfielder Chris Feifs had the finest outing of his college career in the game, scoring his first-ever hat trick.

• The Terps snapped a four-game losing skid to Hopkins in 2006 with a decisive 11-4 win at Homewood Field on April 14. Leading the way was Attackman of the Year Joe Walters, who scored six goals and added two assists. Eight points and six goals were the most ever by a Maryland player against the Blue Jays. Bill McGlone chipped in with a pair of goals, while junior goalie Harry Alford was solid in the cage, stopping nine shots.

• Before the 2006 game, Hopkins had won the last four, with two (2003 & 2002) coming in overtime. The 2005 game saw the Blue Jays use a four-goal run in the third quarter to secure an 11-6 victory over the ninth-ranked Terrapins on April 15. Six different Terps scored in the game, led by Joe Walters, Xander Ritz and Dave Matz, who each scored one and added an assist. The loss dropped the Terps to 5-5 on the season, but they would go on a six-game winning streak en route to an ACC Tournament championship and a berth in the Final Four.

• At Homewood Field on April 17, 2004, Hopkins raced out to an 8-1 lead in the first quarter en route to a 14-10 victory in the 100th meeting between the two schools. In the 2003 meeting at Byrd Stadium, on April 12, Joe McDermott scored the game-winner 1:21 into overtime for the 6-5 Hopkins win in front of 8,183 in attendance..

Terps On ESPNU
• Saturday's game vs. Johns Hopkins will be televised nationally on ESPNU. It will be the Terps' eighth-straight Saturday this season and 31st overall game on ESPNU since 2006. Maryland is 17-13 (.567) all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.

Terps In Pro Stadiums
• Maryland has played 11 games in an NFL stadium. All-time the Terps are 6-5 in professional stadiums.

• The Terps will play two games in 2010 in NFL Stadiums in the regular season. Maryland defeated Duke 11-10 in overtime in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. Maryland will return to M&T Bank Stadium in April for the Smartlink Day of Rivals vs. Johns Hopkins.

• In 2009, Maryland topped Duke, 11-8, at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium and lost a 10-9 decision to Johns Hopkins in the inaugural Smartlink Day of Rivals.

• In 2006, the Terps were 1-1 at M&T Bank Stadium, defeating North Carolina, 10-9, in the ACC semis at M&T Bank Stadium before dropping an 11-5 decision to Virginia in the finals. Maryland then lost to UMass, 8-5, at Lincoln Financial Field in the NCAA Semifinals.

• In 2005, Maryland was 3-1 in NFL stadiums - 1-1 at Lincoln Financial Field and 2-0 at M&T Bank Stadium.

• Maryland lost to Virginia in the 2003 NCAA Semifinals in M&T Bank Stadium.

The Stretch: Carolina, Virginia, Navy, Hopkins
• Since 1978 Maryland's schedule has been highlighted by a four-game stretch in the middle of its season: North Carolina, Virginia, Navy and Johns Hopkins. In the 33-year span only four times has the stretch been interrupted with another game added in between one of these traditional four (1981, 1997, 2001, 2003).

• Overall, Maryland is 59-72 (.450) since 1978 vs. those four teams during that time (up to and including UNC and Virginia this year).

• The Terps have swept the four games only once - in 1987. Only twice (1981 & 1988) has Maryland lost all four games. Six times (1978, 1979, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001) the Terps have won three of the four games. Johns Hopkins broke up the Terps' bid for a perfect stretch four times, while Carolina and Virginia broke it up one time each.

Get To 10 And Win
• One of the things Coach Cottle often says is that if the Terps score 10 goals or more the chances of winning are pretty good. Well, a look at the results since Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002 shows that when Maryland scores 10 or more goals there's not just a pretty good chance the Terrapins will win; it's an almost certainty. Since 2002 Maryland has won 68 of the 74 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .919 winning percentage.

• Last week the Terps lost to No. 1 Virginia by a final of 11-10, giving Maryland its first loss when scoring 10 or more goals this season.

