April 24, 2002
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No. 10 MARYLAND (7-4) vs. No. 13 YALE (9-3)
FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2002 o 7:00 p.m.
BYRD STADIUM (48,055/GRASS), COLLEGE PARK, MD.
TERPS SALUTE SENIORS IN 2002 HOME FINALE VS. YALE
o The Maryland men's lacrosse team closes out its 2002 regular-season home schedule with a Friday night game against No. 13 Yale at Byrd Stadium. The No. 10 Terps will salute their senior class this Friday prior to the 7 p.m. face-off. The No. 10 Maryland Terps come into the Yale game with a 7-4 record, sporting the nation's best defense, allowing just 6.73 goals per game. The Terps have lost all four of their games this season by just one goal and have outscored their opponents, 124-74, for an average margin of victory of 4.55 -- which is fourth best in the nation. Junior goalie Danny McCormick (McLean, Va.) leads the nation in goals against average (6.40) and is 11th in save percentage (.604). Junior midfielder/attacker Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.), leads the team in scoring with 36 points with a team-high 19 goals and 17 assists. Sophomore attacker Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md.) is second in points with 34 on 12 goals and a team-high 22 assists -- which is tied for the 10th most in the nation.
o Yale comes into the game with an 9-3 record and is riding a five-game winning streak after a 17-8 victory over Qunnipiac last Tuesday in New Haven, Conn. The Bulldogs have also reeled off wins over Albany (13-7), Massachusetts (11-9), Dartmouth (12-5) and Harvard (6-5) in that stretch. Yale posted its biggest win of the year with a 15-13 upset win at Princeton on March 30. That win ended the Tigers' 37-game Ivy League winning streak. The Elis are led by junior attacker Mike Scaglione, who has a team-high 27 goals and 46 points through 12 games. In the nets, junior Eric Wenzel has been strong all year with a 8.27 goals against average.
GAME FACTS
No. 10 Maryland:
2002 Record: 7-4 (1-2 ACC)
2002 Rankings: 10th (USILA/Coaches) / 9th (Media)
Head Coach: Dave Cottle (Salisbury '78)
Coach's Record: 188-74 (.718)/20th season
Coach's Record at UM: 7-4 (.636)/1st season
Ass't Coach: Dave Slafkosky (Johns Hopkins '74)
Ass't Coach: Jon Stainbrook (Nazareth '93)
Ass't Coach: Graham Niemi (Maryland '97)
Leading Scorers: Mike Mollot (19g, 17a, 36pts.),
Dan LaMonica (12g, 22a, 34pts), N. Watkins (16g, 5a, 21pts.)
No. 13 Yale:
2002 Record: 9-3 (4-2 Ivy League)
2002 Rankings: 13th (USILA/Coaches) / 13th (Media)
Head Coach: Mike Waldvogel (Cortland State '69)
Coach's Record: 166-142 (.539)/22nd season
Coach's Record at YU: 166-142 (.539)/22nd season
Ass't Coach: Darryl Delia
Ass't Coach: Jason Ouellet (Hobart '01)
Leading Scorers: Mike Scaglione (27g, 19a, 46 pts.),
Ed Britt (21g, 13a, 34pts), S. Kenworthy (16g, 15a, 31pts)
Series Info:
All-Time Series: Maryland leads 5-1
Last Meeting: Maryland win, 10-5 on April 28, 2001
ACC STANDINGS
Team W-L Pct. ACC Pct.
#1 Virginia 9-2 .818 3-0 1.000
#2 Duke 7-5 .583 1-2 .333
#3 Maryland 7-4 .636 1-2 .333
#4 North Carolina 7-4 .636 1-2 .333
This Week's Action:
April 26: Yale at Maryland, 7 p.m.
Duke at Hofstra, 7:30 p.m.
April 27: Virginia at Penn State, 1 p.m.
North Carolina at Fairfield, 1 p.m.
April 30: Butler at Virginia, 3 p.m.
May 1: North Carolina at Hofstra, 7:30 p.m.
