March 26, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - ACC supremacy is on the line when No. 9 Maryland travels to Charlottesville, Va., to battle No. 1 Virginia Saturday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium. The Terps clinch the regular season conference title and the top seed in the ACC tournament with a victory. For the Cavaliers the game marks the first of three-straight ACC contests.

• The game is the first men's lacrosse game this season to be televised on ESPN2, which reaches more than 90 million homes. Joe Beninati will handle the play-by-play, while Quint Kessenich will provide color commentary.

• Maryland is 6-2 on the season and 2-0 in the ACC after beating then-No. 11 North Carolina, 8-7, last Saturday in College Park. Senior midfielder Dan Groot turned in his second-straight four-point game and earned ACC Player of the Week for his three-goal, one-assist, three-groundball effort vs. the Tar Heels. The Cavaliers (10-0) enter the game as the nation's top-ranked team and are one of two undefeated teams in 2009 (Notre Dame is the other). Virginia, which is just beginning its ACC schedule, boasts the nation's second-best offense and features seven players who have double-digit points this season.

Coaching Match-up
• Now in his 27th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle enters today's game with a 264-106 career record for a 71.4 win percentage, sixth-highest among active coaches with at least 100 career wins. His win total is tied for fourth among active coaches. He is 83-36 (69.7) in his eight seasons at Maryland.

• Dom Starsia, also in his 27th season as a head coach, has won 73.2 percent of his games at Brown and Virginia (295-108) overall record) and is fourth on the active coaches' winning percentage list. His 295 wins ranks him tops among active coaches in overall career Division I wins.

• Cottle has a 8-14 record vs. Virginia. He went 3-5 vs. Virginia while he was the coach at Loyola, but none of the games came against a Dom Starsia-led team. Cottle is 5-9 against the Wahoos while at Maryland. Prior to 2002, the last time Cottle coached against Virginia came in 1991, finishing a run of eight games in a nine-year span.

Series History vs. Virginia
• The Maryland-Virginia rivalry is the third-longest in Terrapin lacrosse history with Maryland holding a 45-36 (.556) advantage, dating to the first game -- a Terps' 10-1 victory on April 24, 1926. The 45 wins are the third-highest number of victories Maryland has against any team. The Terps have defeated Duke 55 times and Navy 49 times.

• Last season the two teams played three times. In the regular-season game the then-No. 4 Terps knocked off the newly minted No. 1 Cavaliers, 13-7, at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Freshman Travis Reed had a breakout performance, scoring a hat trick, assisting on two other goals and grabbing three groundballs. Not to be outdone, goalie Jason Carter made a career-best 15 saves to help seal the victory for the Terrapins.

• The two teams then hooked-up in the 2008 ACC tournament for the fifth straight season and the Cavaliers prevailed with an 11-8 win on their home field in Charlottesville. Grant Catalino led the Terps with three points on a pair of goals and an assist.

• The Wahoos also took the rubber match, a controversial 8-7 overtime thriller in the NCAA Quarterfinals in Annapolis. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Maryland holding a 7-6 lead, Travis Reed appeared to give Maryland a two-goal cushion, but a Cavalier defender pushed Ryan Young into the crease before the goal, nullifying the score. The Cavaliers went on to tie the game in regulation before scoring the game-winner with just 34 seconds left in the first overtime period.

• These two teams locked up in a classic in the semifinals of the 2007 ACC tournament. Maryland jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Cavaliers rallied to take a four-goal lead at 10-6 in the fourth quarter. That's when Maryland stormed back, but the comeback fell short and Virginia was able to hold on for an 11-10 win. Dan Groot led Maryland with five points on four goals and an assist.

• In 2007's regular season meeting, the second-ranked Cavaliers defeated the No. 8 Terps 12-8 in Charlottesville. Wahoo attackman Ben Rubeor scored five goals to pace Virginia, while Max Ritz (3-0) and Michael Phipps (1-2) each had three points for the Terps.

• On April 1 of last season, the No. 1 Cavaliers jumped out early, scoring just 15 seconds into the game, and never looked back, handing Maryland a 15-5 loss at Byrd Stadium. The Ritz brothers, Max and Xander, each scored two goals with Max also picking up a pair of assists. Bill McGlone scored the other goal for the Terps.