• Last season the Terps lost to Georgetown, 13-10 on Feb. 21 and lost again when scoring 10 in the ACC Semifinals in a 16-10 defeat at North Carolina. Prior to that, Maryland had not lost when scoring 10 or more goals since dropping an 11-10 decision to Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C. The Terrapins got to 10 goals in the 100th game against Johns Hopkins, but the Blue Jays took the game 14-10. Virginia is the only team to beat the Terps twice when allowing 10 or more goals. The Wahoos did it first in 2002 with another 11-10 decision.

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. Maryland is 7-2 on the year and has shot better than 30% in five of the nine contests.

• Since 2005 the Terps are a remarkable 35-2 (.946) when shooting 30% or better in a game. The first game Maryland lost during that stretch was a 13-10 decision to Georgetown in 2009 (the Terps shot 10 of 30 for 33.3% vs. the Hoyas). The second loss came this season in the controversial 11-10 loss to No. 1 Virginia on April 3. The Terps shot 10 of 33 for 30.3%..

Big Cat Continues To Play Big
• How good was Grant Catalino in his first two seasons? The easy answer would be pretty good, but here's some numbers to back that claim up.

• In his first two seasons Catalino has the fifth-highest point total since freshman records were first kept in 1970.

1. Joe Walters (2003-04): 75-39=114
2. Frank Urso (1973-74): 68-42=110
2. Bob Boneillo (1977-78): 38-72=110
4. Dan LaMonica (2001-02): 40-50=90
5. Grant Catalino (2008-09): 54-35=89
6. Mike Mollot (2000-01): 34-53=88

• Catalino has picked up in 2010 right where he left off. In the opener at Bellarmine he tied his career high with four assists and added a pair of goals for a six-point game in the 12-7 victory. In the Georgetown game, Catalino was matched-up with preseason Big East defensive player of the year Barney Ehrman, but Catalino still managed to tally three points on a goal and two assists. Catalino showed that the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic is his own personal playground when he totaled six points on a career-best five goals, including the game winner in OT, in the Terps' 11-10 win over Duke. He was named the Player of the Game for the second straight year (last year in the Face-Off Classic he had two goals and four assists vs. the Blue Devils). Towson shadowed Catalino all over the field, but he still managed to get a point on an extra-man assist. Catalino showed his versatility against Penn by scoring twice, including once on the extra-man unit, and adding four assists. The Big Cat continued his hot shooting at UMBC, tying his career high with seven points on four goals, including the game-winner, and three assists. UNC tried to shutoff Catalino, but he sttill managed a munti-point game with a goal and an assist. Virginia again proved to be a thorn in Catalino's side, holding him without a point for the first time this season. Catalino rebounded nicely with a natural hat trick in the second quarter in the 11-9 win over Navy.

• With his second goal (out of five total on the day) vs. Duke Catalino became just the fifth Terp to reach the 100-point mark since Coach Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002. Catalino now has 123 career points on 72 goals and 51 assists. He needs just one point to tie Alan Lowe for 25th on the all-time points list.

Fast Starts
• Since Coach Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002 only 13 players (for a total of 24 times) have totaled 20 points or more in the first nine games of a season. Four of those 13, totaling nine times, are on this year's team.

• Junior Grant Catalino is on an amazing pace (18-16=34). His total trails only Joe Walters' 39 points in the 2004 season. Catalino is on the list three times, also making it for his 2009 season (16-15=31) and his freshman season in 2008 (15-5=20). The only players to make the list three or more times are Walters (four times), Catalino and Ryan Young.

• Ryan Young is tied for 10th on the list with 28 points on 10 goals and 18 assists, which is the highest assist total for any player in the first nine games. He is also on the list with 22 points (7-15) in 2008 and 20 points (14-6) in 2009.

• Travis Reed makes the list for the second time with 22 points on 11 goals and 11 assists this year. He is also on there for his 2008 freshman season when he had 23 points on 18 goals and five assists through nine games.

