#7 Terps Meet #17 Wildcats in Big Ten Semis
11/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The seventh-ranked Maryland field hockey team (17-3) will take on No. 17 Northwestern (13-7) Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals at Indiana University.
• The Terps-Wildcats game will be streamed around the world on the Big Ten Network. Click here to get your channel number for BTN. BTN is available on all major video providers, including DIRECTV, Verizon FiOS, Comcast Xfinity, and about 300 additional video providers across North America. Fans can also watch on BTN2Go, or on the BTN's mobile app, and will be asked to enter their cable login information.
• International fans will be able to watch using their BTN Plus subscriptions here.
• Live Stats will be available and updates will also be posted to the Maryland Field Hockey Twitter feed. Click here for the Big Ten Tournament Central page.
RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
• Maryland won its 15th straight game Thursday with a 3-2 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Fifth-year senior Welma Luus scored twice in the win. She scored her first goal in the seventh minute when she gathered a loose ball and sent it in for the early lead. Michigan State scored once off a corner, then once on a penalty stroke to take a 2-1 lead at halftime. Sarah Sprink tied the game five minutes into the second half, then 32 seconds later, Luus scored the game winner. RECAP | STATS
• The Terrapins racked up numerous honors from the Big Ten conference Wednesday. Head coach Missy Meharg was named Coach of the Year for the Second Straight Year, Sprink was named Big Ten Player of the Year and freshman Linnea Gonzales was voted Freshman of the Year.
• Sprink and Dessoye were unanimous selections to the All-Big Ten First Team. Luus and Gonzales were both named to the Second Team. Senior Shari Jones earned a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
• Fourteen Terrapins have combined to score 67 goals so far this season.
• Thirty-one of Maryland's 67 goals have come off of penalty corners this season. The Terrapins have allowed just eight goals off of corners this year.
• Head coach Missy Meharg became the fourth coach in Division I history to reach the 500-win mark with the Terrapins' victory in October. In her 28 years as head coach, she's led Maryland to a record of 507-122-9 (.802), seven NCAA titles, 21 conference titles and 16 Final Fours.
Scouting the wildcats
• Maryland is 13-6 all-time vs. Northwestern and 0-1 vs. the Wildcats in the Big Ten Tournament.
• Northwestern is 13-7 overall. The Wildcats beat Ohio State, 4-0, Friday in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Isabel Flens and Dominique Masters lead Northwestern with 16 goals apiece this season.
• Maryland won their regular season meeting this year, 3-2, on Sept. 18 in College Park. Anna Dessoye scored twice and assisted on Linnea Gonzales' score in the win. RECAP | STATS
• The two teams met in the Big Ten Championship game in Ann Arbor, Mich. last year. The Wildcats took the first lead 24 minutes in, then Sprink answered back off a corner two minutes later. The Wildcats went on to score twice in the second half. RECAP | STATS
Maryland in the rankings
• Maryland is ranked No. 7 in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, released Nov. 3.
Penn Monto/Division I Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Syracuse (34)
2. Connecticut (6)
3. North Carolina (1)
4. Duke
5. Virginia
6. Wake Forest
7. MARYLAND*
8. Albany
9. Louisville
10. Michigan*
11. Boston College
12. Liberty
13. Stanford
14. Boston University
15. Delaware
16. James Madison
17. Northwestern*
18. Princeton
19. Maine
20. Old Dominion
Three Terps Selected To Big Ten Players To Watch List
• Seniors Anna Dessoye, Sarah Sprink and freshman Linnea Gonzales were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list in August. The full list, click HERE.
• Dessoye was named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List last year as well and made the All-Big Ten Second Team. She led the Terrapins with 19 assists last year and added 12 goals.
• Sprink earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honor last season and was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team. She led Maryland in scoring last year with 16 goals.
• Gonzales, a forward from Bel Air, Md., is a member of the U.S. Under-21 Team.
2015 Team Captains
• Seniors Sarah Sprink and Kasey Tapman were voted co-captains for the 2015 season. This is Sprink's third straight season as captain for the Terrapins. She helped lead the Terps at both ends of the field last season as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and as the team's leading scorer. Tapman is a fifth-year senior that has worked to become one of the anchors of the Terrapins' defensive unit.
"Sarah's daily commitment to hard, gritty work in a high performing training enviroment make her a logical choice as captain," head coach Missy Meharg said. "She has developed to be the type of versatile leader that her teammates rely on. Kasey is the eptitomy of the word selfless both mentally and physically. On the field and off the field, she lives within the four Fs….Family, Friends, Faith, Field Hockey. She is unconditionally loyal and reliable. Both Sarah and Kasey are excellent role models for the new players. They set the tone for how we behave and what our goals are."
TERPS GO B1G
The Terrapins joined the Big Ten conference last year, after playing in the ACC for 31 years. Big Ten field hockey is the largest conference in the history of the sport in the NCAA with nine teams - Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers and Maryland.
• The Terps are 100-33-3 (.746) all-time against Big Ten opponents.
• Head coach Missy Meharg is 83-13-1 (.861) vs. Big Ten opponents in her 27 years at the helm of the Maryland field hockey program.
• The Terrapins won the first Big Ten title for the University of Maryland with a 4-1 win over No. 14 Iowa on Nov. 1, 2014 in College Park.
HOME SWEET HOME
Since its opening in 2003, the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex has provided the Maryland hockey program a huge home field advantage.
• The Terps are 147-17 (.896) all-time at the Complex.
• The Terrapins are 29-1 (.967) vs. Big Ten teams at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. They have won 19 straight matchups at home vs. Big Ten teams, dating back to 2008. Penn State is the only Big Ten team to win at the Complex with a 1-0 victory on Nov. 11, 2007.
• Maryland won 38 straight games at the Complex from Oct.11, 2008 through Oct. 14, 2011. The streak ended with a 5-2 loss to then-No. 1 Old Dominion.
• The Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex has played home to 24 of Maryland's NCAA Tournament games and has played host to three Final Fours (2007, 2010, 2014). The Terrapins are 22-2 in those games and won the 2010 national title on their home field.
PACK THE HOUSE
• The Maryland field hockey team has increasingly attracted more and more fans to the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex season after season. The Terrapins have led the nation in attendance for the last five years - since 2010.
• In 2014, Maryland led the country in attendance with 8,707 fans coming out to see the Terrapins. On average, 670 fans came to each game.
• An NCAA-record crowd of 2,381 came out to watch as Maryland beat North Carolina 3-2 in double overtime for the 2010 national championship at the Complex.
overtime is terps time
During Missy Meharg's tenure, the Terrapins have become one of the nation's most dangerous teams in overtime.
• The Terps are 58-24 (.707) all-time in games that went to overtime or penalty strokes.
• In Meharg's tenure, the Terps are 48-20 (.706) in overtime or penalty strokes games.
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