A LOOK AT THE 2002 SENIOR CLASS
o The Maryland senior class features nine players who was have played four seasons for the Terps, recording a 40-17 record over that time. The class includes senior captains Andy Burman (Kensington, Md.), Mike LaMonica (Parkton, Md.), Mike Morsell (Hungtingdon Valley, Pa.) and Nate Watkins (Elmira, N,Y.). Joining the captains are fellow seniors Brian Carroll (East Rockaway, N.Y.), Craig Hochstadt (Columbia, Md.), Rob Hoffman (Severna Park, Md.), Carrington King (Crozet, Va.) and Alex Poole (Hunt Valley, Md.).
o Defenseman Andy Burman has served as senior captain in 2002. He has been a stalwart on man-down defense for the past two seasons. In 2001, he helped the Terps to the nation's third-best man-down defense, keeping opponents scoreless on 72 percent of man-down situations. Overall, he has played in 33 games at Maryland including all 11 this season and all 16 last year.
o Brian Carroll has been a face-off specialist for the past three seasons. This season, he ranks among the ACC and national leaders in win percentage, taking 59 percent of his draws. Overall, Carroll has played in 52 games, making 25 starts, including all 11 games this season. He was named to the ACC All-Tournament team last weekend after a stellar performance winning 13-of-19 face-offs against the ACC's top specialist.
o Midfielder Craig Hochstadt has played both attack and midfield during his four years with the Terps. He has recorded 17 goals and five assists for 22 points in his career, seeing action in 48 games. This season, he has equalled his career high with six goals, including one goal in each of the first five games this season. He has five man-up goals in his career.
o Defenseman Rob Hoffman has teamed with fellow senior Andy Burman on the Terps' man-down unit this season. Hoffman has seen his most playing time as a senior, drawing action in all 11 games. Overall, he has played in 23 games in his Terp career all on close defense.
o Defensive midfielder Carrington King has been one of the Terps' ultimate warriors over the past four seasons. King has played in nine games this season, most with a broken wrist and cracked rib. He was named to Inside Lacrosse's list of "Nutcrackers" earlier this season as one of the sport's hardest hitters. Overall, King has played in 48 games, scooping up 37 groundballs while defending some of the nation's top offensive players. He is one of the team's top students and was honored as the WMAR Scholar-Athlete during the Terps' win over Towson on March 9.
o Mike LaMonica has split time at midfield and attack during his career at Maryland. Overall, he has scored 60 goals and totaled 72 points in 56 games. He was a preseason honorable mention All-American in 2002 by Inside Lacrosse and 360lacrosse.com. He has scored in 16 consecutive games and has five multi-point games this season giving him 19 in his career. LaMonica is currently fourth in the team in scoring as a senior with 16 goals and 18 points. He has tallied eight man-up goals and four game-winning goals during his career.
o Attacker Mike Morsell has had a breakout season as a senior captain. He is currently tied with Mike LaMonica for fourth in the team in points with 18. This season, Morsell has posted two hat tricks including three clutch goals in the Terps' 6-5 win over Navy. Overall, Morsell has played in 48 games with Maryland, scoring 22 goals and adding 11 assists for 33 career points.
o Midfielder Alex Poole has been running on the Terps' first midfield for the past two seasons. Overall, he has played in 51 games with 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points. Poole tied his career high with two goals and three points in the Terps' 7-5 win at North Carolina earlier this season. Poole has been a stabilizing force on the midfield through his four years with the Terps.
o Midfielder Nate Watkins has enjoyed his most prolific season as a senior captain. He has set career highs with 16 goals and 21 points running on the first midfield to rank third on the team in points. Watkins has played in all 57 games during his four years in College Park. He scored 29 goals and added 10 assists for 39 points. He has posted his career high of three points on four occasions this season including a career high three goals vs. Virginia on March 30.
FOUR TERPS EARN ALL-ACC HONORS
o Four Maryland men's lacrosse players were named to the 2002 All-ACC team at the league's banquet held at the Durham Hilton on Thursday April 18. Junior Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.) was named to the team for the second straight year. He was joined by sophomore Dan LaMonica (Parkton, Md.), Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) and Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) as members of the All-ACC team. The four honorees mark the most for the Terps since 1998, when they had five members on the team.
o A 2001 second team All-American Howley has been a cornerstone of the Terps' defense which has allowed just 6.73 goals per game -- ranking first in the nation and first in the ACC. Howley is a 2002 candidate for the Tewaararton Trophy as the sport's top player. He has 34 groundballs to go with a goal and assist this season.
o LaMonica has ranked among the national leaders in assists all season and points for the first five weeks. He is currently second on the Terps in scoring with 34 points. He leads the club in assists with 22 -- tied for 10th best in the nation and second in the ACC. He has recorded points in 25 of his 26 career games.
o Mollot leads Maryland in scoring with 36 points on 19 goals and 17 assists. He has five multi-goal games this season including a career high five goals and seven points vs. Towson on March 9. He was named National and ACC Player of the Week after that game. Mollot, who ranks 23rd all-time in career scoring at Maryland, was an honorable mention All-American last season and an ACC All-Tournament pick.
o Passavia has teamed with Howley to form the most dynamic duo on close defense in the nation. He has been lauded for his outstanding checking and been honored with the Ginsu Award by Inside Lacrosse. Passavia is an outstanding takeaway defenseman and has 31 groundballs this season. He scored his first career goal at Bucknell on March 12.