• Will Yeatman is also on the list for his efforts last season when he had 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists.

Young Blood
• Ryan Young has been the one constant to the Terps' attack during the past two seasons. The junior from Manhasset, N.Y., has missed just one game during his two years as a Terp and has only missed one start (the 2009 home finale when three senior attackmen were given the start vs. Binghamton). During his first two years he has racked up 67 points on 28 goals and 38 assists (which leads the team over that two-year stretch). And Young has accomplished all of this while running the Terrapin offense from the X-spot. In 2009 he led the team with a .388 shooting percentage, which is the highest for a Maryland starting attackman since 2007 when Michael Phipps shot .394 for the year.

• After being shutout in the Terps' opener at Bellarmine, Young rebounded with a career day at No. 13 Georgetown. Against the Hoyas, Young set career highs with six points and five assists (four coming in the first half to help keep Maryland in the game). Young followed that performance with a solid one-goal, two-assist day in the Terps' 11-10 overtime win vs. Duke in the Face-Off Classic. In the Terps' home opener vs. Towson, Young scored twice and picked up three groundballs. Young's torrid streak continued against Penn with a four-point effort on two goals and two assists. The hot streak continued for Young at UMBC as he racked up three assists in the 13-7 victory. Young showed off his shooting touch at No. 2 North Carolina with a pair of goals, including a man-up tally. In the Virginia game, Young had a goal and two assists to help the Terps nearly overcome an early six-goal deficit. He followed that up with a five-point effort on a goal and four assists in the 11-9 win over Navy.

• With the four assists vs. Navy, Young has 57 for his career, placing him second in the "Cottle Era" in assists behind only Joe Walters, who had 74 assists from 2003-06..

No Time Off From Lax
• For the first time since picking up a lacrosse stick as a youngster Will Yeatman did not take the fall off from lacrosse to play football. The 6-foot-6, 250-pounder has always missed fall lacrosse practice in the past, but due to NCAA scholarship rules he did not practice with the Terrapin football team this past fall. Yeatman will play for the Maryland football team this fall.

• Yeatman asked to try playing midfield this year and has been solid - both offensively and defensively - in the early part of the season. Yeatman had one goal in the season opener at Bellarmine. But Yeatman made his most significant impact as a Terps in the 15-13 win at No. 13 Georgetown on Feb. 27. He scored his first hat trick as a Terp with all three goals coming in a span of 5:47 during Maryland's 7-0 come-from-behind run. Yeatman didn't get another hat trick, but he had two key goals, including an extra-man score, in the 11-10 overtime win vs. Duke at the Face-Off Classic. The entire first midfield failed to register a point in the Towson win, but Yeatman got back on track against Penn with an extra-man assist in the first quarter. The entire first midfield kicked things into gear at UMBC and Yeatman contributed one goal in the 13-7 win.

• While Yeatman's time in the midfield was productive, and provided necessary time for the Terps' younger midfielders to gain experience, his move back to his natural attack position was phenominal. In his first game back starting on attack, Yeatman scored a career high four goals and added an assist vs. No. 1 Virginia.

Attack Ranked Top Unit In Nation
• Maryland has long had one of the best attack units in the nation, but this year, according to Inside Lacrosse at least, the Terps' attack unit is the best in the country. One thing in Maryland's favor is the depth of the unit. The Terps go five deep, all upperclassmen, on attack with senior Will Yeatman, juniors Grant Catalino, Travis Reed and Ryan Young and sophomore Joe Cummings.

• While it is hard to compare units across the country time provides perspective on how good this Terp attack unit is. Since 2004, this attack unit returns with more goals, assists and points than any other, taking into account just the top four attackmen. Take a look (*-returned the following year):

• The unit's total of 138 points is the second-best of the past six years, topped only by the 158 points of the 2006 attack that featured Turnbull Award winner Joe Walters, All-American Xander Ritz and 2007 All-American Michael Phipps.