• The two schools hooked up again in the ACC title game and again it was Virginia taking the game, this time by an 11-5 margin. Brendan Healy and Bill McGlone each had three points in the loss.

• The 2005 regular season game was tough for the fourth-ranked Terps as they were handed a 10-2 loss at No. 3 Virginia on April 2. The Cavaliers held Maryland scoreless until the 4:51 mark of the third quarter when Joe Walters scored. It was the first time Maryland had been held without a goal in a half since a 7-2 loss at Virginia in 2001.

• Things were a little different in the rematch on April 29, 2005 in the ACC Semifinals. Brendan Healy gave Maryland a 1-0 lead in the first, but the 'Hoos scored three unanswered to take a 3-1 lead. But the Terps stormed back with a 3-0 run of their own on goals from Max Ritz, Healy and Xander Ritz to take a 4-3 lead into the half. The Cavaliers took a 7-5 lead into the fourth quarter, but Andrew Schwartzman and Bill McGlone scored the final to goals in regulation to send the game into sudden death. In the overtime period, freshman Max Ritz proved to be the hero for Maryland, but putting back a rebound off of a Mcglone shot to sent the Terps into the ACC finals with an 8-7 win.

• The 2004 regular season meeting between Maryland and Virginia saw the Terps enter the game as the No. 1 team in the country, the first time Maryland had earned the top ranking since 2001. Maryland lived up to its billing, pounding the Cavaliers 11-2 in College Park. Xander Ritz scored three goals and assisted on another three, while Joe Walters added a goal and three assists. The game was never really in doubt as the Terps opened the game with a 5-0 run. The Maryland defense was stellar all afternoon, holding Virginia's top seven scorers without a single point.

• The Cavaliers would not go so quietly in the 2004 ACC title game. The Terps built a 12-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter, behind a career-high six goals from Joe Walters, who would be named Tournament MVP. But the Wahoos scored four goals in the fourth and shutdown the Maryland offense to close the gap to 12-11.

• Maryland has won three of four meetings in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps topped the Cavaliers in a pair of first round games in 1978 and 1983 and won a 1997 quarterfinal game, 10-9, played at Byrd Stadium. In that last NCAA meeting, Virginia broke its three-game post-season losing streak to the Terps with a 14-4 win in the NCAA semifinals in Baltimore en route to the 2003 national championship.

Terps vs. No. 1
• Since 1978 (the first year rankings were recorded in the Terp media guide), Maryland has played a No. 1-ranked team on 23 occasions and has pulled off the upset six times.

• The most recent occasion of Maryland knocking off a No. 1 team came just last season on Saturday, March 29. The No. 4 Terps controlled the game from the outset and pulled off a 13-7 win over No. 1 Virginia at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Redshirt junior goalie Jason Carter had a career-day vs. the Wahoos, stopping 15 shots. Freshman attackman Travis Reed led the Terrapin offense with a career-best five points on three goals and two assists.

• Prior to the victory over Virginia, Maryland last upset the nation's top-ranked team on March 4, 2006 when the Terps pulled out a thrilling 8-7 overtime victory at then-No. 1 Duke. Xander Ritz scored five goals vs. the Blue Devils, including the game-winner for the Terrapins. The last time the Terrapins faced a No. 1-ranked team was on April 1, 2006 against Virginia. The Wahoos, who would storm through an undefeated season en route to a national title, took that game by a 15-5 margin.

• Before that 2006 win over Duke, the last time the Terps defeated the nation's top team was on May 23, 1998 vs. Loyola in the NCAA Semifinals at Piscataway, N.J. Maryland's Matt Hahn scored five goals to help the Terrapins to a dominating 19-8 win over the Greyhounds, who were coached by current Maryland head coach Dave Cottle.

• Prior to last season, the last time the Terps upset the No.1 team at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium was a 13-11 win over Virginia on March 30, 1996.

