#3 Terps Set for Season Opener Friday
8/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The third-ranked Maryland field hockey team opens its 2015 season with two games in the Conference Cup this weekend. The Terrapins will play at Temple in Philadelphia Friday at 3 p.m., then will return home to host Saint Joseph's Sunday at 2 p.m. Towson and Temple will play in the first game of the day Sunday in College Park.
• The Terrapins' game against the Owls will be streamed live online here.
• The Terps-Hawks game Sunday will be streamed live on the BTN2Go app, which is the official app of the Big Ten Network. It will be a BTN Plus production and will require an additional subscription. Fans can access all Big Ten content on BTN Plus for $119.95 per year or a $14.95 monthly subscription. A Maryland School Pass for BTN Plus, which includes all Terrapin contests, home and away, on BTN Plus for $79.95 per year or for a $9.95 monthly subscription.
• Live Stats for all four games will be available and updates will also be posted to the Maryland Field Hockey Twitter feed, so "Follow" to get updates sent straight to you.
| 2015 Conference Cup | |||
| Aug. 28, 2015 • 3 p.m. • Philadelphia | #3 MARYLAND at Temple | Live Stats • WATCH • Twitter | |
| Aug. 28, 2015 • 5 p.m. • Philadelphia | Saint Joseph's vs. Towson | Live Stats | |
| Aug. 30, 2015 • Noon • College Park | Towson vs. Temple | Live Stats | |
| Aug. 30, 2015 • 2 p.m. • College Park | #3 MARYLAND vs. Saint Joseph's | Live Stats • WATCH ($) • Twitter | |
Scouting the owls
• Maryland is 17-7-2 all-time vs. Temple and the Terps have won the last 10 straight matchups, dating back to 1995.
• Owls head coach Marybeth Freeman was an assistant at Maryland from 2003-2009, along the way helping the Terps to the 2005, 2006 and 2008 NCAA titles. Temple assistant coach Katie Gerzabek played at Maryland from 2011-2014 and was an NFHCA All-American, as well as a 2011 NCAA Champion.
• Maryland won last year's matchup in College Park, 3-0. Carrie Hanks and Sarah Sprink each scored for the Terrapins. RECAP | STATS
Scouting the hawks
• This is the first-ever matchup between Maryland and St. Joseph's.
• Tori Popinko is the Hawks' leading returning scorer with four goals scored last year as Saint Joseph's went 9-9 on the year.
Maryland tabbed preseason top three
• Maryland was tabbed as the No. 3 team in the country in the Penn Monto/Division I Coaches Preseason poll released Aug. 25.
• The Terrapins have started the year in the top three in each of the last 17 years, since 1999.
• Maryland has been ranked in the top three in 148 of 170 polls since the 1999 season. The Terrapins have appeared in the top five in 165 in those 170 polls.
Penn Monto/Division I Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Connecticut (27)
2. North Carolina (1,042)
3. MARYLAND (999)
4. Syracuse
5. Duke
6. Stanford
7. Albany
7. Penn State*
9. Virginia
10. Northwestern*
11. Wake Forest
12. Louisville
13. Boston College
14. Michigan*
15. Princeton
16. Old Dominion
17. Iowa*
18. Massachusetts
19. Michigan State*
20. Boston University
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."
Maryland In Openers
• Maryland is 37-3-2 in season openers and the Terps have won their last 19 straight.
• The Terrapins haven't opened the season at home in the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex since 2000. They've opened 28 of their 42 seasons on the road.
• The Terps are 10-2 in home openers at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex and have outscored their opponents 47-14 in those 12 games.
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 138-16 (.896) all-time at the Complex.
• 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 56-22 (.718) all-time in games that went to overtime or penalty strokes.
• In Meharg's tenure, the Terps are 46-18 (.719) in overtime or penalty strokes games.
-Terps-