• The total for the 2009 unit and the returning total is even more impressive when you add the 12 goals and two assists for Cummings. Although he played some midfield as a freshman in 2009, Cummings played crease attack on the man-up unit. Cummings' totals raise the 2010 returning attack totals to 152 points on 85 goals and 67 assists.

• The 2010 unit will be tracked in the chart above to see how they stack-up against the recent Terp attack units. The list was changed after the Virginia game when Yeatman was moved back to attack and Cummings was switched to the first midfield.

Catalino and Farrell Among Tewaaraton Trophy Nominees
• Junior attackman Grant Catalino and redshirt junior long pole Brian Farrell are among 26 student-athletes named as official nominees for the 2010 Tewaaraton Trophy. With what started as a list of over 100 of the nation's top men's and women's collegiate players is now a list of fewer than 50. Of these nominees, only ten will be named as finalists; five men and five women in which only two will walk away with the sport's top honor. All Tewaaraton nominees are screened and selected by two Selection Committees. The Selection Committees are comprised of collegiate coaches, one committee for the men and one committee for the women. The Tewaaraton Award was formally established in August of 2000 and is the pre-eminent lacrosse award, which is given annually to the NCAA men's and women's lacrosse player of the year. This will be the 10th annual awards ceremony and is the "Year of the Seneca". The award will be presented on June 3rd, 2010 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Defense Ready To Meet Expectations
• On paper this year's Maryland defense looks to be one of the best in recent memory, which says a lot about this group of Terps, but also brings with it the pressure of living up to some pretty high standards. Maryland lost only one starter from this unit (2009 senior Mike Griswold), but the core remains in tact with 2009 All-American Max Schmidt returning to anchor the group. Along side him will be junior Brett Schmidt (no relation), who moved to close defense last season before the Duke game and turned in an All-American-caliber season. The third close defender spot was won in the preseason by junior Ryder Bohlander. The defense is sure to provide an offensive boost to the Terps thanks to the return of All-American long pole Brian Farrell, who missed all but three games in 2009 due to injury. The second long pole spot will be filled by senior Dan Halayko, who was the team's top long-stick middie during Farrell's absence. Preseason injuries junior long pole Chris Ready and sophomore Grant Oliver leaves the fourth defender and third long pole spot in the hands of freshman Jesse Bernhardt.

• During the last six 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. In 2008, the Terp defense had six 20+-minute scoring droughts. The 2009 Terps held opponents scoreless for 20 minutes or more eight times, including two separate stretches at Penn.

• Maryland's defense didn't get a 20-minute scoreless stretch at Bellarmine in the season opener, but it did hold the highly-motivated Knights, who were playing for their coach Jack McGetrick to whom the new locker room and concourse plaza was dedicated to prior to the game, off the board for 19:06. The starting close defense of Ryder Bohlander, Brett Schmidt and Max Schmidt combined for five groundballs and four caused turnovers. Junior Scott LaRue made the switch to defensive short-stick in the preseason and got into the scoring act with an assist on Grant Catalino's second goal.

• While the overall defensive stats don't look impressive, the defense came up big when it mattered most in the 15-13 come-from-behind win at No. 13 Georgetown. The Hoyas scored with 7:54 remaining in the third quarter to take an 11-7 lead, but the Terp "D" kept them off the board for the next 15:00 (not allowing another Hoya goal until the 7:54 mark of the fourth). That allowed the offense to go on a 7-0 scoring blitz to take a 14-11 lead. The defense also go into the scoing act at Georgetown. Freshman Jesse Bernhardt scored the fifth goal of the 7-0 run for his first career goal. Junior short stick Scott LaRue got his first career goal in the first half with the assist going to redshirt junior long pole Brian Farrell.