Defense Ready To Meet Expectations
• On paper this year's Maryland defense may appear to have some holes, but the 2009 Terrapin defense is looking to uphold the Terps' tradition of great defenses. Sure, the unit lost second team All-American Joe Cinosky, as well as 2008 starters Ryne Adolph and Jacob Baxter, but one look at the talent this year's "D" and you'll see it's more than capable. Sophomore Max Schmidt returns for his second season after starting 10 games as a freshman in 2008. Junior Brian Farrell was moved down low, but don't expect him to curtail his offensive ways. Senior Mike Griswold has secured the third spot and has played well. Sophomore Brett Schmidt and junior Dan Halayko are the team's top two long poles. Senior Chris Rhine can play both long pole and short-stick. The Terps' top shorties will be sophomore Dan Burns and junior Dean Hart, along with several offensive middies who are capable of locking down on the defensive side of the field.

• During the last five seasons, Maryland held its' opponents scoreless for long stretches of game time. The 2004 Terps kept opponents scoreless for stretches of 20 or more minutes eight times. In 2005 Maryland did it on seven occasions, and was just seconds away from keeping the high-powered Duke (1st meeting) and Navy offenses off the board for more than 20 minutes. The 2006 season saw the Terrapin defense do it 10 times in 17 games. In 2007 Terp "D" had 11 20+ minute scoring droughts to its credit in 16 contests. Last season, the Terp defense had six 20+-minute scoring droughts. Already this year, the Terps have put up three 20+-minute scoreless stretches.

• The defense turned in its first shutout quarter of the season in the first quarter of the 18-3 win over Presbyterian. The Terps held the Blue Hose scoreless in the first quarter, allowing the offense to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Overall, Presbyterian was held off the board for the first 25:14 of the game. Maryland also shutout the Blue Hose in the third quarter. Defenders Brian Farrell (1-1=2), Dean Hart (1-0=1) and Brett Schmidt (1-0=1) contributed on the offensive end as well.

• The Maryland "D" was just as stingy against Air Force in the Terps' 15-4 victory. The Terps held the Falcons scoreless for a stretch of 23:42, spanning the second, third and fourth quarters. Maryland also shutout Air Force in the third for its third scoreless quarter of the season. Brian Farrell scored a goal to extend his scoring streak to five games, dating back to last season. Danny Burns scored his first career goal and tacked on another for multiple-point game for a Terp defender. After scoring a goal in the opener, Brett Schmidt showed he can dish too, picking up his first-career assist.

• The defense was thrown a curve ball just days prior to the Duke game when Maryland learned that Brian Farrell would miss the game after being admitted to Shock Trauma due to complications with a pair of broken ribs. To fill Farrell's void, the Terps moved sophomore Brett Schmidt from his normal long pole spot to close defense, junior Dan Halayko to the top long pole slot and switched junior Dean Hart from short-stick to long pole. The changes worked as the Terps held the Blue Devils in check, allowing just eight goals.

• The defense was stout again against a determined Towson team. After the Tigers took a 1-0 lead, the Terrapin defense held Towson to just one goal over the next 31:56, allowing the offense to take control of the game and build a 6-2 lead. Mike Griswold and Brett Schmidt each had two groundballs and two caused turnovers, while Jeff Reynolds led the team with five GBs to go along with two caused turnovers.

• Bryant came into College Park averaging nearly 12 goals per game and had the NCAA's all-time leading goal scorer, Zack Greer, leading its attack. But the Terps were up to the challenge, limiting the Bulldogs to just six goals in a 13-6 Maryland win. Mike Griswold was given the assignment of marking Greer and Griswold was solid, holding him to just a pair of scores and no assists. For the game the Terps harassed the Bulldogs into 32 turnovers, including 16 that were directly caused by a Maryland player. Brett Schmidt was outstanding for the Terps, causing a career-best four turnovers.

• The defense was already short-handed coming into the North Carolina game. Brian Farrell was still out due to the injury sustained in the Air Force game. But it got a lot worse for the Terps during the week leading up to the UNC game. Brian Phipps, Bryn Holmes and Brett Schmidt all were injured during the week and did not play. Sophomore Ryder Bohlander stepped in and replaced Schmidt at close defense, but he went down less than five minutes into the first quarter and was unable to return. That's when senior Anthony Costanzo came into the game and turned in the finest perfomance of his career, holding UNC's Gavin Petracca without a point and causing a career-best three turnovers. As a team, Maryland limited the high-powered Tar Heel offense, which entered the game scoring more than 13 goals per game, to a season-low seven goals.