2002 ALL-ACC TEAM
Kevin Cassese, M, Duke
Dan Hauber, D, Duke
Mike Mollot, M, Maryland
Michael Howley, D, Maryland
Chris Passavia, D, Maryland
Dan LaMonica, A, Maryland
Conor Gill, A, Virginia
Chris Rotelli, M, Virginia
Mark Koontz, D, Virginia
John Christmas, A, Virginia
Tillman Johnson, G, Virginia
MARYLAND-YALE SERIES HISTORY
o Friday's game between the Terps and Bulldogs will be the seventh in a series that began in 1925. Maryland has won the last five games in the series.
o The series was dormant from 1959 until three years ago when the Terps traveled to New Haven and defeated the Bulldogs, 9-4 on May 1, 1999.
o In 2000, Yale returned the trip, coming to Byrd Stadium, where Maryland defeated the Bulldogs, 12-9.
o Last season, Maryland returned to New Haven and handed the Bulldogs a 10-5 loss to continue its five-game win streak in the series.
o Back in 1925, Yale defeated Maryland in the first game, 5-3. The Terps came back to win each of the next two meetings. Maryland shutout Yale, 12-0 in 1934 and won that battle played at Maryland, 16-4, 40 years ago.
MARYLAND-YALE SERIES
Apr. 14, 1925 Yale 5, Maryland 3
Apr. 28, 1934 Maryland 12, Yale 0
Mar. 30, 1959 Maryland 16, Yale 4
May 1, 1999 Maryland 9, Yale 4
Apr. 28, 2000 Maryland 12, Yale 9
Apr. 28, 2001 Maryland 10, Yale 5
MARYLAND VS. IVY LEAGUE TEAMS
o In games against teams from the Ivy League, Maryland holds a 98-13-1 advantage, a .879 win percentage.
TERPS VS. IVY LEAGUE
Maryland vs. Brown, Terps lead 15-0
Maryland vs. Cornell, Terps lead 13-2
Maryland vs. Dartmouth, Terps lead 7-0
Maryland vs. Harvard, Terps lead 25-0
Maryland vs. Penn, Terps lead 4-0
Maryland vs. Princeton, Terps lead 29-10-1
Maryland vs. Yale, Terps lead 5-1
INDIVIDUAL TERPS VS. YALE
o Mike Mollot has posted back-to-back six-point games against Yale with two goals and four assists in each of the meetings with the Bulldogs in 2000 and 2001. His 12 points in two games are the highest average any Terp has against a team.
o Mike LaMonica posted a hat trick in last year's game and has four goals in his career vs. Yale.
o Dan LaMonica, Mike Morsell, Alex Poole and Matt Urlock have also scored once against Yale in their careers.
o Goalie Danny McCormick played the final 8:32 at Yale last season and made four saves, allowing just one goal.
o Head coach Dave Cottle has defeated Yale in his only meeting with the Bulldogs and it was a memorable game. He led his Loyola team to a 14-13 overtime victory over Yale in the 1990 NCAA Semifinals to reach his first NCAA final.
TERPS VS. YALE
Mike Mollot 4-8-12
Mike LaMonica 4-0-4
Dan LaMonica 1-1-2
Mike Morsell 1-0-1
Matt Urlock 1-0-1
Alex Poole 1-1-2
TERP DEFENSE CONTINUES TO BE ROCK SOLID
o Maryland has made defense a staple of its success over the past few seasons and 2002 is no different. With All-American candidates and All-ACC selections Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) leading the way, the Terps have allowed just 6.73 goals per game to rank No. 1 in the nation.
o The Terps' goalie Danny McCormick (McLean, Va.) is the nation's best when in comes to allowing the fewest goals. He leads the country in goals against average (6.40) and is 11th in save percentage (.604). He has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, 2001 first team All-American Pat McGinnis, who was ranked in the top two in both categories all of last season.
o Playing key roles on the defense are defensive midfielders Paul Gillette (Severna Park, Md.), Brett Harper (Columbus, Ohio) and Carrington King (Crozet, Va.) along with close defenders Lee Zink (Rowayton, Conn.) and Dave Wagner (Severna Park, Md.).
o Gillette leads the defensive crew with 49 groundballs. Three other defenders also have more than 25 groundballs after 10 games (Howley-34, Passavia-31, Harper-29). McCormick also has 28 groundballs.
o Last season, the Terps were No. 2 in the nation in team defense giving up just 6.31 goals per game.
o Maryland has kept its opponents to less than 10 goals in seven of nine games this season including the Terps' 18-0 shutout of Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 26, which was the program's first in 32 years since Maryland blanked Duke 19-0 on April 20, 1970.
o Last season, in all of Division I lacrosse there was only one shutout as Dartmouth blanked Boston College 12-0 on April 24, 2001.
o The 18-goal margin of victory against the Mount was the largest since a 21-2 shelling of Radford on April 1, 1997.