• In the Face-Off Classic vs. Duke the defense was sharp for most of the game, led by senior goalie Brian Phipps who made 15 saves in the 11-10 overtime win. While Grant Catalino scored the game-winner it was really set-up by four defensive players for Maryland. With Duke's Will McKee going for the game-ending goal with 2:01 on the clock, senior Bryn Holmes crashed down on him causing a near-certain goal to be changed to a weak shot that Phipps made a diving save on. With the ball on the turf in front of the Terrapin goal, redshirt junior Brian Farrell raced into the scrum to scoop up the loose ball and start the transition opportunity. He moved the ball up the field and flipped a pass to senior shortie Dean Hart, who in turn made the "one-more" pass to Catalino on the left win for the winning shot. In total, Maryland possessed the ball for eight seconds of the 1:50 played in the overtime.

• The Terps looked like they may get their first 20+ minute scoring drought of the season vs. Towson, but fell a few minutes shy, holding the Tigers off the board for just over 17 minutes in the first half of play. Sloppy, deteriorating field conditions hampered Maryland's aggressive defensive style, but the Terps still managed to hold the Tigers to two goals below their season average in the 12-8 win. Brian Farrell was up to his old tricks with a length-of-the-field charge for a goal and had chances for at least one more goal and a few assists on the day. Fellow long pole Dan Halayko had a terrific game, tying his career-high with four groundballs and setting his personal best with causing three turnovers.

• Maryland's "D" was solid in the Terps' 10-7 win over Penn, holding the Quakers three goals below their season average. Terp defenders were also offensive-minded in the Penn game with Brian Farrell scoring for the second straight game and Dan Burns and Dan Halayko picking up assists.

• The defense helped the Terps snap a three-game losing skid to the Retrievers in Maryland's 13-7 win at UMBC by holding the Retrievers to just seven goals. Brian Phipps was terrific in cage, stopping 12 shots, including nine in the first half of play. Max and Brett Schmidt combined for six groundballs and four caused turnovers, while Bryn Holmes' five-groundball day put him over the 200-groundball plateau for his career.

• Maryland may have dropped its first game of the season at No. 2 North Carolina, but the defense held the Tar Heels to just nine goals, three below their season average. Brett Schmidt had four groundballs and three caused turnovers, while Brian Farrell had two groundballs and one caused turnover. The Terps' "D" also helped on the offensive end with Farrell assisting Dean Hart on the game's first goal.

• Brian Phipps posted a season-best 16 saves, including eight in the first quarter, vs. Virginia. The Terp defense allowed just five goals over the final three quarters to the high-scoring Cavaliers. Brett Schmidt had two groundballs and four caused turnovers and shutout Shamel Bratton while he was guarding him. Max Schmidt and Ryder Bohlander combined for three groundball and five caused turnovers. Dean Hart and Brian Farrell hooked up to score the final goal of Maryland's 3-0 run in the third quarter.

• The "D" was solid in helping toppled Navy for the first time since 2007. Brett Schmidt was once again stellar in holding his assignment, Navy's second-leading scorer Andy Warner, to just one assist and one shot. Max Schmidt and Brian Farrell led the Terps, who won the groundball battle 47-26, with five groundballs each. Jesse Bernhardt has a career high four groundballs, as well. Farrell and Bryn Holmes got into the offense as well, with each tallying an assist in the victory.

Groundball Battlers
• The Terps have been very good so far in 2010 when the ball is on the ground.

• Maryland is currently ranked third in the NCAA in groundballs per game with an average of 37.6. But total groundballs or groundballs per game is only part of the story. The rest of the story is the individual game battles when the ball is on the ground.

• The Terps have won the groundball battle in seven of nine games in 2010. The first game Maryland didn't have the advantage in groundballs was vs. Duke in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. The Blue Devils owned a 42-33 lead in groundballs, thanks in large part to an 11-3 advantage in the third quarter (Maryland outscored Duke, 3-2 in that quarter). Maryland also came up short vs. Virginia, which had a 12-1 lead in groundballs after one quarter, but the Terps fought back and were outdone for the game by four, 34-30.