Offensive Defenders
• Through eight games Terrapin defensive players have been surprisingly offensive. So far in 2009, four Maryland defenders (close, long poles and short-stick d-middies) have scored goals or tallied assists.

• Leading the way, of course, is Brian Farrell. The junior was moved to close defense this season, but that hasn't stopped him from charging up the field to create offense. He leads the defense with two goals and an assists and is actually tied for fifth on the squad in points. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Baltimore native, has 15 goals and eight assists for 23 career points. Easily the highest-scoring defender in school history, Farrell's 23 points ranks 25th since 2002 at Maryland (the Cottle Era).

• Sophomore long pole Brett Schmidt seems to be taking a page out of Farrell's playbook. He scored a goal in the 2008 finale against Virginia and has picked up right where he left off. This season Schmidt scored a goal in the opener vs. Presbyterian and added an assist vs. Air Force.

• Sophomore short-stick Danny Burns scored two goals vs. Air Force and added an assist at Towson, while his running mate Dean Hart put in a goal vs. Presbyterian.

Fast Starts
• Since Coach Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002 only 13 players (for a total of 19 times) have totaled 18 points or more in the first eight games of a season. Five of those are on the 2009 team.

• Sophomore Grant Catalino is on an amazing pace. His 32 points on 18 goals and 14 assists is second only to Joe Walters' amazing 2004 numbers (22-13=35). Catalino is also on the list for his 2008 season when he had 13 goals and five assists through eight games.

• Senior Dan Groot is one of only two full-time midfielders on the list. His 20 points on 11 goals and nine assists is only one point behind Bill McGlone's pace in 2005 (16-5=21), when he was named a first-team All-American.

• Will Yeatman has 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists, while attackmen Ryan Young and Travis Reed are on the list for their freshman seasons in 2008.

Streaking Terps
• Entering the 2009 season there are several scoring streaks that carry over from 2008 and they have continued in '09.

• Grant Catalino is currently on an 21-game point streak dating back to last year's Providence game. In those 21 games, he has had multiple points in 19 with a current multiple-point streak of 13, dating back to the Hopkins game. Catalino's streak is currently the 10th-longest in the nation.

• Dan Groot has the next-longest point-scoring streak for the Terps at eight games

• Ryan Young had scored at least one point in each of the six games he's played in this season, but his point-scoring streak came to an end vs. North Carolina.

Home Cooking
• A lot is made in sports about the home-field advantage, and for the Maryland men's lacrosse team that advantage has held true since Coach Cottle arrived in College Park. Since 2002, the Terps are 44-16 (.733) when playing on the Maryland campus. At Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium Maryland is 27-11 (.711) under Cottle, while the Terps have gone 8-3 (.727) at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex and 9-2 (.818) at Ludwig Field.

First-Time Opponents
• Maryland has played 71 different opponents in its 83 previous seasons. The 2009 season adds Presbyterian, Bryant and Binghamton to that list. In the Terps' 73 first-time meeting, including the 18-3 win over Presbyterian and the 13-6 victory over Bryant, Maryland is 69-4 in those games. Adelphi (12-13, 1982), Army (0-3, 1923), Syracuse (3-10, 1927) and Yale (3-5, 1925) are the only schools to beat the Terps the first time the schools met on a lacrosse field.

Terps' 84th Season Of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 699-233-4 (.749), 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 83 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 10-6. The program reached the 650-win milestone with a 16-12 win over Army in the first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament at Byrd Stadium.

• Since 2000, Maryland is 107-44 for a .709 win percentage. In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland posted 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.

Yeatman among Tryout Pool For Team USA
• Junior attackman Will Yeatman is one of 84 players selected to try out for the 2010 U.S. men's national team that will compete FIL World Championships in Manchester, England. Yeatman is among 11 current college players selected from more than 200 applications.

• Joining Yeatman in the tryout pool are six former Terrapins: Joe Walters (attack), Bill McGlone (midfield), Joe Cinosky (defense), Chris Passavia (defense), Lee Zink (defense) and Brian Dougherty (goalie).

