COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The sixth-ranked Maryland field hockey team opens its 2016 season with two games in the Conference Cup this weekend in Philadelphia. The Terrapins will play at Saint Joseph's Friday at 4 p.m., then will play No. 2 Syracuse Sunday at noon. Both games will be at the Hawks' Ellen Ryan Field.

• Live Stats for both 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.

Scouting saint joseph's

• Saint Joseph's went 9-9 overall last year. The Hawks advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament last year.

• The Hawks return last year's leading scorer, Anna Willocks, who tallied 16 goals last year. She was named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year last season.

• Maryland won the first meeting with Saint Joseph's, 6-2, on Aug. 30 last year in the Conference Cup in College Park. Linnea Gonzales scored twice in the victory. RECAP | STATS

Scouting the orange

• No. 2 Syracuse went 21-1 last season en route to winning the program's first NCAA Championship.

• The Orange lost their top two leading scorers to graduation, but return Roos Weers, who was right behind them with 14 goals scored last year.

• Maryland owns the all-time series over Syracuse, 6-1 and took the last two meetings, which both went to overtime. The Terrapins won 2-1 in OT in the NCAA Second Round in College Park back in 2011. On Oct. 18, 2013, Maryland won 2-1 in overtime in a regular season matchup in College Park.

Maryland tabbed preseason top ten

• Maryland was tabbed as the No. 6 team in the country in the Penn Monto/Division I Coaches Preseason poll released Aug. 23.

• The Terrapins have started the year in the top 10 in each of the last 18 years, since 1999.

Penn Monto/Division I Coaches Preseason Poll
1. North Carolina (16)
2. Syracuse (25)
3. Connecticut (3)
4. Duke
5. Virginia (2)
6. MARYLAND (2)
7. Wake Forest
7. Boston College
9. Albany
10. Michigan*
11. Stanford
12. Louisville
13. Liberty
14. Delaware
15. Princeton
16. Northwestern*
17. Boston University
18. Penn State*
19. James Madison
20. Old Dominion

Three Terps Selected To Big Ten Players To Watch List

• Sophomore Linnea Gonzales, junior Lein Holsboer and redshirt senior Welma Luus were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list earlier this week. The full list, click HERE.

• This marks Gonzales' second straight year on the conference's Preseason Watch List. She was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year last year and also earned NFHCA Third Team All-America honors. Gonzales scored 10 goals with three assists in her rookie season.

• Luus also earned All-Big Ten and NFHCA Third Team All-America honors last year. She led the Terrapins in scoring with 20 goals on the year. Luus helped lead the Terps to the Big Ten tournament title with seven goals in the three-game tournament run.

• Holsboer added six goals, three game winners, and 11 assists in helping the Terps to a 19-4 record and their second straight Big Ten championship.

staff updates

• The Terrapins welcome two new assistant staff members in 2016. Stefanie Fee joins the staff as an assistant coach and Joann Engestrom joins as a volunteer assistant coach.

• Fee played at Duke from 2008-11 and helped the Blue Devils to a pair of NCAA Quarterfinals appearances as a four-year starter on defense. She earned NFHCA Second Team All-America honors in 2011. She is a member of the U.S. national team and competed in the Olympics in Rio this summer.

• Engestrom played at Temple, where she graduated in 2005. She earned Regional All-American, All-Atlantic 10, and All-America East Conference honors during her time with the Owls. In 2003, Engestrom played on the U-23 Junior National Team and the U.S. National Team, training for the 2004 Olympics. Engestrom helped to restructure the Washington Wolves Hockey Club in 2007.

Maryland In Openers

• Maryland is 38-3-2 in season openers and the Terps have won their last 20 straight.

• The Terrapins haven't opened the season at home in the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex since 2000. They've opened 29 of their 43 seasons on the road.

• The Terps are 10-3 in home openers at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex and have outscored their opponents 48-16 in those 13 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 147-17 (.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 in five of the last six years.

• 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.

terps on national teams

• Ten Terrapins, former and present, are currently on USA Field Hockey's national team rosters. 

• Katie O'Donnell Bam is a two-time Olympian. Bam and Jill Witmer competed with Team USA in the Rio Olympics this past summer. Bam led Team USA with five goals.  Ali McEvoy is also a member of the U.S. Senior National Team.

• Junior Carrie Hanks and sophomore Linnea Gonzales are on the U.S. Under-21 Team. Lizzy Dessoye and Kelee Lepage are on the U.S. Under-19 Team.

• Recent Terp alums Anna Dessoye, Alyssa Parker and current senior Delaney Leathers are members of the U.S. National Team system, as alums of the U.S. Under-21 Team.

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 59-24 (.711) all-time in games that went to overtime or penalty strokes.

• In Meharg's tenure, the Terps are 48-20 (.710) in overtime or penalty strokes games.

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