• Maryland has been especially strong when the ball is on the ground in 6-on-6 situations. If you take out face-offs, Maryland has 251 groundballs (the Terps have won 18 face-offs on violations) for a per-game average of 27.9. Terrapin opponents have 173 groundballs if you take off the 85 face-offs won without a violation (22 total violations). That gives Maryland's opponents with a per-game groundball average of 19.2.

• Overall this season Maryland has a groundball percentage of .552, meaning that when the ball is on the ground a Terp will come up with it nearly 55 percent of the time.

Offensive Defenders
• Through nine games Terrapin defensive players have been surprisingly offensive. So far in 2010, eight Maryland defenders (close, long poles and short-stick d-middies) have scored goals or tallied assists. In total, Terrapin defenders have six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.

• Leading the way, of course, is Brian Farrell. The redshirt junior not only returned to the field after missing most of 2009 due to injury, but he has also returned to his natural spot as a long pole. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Baltimore native, has two goals and four assists so far this year and has 17 goals and 12 assists for 29 career points. Easily the highest-scoring defender in school history, Farrell's 29 points has him 23rd in scoring since 2002 at Maryland (the Cottle Era).

• Short-stick middie Scott LaRue has a bit of an advantage as a defensive scoring threat since he spent his first two years in College Park as an offensive midfielder. But the athletic junior made the switch to defensive short-stick during the preseason and has paid big dividends so far - LaRue has a goal and two assists in the Terps' first three games this season.

• Freshman long pole Jesse Bernhardt got into the scoring act in the Terps' 15-13 come-from-behind win at Georgetown. He scored the team's fifth goal in the decisive 7-0 run. Bernhardt's goal gave the Terrapins their first lead of the game (12-11) at the 13:54 mark of the fourth quarter.

• Senior shortie Dean Hart got into the scoring act in the Face-Off Classic vs. ACC rival Duke. He picked up the assist on the game-winning goal with 2:10 left in the first overtime to give Maryland an 11-10 victory. Carolina schools must be Hart's specialty as he scored the Terps' first goal in the 9-7 loss at No. 2 UNC on March 27. Or maybe it's ACC schools that Hart has on his radar as he scored his second goal (off an assist from Farrell) in as many games in the 11-10 loss to No. 1 Virginia.

• Senior long pole Dan Halayko and junior short-stick Dan Burns (before he was moved to offensive middie) got into the offensive act in the Terps' 10-7 win over Penn. Both guys picked-up assists in the transition game to help lead Maryland to the victory.

• Junior close defender Brett Schmidt added his name to the list with an assist on Grant Catalino's goal at North Carolina, while senior shortie Bryn Holmes also assisted on a Catalino goal vs. Navy.

Consecutive 10-Win Seasons
• Last year's 7-3 victory over No. 7-seed Notre Dame did more than send the Terps into the NCAA Quarterfinals for the seventh time in the past eight seasons. That victory was also the 10th of the year for Maryland, giving it seven straight seasons with double-digit wins. (Special thanks to Patrick Stevens of D1Scourse.com).

• How does that stack up against the rest of the college lacrosse programs? Take a look at programs with at least four-straight 10-win seasons:
Maryland (7): 2009 (10-6), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (10-6), 2006 (12-5), 2005 (11-6), 2004 (13-3), 2003 (12-4)
Navy (6): 2009 (11-5), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (11-4), 2006 (11-4), 2005 (12-4), 2004 (15-3)
Cornell (5): 2009 (11-3), 2008 (11-4), 2007 (15-1), 2006 (11-3), 2005 (11-3)
Virginia (5): 2009 (14-2), 2008 14-4), 2007 (12-4), 2006 (17-0), 2005 (11-4)
Notre Dame (4): 2009 (15-1), 2008 (14-3), 2007 (11-4), 2006 (10-5)
UMBC (4): 2009 (12-4), 2008 (12-4), 2007 (11-6), 2006 (10-5)

The 700 Club
• Maryland's 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 was the program's 700th victory in 84 seasons of varsity men's lacrosse. The Terps join Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Navy and Army as the only programs with 700 or more Division I wins.

