April 29, 2012

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The 2011 national champion Maryland field hockey team released its 2012 schedule this week. The Terrapins will play host to Atlantic Coast Conference foes Boston College and Duke and a rematch with its 2011 title game opponent, North Carolina.

The Terrapins will welcome the US Under-21 National Team to College Park for an exhibition Aug. 18. Current Terrapins Maxine Fluharty, Katie Gerzabek, Natalie Hunter, Ali McEvoy and Jill Witmer are all members of the Under-21 Team.

Maryland will play eight games against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams, four of them at home at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. Maryland will also welcome two Terrapin alums, Meredith Long and Carla Tagliente, and their respective teams, Rutgers and Massachusetts, back to College Park.

"The 2012 schedule is exciting and exceedingly competitive. Playing an exhibition match against our US Under-21 Team during preseason camp will serve as a good marker for our 2012 run," head coach Missy Meharg said. "Opening weekend with Cal Berkeley and Stanford is a perfect competitive gateway into our traditional matches within the ACC, Old Dominion, Princeton and American. We are excited to welcome Terp alums, head coaches Carla Tagliente and Meredith Long back to their alma mater."

Over 8,500 fans came out to see the Terrapins play at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex in 2011, which helped the Terps lead the ACC in attendance once again.

In 2012, Maryland will play five games against four teams ranked in the top 10 of the final 2011 Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches poll. A total of eight teams ranked in the final top 20 are on the Terps' schedule this year.

The Terrapins will open the season with a tough slate. They begin with a west coast trip to face California and Stanforrd Aug. 24-26. They return home to face Old Dominion, who the Terrapins topped in the NCAA Semifinal in November, Aug. 31, then NCAA Tournament team Ohio State Sept. 2.

Maryland closes the season with a five-game home stand, which includes UC Davis, Towson, North Carolina, American and Virginia Commonwealth.

North Carolina will play host to the 2012 ACC Tournament Nov. 1-4. The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be played at various campus sites Nov. 10-11, with the NCAA Semifinals Nov. 16 and Finals Nov. 18 in Norfolk, Va.

For the Terps' full schedule, log on to /ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=29700&ATCLID=208113846.