NATIONAL TEAM DEFENSE
Team GPG (GA)
1. MARYLAND 6.73 (74)
2. Cornell 6.91 (76)
3. Quinnipiac 7.27 (80)
4. Ohio State & Navy 7.33 (80)
Statistics Through April 21
NATIONAL GOALIE LEADERS
Player, Team GAA
1. DANNY McCORMICK, MD. 6.40
2. Justin Cynar, Cornell 7.03
3. Jon Higdon, Navy 7.14
4. Jack Alaimo, Hofstra 7.19
Statistics Through April 21
CARROLL EARNS ACC ALL-TOURNEY HONORS, CONTINUES SOLID PLAY
o Senior face-off specialist Brian Carroll has had his best season at Maryland as the Terps' primary face-off man. He has taken 205 of the team's 234 draws. He has won 121 of them to give him a 59.0 win percentage, which ranks second in the ACC and 15th nationally. Carroll was named to the ACC All-Tournament team after a sensational effort against Duke, winnng 13-of-19 face-offs, mostly against Kevin Cassese, the ACC's top face-off man, who ranks fourth in the nation with a 64.0 win percentage.
TERPS OFFENSE ON THE ATTACK
o With a new offensive system in place under new coach Dave Cottle, the Maryland attack is scoring at a faster pace and taking more shots than in recent years. The Terps have been ranked among the nation's top scoring teams all season, ranking in the top two for the first five weeks of the season. Maryland is currently 15th in goals per game (11.27).
o With its offense scoring 11.27 per game and the defense allowing just 6.73 per game, Maryland is fourth in the nation in scoring margin, winning games by an average of 4.55 goals per game.
o Maryland is averaging 42.5 shots per game after averaging 32.6 last season.
o Maryland has scored 13 or more goals in five of seven victories this season with a season-high 18 coming vs. Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 26.
o The Terps scored 15 or more goals in three straight games and four overall this season. The last time the Terps scored 15 or more in consecutive games came in the first three games of the 1998 season, when they beat Villanova (18-5), Duke (15-9) and Towson (17-6).
o The Terps had back-to-back double-digit victories for the first time since 1994 with a 16-6 win at Bucknell on March 12 and a 16-5 victory over Delaware on March 16. The last time the Terps won consecutive games by 10 or more goals came on March 19 and 22, 1994, when they beat Cornell (19-9) and Ohio State (16-2), respectively. Also, the last time the Terps scored 16 or more goals in consecutive games came during the team's NCAA Tournament run in 1995, when they did it three games in a row: UMBC (16-14), Notre Dame (19-11) and Johns Hopkins (16-8).
o With 15 goals against Towson on March 9, the Terps produced their highest goal total against a top-10 team in four seasons. The last time Maryland scored at least 15 goals against a highly-ranked team came on May 23, 1998, when the Terps piled up a 19-8 victory over No. 1 Loyola in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!
o As Maryland continues to develop its offense, coach Dave Cottle has set a goal for seven players to score at least 10 goals this season (six already have 10 or more: Mike Mollot-19, Nate Watkins-16, Mike LaMonica-16, Dan LaMonica-12, Ryan Moran-12 and Mike Morsell-10). The Terps are well on their way to that goal as many players have surpassed their entire goal totals for all of 2001. Maryland had five players scored 10 goals all of last season in 16 games.
o Through 11 games, 11 Terps have more goals in 2002 than they had in 16 games last season. Seven players have scored goals after not scoring all of last season.
o Senior captain Nate Watkins (Elmira, N.Y.) has a career-best 16 goals in 2002 after just five last season. Watkins came into the season with 13 career goals -- he matched that with his first career hat trick vs. Virginia on March 30.
o Senior captain Mike Morsell (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) has 10 goals after not scoring all of last season. He netted his third career hat trick against Navy on April 5. The 10 goals also equals his single-season best which he accomplished as a sophomore in 2000.
o Junior Ryan Moran (Setauket, N.Y.) has 12 goals -- the first 12 of his career after his second hat trick of the season against Duke at the ACC semifinals.
o Junior Matt Brock (Manakin-Sabot, Va.) has seven goals after scoring just once all of last season.
o Sophomore J.R. Bordley (Vienna, Va.) has scored the first five goals of his career.
