THE MATCHUP
Sunday, February 24 -- vs. #3 North Carolina, 12:00 p.m.
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- One of the greatest rivalries in women's lacrosse will be renewed on Sunday as No. 2 Maryland hosts No. 3 North Carolina at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium.
OPENING DRAW
• No. 2 Maryland will play in their second-straight top-five matchup on Sunday against No. 3 North Carolina. The game will air live on the Big Ten Network with Dean Linke and Sheehan Stanwick-Burch on the call. The Terps own a 25-14 lead all-time against the Tar Heels, with each of the last each matchups decided by three goals or less. UNC was Maryland's lone regular season loss last season, as the Terps fell 16-15 in overtime in Chapel Hill.
• Seniors Jen Giles and Caroline Steele and junior Kali Hartshorn each scored four goals as the No. 2 Maryland women's lacrosse team (2-0) took down No. 4 Florida in their last gameto give head coach Cathy Reese her 250th win at Maryland. Reese's 250th win as the leader of the Terrapins comes in her 271st game as head coach in her 13th season.
• In the Terps first game of the season, Maryland defeated George Mason, 16-5, behind a career-high five goals from senior Jen Giles. Senior Caroline Steele and junior Kali Hartshorn each had a hat-trick as well to pace the Maryland offense. In her first ever game with the Terps after transferring from Canisius, graduate student Erica Evans contributed with two goals and two assists. Senior Megan Taylor stopped half of the George Mason shots on goal, including four of five in the second half.
HOME DOMINANCE
• Maryland is on a 78-game win streak in College Park and hasn't lost at home since March 10, 2012.
• This is the longest home winning streak in program history, last year eclipsing the previous long of 62 games.
MEET THE TERPS
• The Terps are led by the midfield corps of senior Jen Giles and transfer Erica Evans. Giles leads the Big Ten, averaging 4.5 goals per game over the Terps first two and leads Maryland with 11 points and five groundballs. Evans has scored four goals in her first two games and now has 190 in her career.
• Maryland is once again be backlined by junior goalie Megan Taylor, who has had an impressive start to 2019, posting 19 saves over the first two games and only allowing 8.5 goals per game.
• The attack is spearheaded by senior Caroline Steele and junior Kali Hartshorn. The duo stands right behind Giles with seven goals apiece through two games. Hartshorn leads Maryland with 11 draw controls, while Steele is a perfect three-for-three on free position.
• Senior Julia Braig and junior Lizzie Colson guide the Maryland defense. Both Braig and Colson received IWLCA All-American honors in 2018.
HARTSHORN NAMED BIG TEN OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• After scoring four goals and leading a dominant performance in the circle with nine draw controls in the No. 2 Maryland women's lacrosse team's 17-12 win at No. 4 Florida last Thursday, junior Kali Hartshorn was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
• Hartshorn was one of three Terps that tallied four goals in the win over the Gators to pace the offense. Three of the junior's scores came in the second half, leading to a 10-7 advantage that would help Maryland put the game away.
• In the draw circle, Hartshorn set the tone of the game, giving Maryland possession early on by posting three draw controls in the first 10 minutes to guide Maryland to an early 5-0 advantage. Hartshorn's nine draw controls led the game and paced a 20-11 Maryland advantage in the contest.
NATION BEST NINE TERPS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
• A nation-best nine members of the Maryland women's lacrosse team were selected to Inside Lacrosse's preseason All-Americans lists.
• Graduate midfielder Erica Evans, senior defender Julia Braig and senior midfielder Jen Giles were all named to the first team, senior attacker Caroline Steele, junior defender Lizzie Colson and junior attacker Kali Hartshorn were named to the second team, senior goalkeeper Megan Taylor was placed on the third team, while redshirt junior defender Meghan Doherty and sophomore midfielder Grace Griffin were selected as honorable mentions selection.
TERPS ADD TRANSFER ERICA EVANS
• Maryland added former Tewaaraton Semifinalist and three-time MAAC Midfielder of the Year, Erica Evans, who transferred from Canisius this offseason. Evans will have one year of eligibility to play in College Park.
• Evans holds the Canisius all-time scoring record with 186 goals and was named the MAAC Midfielder of the Year in all three seasons as a Golden Griffin, while also being the school's first ever Tewaaraton Semifinalist as well as a two-time IWLCA All-American and three-time IWLCA All-Region performer.
• The Canada native has represented her home country in the FIL World Cup and World Games, leading the Canadians to two silver medal finishes and earning All-World honors at the FIL games after posting a team-best 19 goals.
MARYLAND WELCOMES NINE IN FRESHMAN CLASS
• Maryland's 2019 rookie class includes attackers Julia Hoffman and Madison Rielly, midfielders Sarah Ayer, Sydney Bender, Hannah Glaros, Kennedy Lynch, Maddie Sanchez and Darby Welsh and goalkeeper Maddie McSally.
• Seven Terps were ranked on the Inside Lacrosse's Power 100 Incoming Freshman list. Hoffman, Lynch, Rielly and Walsh, Maryland's top-50 recruits, competed in the Under Armour All-American game this past summer.
TERPS SELECT 2019 TEAM CAPTAINS
• Maryland has selected seniors Julia Braig, Jen Giles and Megan Taylor as team captains for the upcoming season. All three have played in every game of their Maryland career and are All-Americans. This is the second straight year Braig and Giles will serve as the team's captains and the first time for Taylor.
• Braig is the reigning Big Ten Defender of the Year and a First Team All-American. Giles was also a First Team All-American last season and recently played with Team USA at the Spring Premiere in California. Taylor has backlined for the Terps since the day she stepped foot and is the three-time reigning Big Ten Goaltender of the year. She was the 2017 IWLCA National Goaltender of the Year.
SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
• No. 3 North Carolina stands at 3-0 this season, with the most impressive win coming against then-No. 4 James Madison in their season opener.
• Maryland and North Carolina have an established history, meeting 39 times with the Terps holding a 25-14 advantage. The Terps and Tar Heels met in each the 2015 and 2016 National Championships, splitting the matchups. Maryland has never lost to North Carolina in College Park, leading that head-to-head 11-0.
• Last season, North Carolina took the contest, coming back to defeat the Terps 16-15 in overtime, for Maryland's lone regular season loss of the season. Kali Hartshorn posted a then career-best 11 draw controls while adding two goals to pace Maryland, while Jen Giles (three goals, one assist) and Caroline Steele (two goals, two assists) added four points apiece.