• The tryouts will be held from June 7-10, 2009 at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I. Following the tryout weekend, the group will be trimmed to approximately 40 players that will compete in three training weekends during the fall of 2009. After those three weekends, the roster will be cut to the FIL-mandated size of 23 players.

Terps in Pro Stadiums
• Maryland has played nine games in an NFL stadium. All-time the Terps are 5-4 in professional stadiums. Earlier this season Maryland topped Duke, 11-8, at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium.

• In 2005, Maryland was 3-1 in NFL stadiums - 1-1 at Lincoln Financial Field and 2-0 at M&T Bank Stadium.

• In 2006, the Terps were 1-1 at M&T Bank Stadium, defeating North Carolina, 10-9, in the ACC semis at M&T Bank Stadium before dropping an 11-5 decision to Virginia in the finals. Maryland then lost to UMass, 8-5, at Lincoln Financial Field in the NCAA Semifinals.

• Maryland lost to Virginia in the 2003 NCAA Semifinals in M&T Bank Stadium.

Maryland In Season Openers
• Maryland has a 80-3-1 (.958) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 16 openers and 23 of the last 24, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993, when they fell to Duke 9-5 on March 6.

• After losing their 1925 opener to Yale, 5-3, the Terps went on to win 40 consecutive season openers from 1926 through 1967. The streak was broken when Maryland tied Princeton, 6-6, in the 1968 opener. Following the deadlock, Maryland went on to win its next 14 openers, giving the Terps a 54-0-1 record over a 57-year span (Maryland did not field a team in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.)

16 Straight in Season Openers
• After beating No. 4 Georgetown to open the 2008 season the Terps have a 15-game winning streak in season openers. Five of those wins came against Villanova (1994-98) and the last nine over Denver, Mount St. Mary's, Air Force, Hobart, Duke, Georgetown (four times), Bellarmine and Presbyterian. Over the 16-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 222-81 (an average score of 13.8-5.1) in those games.

• The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 16 years. Maryland has not allowed an opponent to score 10 or more goals in a season opener since Syracuse beat the Terps, 16-13 on March 9, 1983.

A Family Affair
• Many school's refer to their sports programs as families, but under Coach Cottle the Maryland men's lacrosse program has really become a family affair. Since arriving in College Park in 2002, Cottle has had nine sets of brothers don the red and black together for at least one season.

Harry & Thomas Alford: 2004-05-06-07
Justin & Owen Blye: 2009
Brendan & Ian Healy: 2003-04-05
Bryn & Travis Holmes: 2007
Dan & Mike LaMonica: 2002
Chris & Willy Passavia: 2002-03
Brian & Michael Phipps: 2007
Max & Xander Ritz: 2005-06
Mark & Michael White: 2008-09

• Maryland's family tradition doesn't end with brothers. Fathers and sons are also part of the Terps' tradition and that's never been more evident than this season. This year's Maryland men's lacrosse roster features three players whose father's not only played at Maryland, but won a nation title together. Mike Farrell, father of Brian, Wilson Phipps, father of Brian, and Jake Reed, father of Travis, were all members of the Terps' 1975 NCAA championship squad.

• The Terrapin family tree doesn't stop there for Brian Phipps. He is the fourth in a line of Phipps that donned the red and black for Maryland. The Phipps-family legacy started in the 1940's with Louis Phipps, who was an honorable mention All-American in 1949. His son, Wilson, was a member of the 1975 Terrapin National Championship squad. Brian is the second of Wilson's sons to play for the Terps. Michael Phipps played for Maryland from 2004-07 and was an honorable mention All-American as a senior after leading the squad in scoring with 50 points.

Home Away From Home
• Due to the renovations currently underway at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium, the Terps will play their five scheduled home games at Ludwig Field. It is anticipated that the Terrapins will return to Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium in 2010.

2009 Captains: Carter, Griswold, Groot, Rhine, Sieverts
• Five players have been named team captains for the 2009 season. The quintet, which was voted on by the team during the preseason, consists of seniors Jason Carter, Mike Griswold, Dan Groot, Chris Rhine and Jeremy Sieverts.

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Media Information
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