SCORING MORE...
Player 2002 2001
Nate Watkins 16 5
Ryan Moran 12 0
Mike Morsell 10 0
Matt Brock 7 1
Craig Hochstadt 6 4
J.R. Bordley 5 0
Matt Urlock 5 0
Willy Passavia 3 0
Sean Leary 1 0
Chris Passavia 1 0
MOLLOT PASSES 100 POINTS, EYES TOP 20 CHART
o With the seven points against Towson on March 9, Mike Mollot became the 30th player in Maryland history to surpass the 100-point plateau. He currently has 53 goals and 70 assists for 123 points in two-plus seasons. He stands six points short of Pat O'Meally (1971-74) for 20th on the all-time Maryland scoring list. O'Meally had 129 points in his career. Mollot is now 23rd all-time in scoring at Maryland. Alan Lowe (1965-67) is next on the list, he had 124 points in his career.
o He is 10 assists shy of the Terps' top 14 in career assists. Brendan Hanley had 80 from 1985-88 to rank 14th.
MARYLAND SCORING LIST
Player Goals Asst. Pts.
1. Bob Boneillo (1977-80) 93 126 219
2. Ray Altman (1961-63) 68 146 214
3. Frank Urso (1973-76) 127 81 208
4. Charles Wicker (1953-56) 78 121 199
5. Jim Wilkerson (1980-83) 117 81 198
10. Jack Heim (1965-67) 85 96 181
15. Rob Wurzberger (1988-91) 137 18 155
20. Pat O'Meally (1971-74) 88 41 129
21. Rennie Smith (1952-55) 55 73 128
22. Alan Lowe (1965-67) 74 50 124
23. MIKE MOLLOT (2000-pre.) 53 70 123
HOWLEY NAMED TEWAARATON CANDIDATE
o Terps junior defenseman Michael Howley is one of 12 players named as a candidate for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the most cherished and prestigious award a varsity lacrosse player can receive and a symbol of excellence in college lacrosse.
o The Tewaaraton Trophy is presented annually following the collegiate season to the top female and male varsity collegiate lacrosse players in the United States. Scholarship money is given to the award recipient's college or university general scholarship fund. The Foundation committee honors Native American heritage with the name "Tewaaraton," the name the Mohawk nation gave to its game and the progenitor of present day lacrosse and has received approval from the Mohawk Council of Elders.
o Every eligible male and female college varsity player in Divisions I, II and III is considered a nominee. Nominations are requested from all varsity coaches. A selection committee comprised of coaches for both male and female candidates oversees the voting process. There are five wild-card spots left open for a new candidate(s) who emerges during the season. The five finalists will be announced in May.
o The Tewaaraton Trophy Awards Dinner will be presented at the University Club of Washington, DC on June 5, 2002 at a banquet honoring the finalists and winners. Hofstra's Doug Shanahan won last year's trophy.
AMERICA'S TEAM
o Of course the sport of lacrosse is a regional one, being played mostly in the Northeast, but Maryland's coaching staff has combed the nation far and wide to compose the 2002 Terp roster which features players from a school-record 11 states. Never before has Maryland had more than eight states represented on its roster. However, the 2002 team includes the first-ever recruits from California and Colorado, giving the team its first Western natives since the start of the program in 1924.
o Coming from California are Peter Ellis and Drew Virk, both of whom are from Ross, Calif., and played at St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco. From Colorado is freshman Mark Foster, who prepped at Kent Denver.
o Add to that freshman Dave Matz, who is the first player from Vermont to play for the Terps, and 11 states are represented in total. Of the 11 newcomers on the roster for 2002, nine different states are represented.
o Two other players on the roster previously were the first recruits from their states, as junior Brett Harper came from Upper Arlington High School in Ohio and junior Sean Leary came to College Park from Detroit Country Day School in Michigan in 1999.
TERPS' 77TH SEASON OF LACROSSE
o The Terps begin the third season of the new century with an all-time record of 623-201-4 (.756), dating back to the first varsity team in 1924 (a team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II). Maryland has finished every one of its previous 76 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 13-3. The program's 600th win came against Duke on April 21, 2000, 7-6 in the ACC Semifinals at Byrd Stadium.
o In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland recorded its most wins in any decade with a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland's win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage.
MEDIA INFORMATION
o Email Straight To You: If you would like the latest Maryland men's lacrosse news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email men's lacrosse contact Jason Yellin at jyellin@wam.umd.edu with the message "Men's Lacrosse Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed about the team.
o Terrapin Fan Phone: The Fan Phone is currently experiencing technical difficulties. It will be rectified soon.