• Two things that make Maryland's accomplishment all the more impressive is that the Terps reached the 700-win plateau in just their 84th season. Only Syracuse reached win No. 700 in as few seasons, but it took the Orange 53 more games than Maryland. In fact, Maryland needed only 940 games to reach 700 wins and only Johns Hopkins needed fewer games (932) to hit the historic number, but the Blue Jays did so in their 105th season.

Home Sweet Home
• After playing all of their 2009 home games at Ludwig Field due to the renovations at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium, the Terps return to their true home field in 2010. Maryland is scheduled to play four of its five home games at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium, the lone exception being the mid-week game on March 15 vs. Penn, which will be played at Ludwig Field.

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 48-17 (.738) when playing on the Maryland campus. At Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium Maryland is 29-12 (.707) under Cottle, while the Terps have gone 8-3 (.727) at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex and 11-2 (.846) at Ludwig Field.

Terps' 85th Season Of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 710-240-4 (.746), 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 84 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 10-6. The program reached the 700-win milestone with a 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 at Ludwig Field.

• During the decade of the 2000s, Maryland went 111-49 for a .694 win percentage, making it the winningest decade in Terrapin lacrosse history. In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland posted 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.

Maryland In Season Openers
• Maryland has a 81-3-1 (.959) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 17 openers and 24 of the last 25, 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.)

17 Straight in Season Openers
• After beating Bellarmine to open the 2010 season the Terps have a 17-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), Bellarmine (twice) and Presbyterian. Over the 17-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 222-81 (an average score of 13.8-5.1) in those games.

• The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 17 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.

First-Time Opponents
• Maryland has played 74 different opponents in its 84 previous seasons. The 2010 season will add Colgate to that list. In the Terps' 74 first-time meetings Maryland is 70-4 in those games. Adelphi (12-13, 1982), Army (0-3, 1923), Syracuse (3-10, 1927) and Yale (3-5, 1925) are the only schools to beat the Terps the first time the schools met on a lacrosse field.

Terps Set To Compete At 2010 FIL World Championships
• A pair of former Terps survived the rigorous try-out process and were named to the U.S. men's national team that will represent the United States at the 2010 FIL World Championships in Manchester, England from July 14-24, 2010. Former Maryland All-Americans Joe Cinosky and Brian Dougherty were among the 23 players selected to the final Team USA roster.

• Team USA won't be the only roster with a Maryland presence. Senior midfielder Adam Sear was among the 23 players selected to the Australian National Team that will compete in Manchester.

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 11 sets of brothers, including four on this season's roster, don the red and black together for at least one season.

Harry & Thomas Alford: 2004-05-06-07
Jake & Jesse Bernhardt: 2010
Justin & Owen Blye: 2009-10
Brendan & Ian Healy: 2003-04-05
Bryn & Curtis Holmes: 2010
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: 2008-09-10

• 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.

• The Terrapin family tree doesn't stop there for Brian Phipps. He is the fourth in a line of Phipps that donned the red and black for Maryland. The Phipps-family legacy started in the 1940's with Louis Phipps, who was an honorable mention All-American in 1949. His son, Wilson, was a member of the 1975 Terrapin National Championship squad. Brian is the second of Wilson's sons to play for the Terps. Michael Phipps played for Maryland from 2004-07 and was an honorable mention All-American as a senior after leading the squad in scoring with 50 points.

2010 Captains: Farrell, Holmes and Phipps
• Three players have been named team captains for the 2010 season. The trio, which was voted on by the team during the preseason, consists of redshirt junior Brian Farrell and seniors Bryn Holmes and Brian Phipps. Farrell is the first junior to be named a team captain since 2005 when Bill McGlone was selected by his teammates.

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 2010 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.