April 2, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The eighth-ranked Maryland men's lacrosse team (6-3) will play at No. 14 Navy (7-3) in a Friday night showdown in Maryland's state capital that could have NCAA-seeding ramifications. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

• The game will mark Maryland's lone appearance this season on CBS College Sports Network this season and its seventh nationally televised game in 2009. In addition to cable and satellite, the game will also be available live on the internet through ACC Select.

• The game between the Terps and the Midshipmen can also be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network's flagship station, ESPN Radio 1300 AM (WJZ-AM) in Baltimore and surrounding areas. Steve Stofberg (Maryland '94) is in his fourth season as the vioce of Terrapin lacrosse. He will be joined in the booth by analyst Dan Radebaugh, who played for Mrayland from 1992-95 and was named the nation's top defender as a senior in 1995.

• Maryland is 6-3 on the season after suffering a heart-breaking 10-9 loss at No. 1 Virginia in the longest game in the history of NCAA Division I men's lacrosse (7OTs). Junior attackman Will Yeatman was a dominant force for the Terps, scoring twice and adding three assists.

• The Midshipmen (7-3) enter the game with one of the nation's top defenses and are coming off of an emotional 10-8 win at Georgetown. Junior attackman Tim Paul leads the Mids in scoring with 17 goals and 12 assists for 29 points. Navy has played three Mids in goal with senior Tommy Phelan picking up the win over the Hoyas with a 15-save performance.

Coaching Match-up
• Now in his 27th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle enters today's game with a 264-107 career record for a 71.2 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 83-37 (69.2) in his eight seasons at Maryland.

• Navy's Richie Meade is in his 15th season at Navy and has a 127-78 (62.0) record with the Mids. He is 154-101 overall in 19 years as a coach for a 60.4 winning percentage.

• Cottle has a 4-4 lifetime record against Navy. In addition his 3-4 record vs. Navy while at Maryland, Cottle led Loyola to a 19-8 victory over Navy in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1993. The 2002 game marked the first meeting of Cottle and Meade as head coaches.

Series History vs. Navy
• The Maryland-Navy rivalry is the second-longest in Terrapin lacrosse history with Maryland holding a 50-31-1 advantage, dating to 1924. The 50 wins are the second-highest number of victories Maryland has against any team. Maryland has defeated Duke 54 times.

• Maryland has won 12 of the last 16 meetings. Prior to 2007's double-OT Terrapin win, Navy had taken three straight by a total of five goals - a 9-6 decision in College Park in 2004, a 9-8 win at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in 2005 and a 7-6 win at Byrd Stadium in 2006. The two teams have played in four-striaght one-goal decisions and eight of the last 10 have been decided by one goal.

• When Navy and Maryland get together it's fair to assume it is going to be a close game. During the past 28 meetings, 16 have ended with a winning margin of one or two goals, including four straight 6-5 Terp victories from 1999-2002.

• The current run of one-goal games was pushed to four in 2008 with a game that could have been dubbed "A Tale of Two Halves." The Mids scored all five of their goals in the first half, while the Terps did the same in the second half, but could only muster four scores to give Navy a 5-4 decision. Jason Carter was tremendous in the second half for Maryland in cage, stopping six Navy shots. Offensively the Terps were led by Dan Groot and Max Ritz, who each had a goal and an assist and Ryan Young, who had a pair of assists.

• In a double-overtime thriller on April 6, 2007 in Annapolis the Terps pulled out a miraculous 8-7 win over the Mids, thanks in large part to three tremendous individual efforts. All-America defender Ray Megill provided the initial spark, getting the Terrapins back in the game after the Mids went on a three-goal run to build a two-goal lead. Megill took his first-ever collegiate face-off, won the ball clean and scored to cut the Navy advantage to one. Navy maintained a one-goal lead as the seconds dwindled down. As the clock neared 0:00, junior midfielder Drew Evans laced a low-to-high shot from 16 yards to send the game into overtime. After the game went to a second OT, sophomore midfielder Dan Groot snapped Navy's three-game winning streak with a tough shot from the left alley.

• The one-goal games continued in 2006 as the Mids pulled out a 7-6 victory at Byrd Stadium on April 8. The game , which was scheduled for April 7, was pushed back a day due to a large thunderstorm. It was another last-second goal that lifted Navy to the win over the Terps. This time it was attackman Ian Dingman scoring the game-winner with just eights seconds left in the game. Joe Walters scored a pair of goals for Maryland, while Bill McGlone, Max Ritz, Dan Groot and Xander Ritz scored the remaining Maryland goals.

• The 2005 game was another of those one-goal affairs as the Mids and Terps battled into the game's final seconds before Navy emerged with a 9-8 win on Graham Gill's game-winning goal with 14 seconds left in the contest.

• The most goals the Terps have ever scored on the Mids in a single game came in 1998's 21-7 Maryland victory.

• This decade the Terps hold a 4-3 advantage in the series, but during the 1990s, Maryland won nine of the 10 meetings, with the only Navy victory coming in 1992, 11-3.

• Maryland has also won all four meetings in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps captured their last national championship in 1975 with a 20-13 win over Navy. Maryland also defeated Navy in NCAA semifinal games in 1971, 1976 and 1979.

Shooting Tells The Story
• The difference between winning and losing for Maryland this season is simple - when the Terps shoot well they win. Coach Dave Cottle is on record saying that good teams will shoot at least 30%. As it turns out 30% is the magic number for the Terps this season.

• In Maryland's six victories this season the Terrapins are shooting nearly 30% (29.8%, 74 goals/248 shots). In their three losses the Terps' shooting percentage is cut to 21.8% (26 goals/119 shots).

• Another standout statistic from Terp wins and losses is man-up conversion percentage. Maryland has converted 10-of-18 opportunities (.556) in its six wins, but is 4-of-11 (.364) in three defeats.

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.

• It was another stout effort for the defense in the 10-9 loss in seven overtimes at No. 1 Virginia. The Cavaliers came into the game averaging 14.2 points per game, but it wasn't until the 84th minute that the Wahoos scored their 10th goal. Mike Griswold had another tough assignment, covering Garrett Billings (4.0 ppg coming into the game), but he held Virginia's leading scorer to just one assist on the day. Sophomores Brett and Max Schmidt were also impressive. Max was assigned Danny Glading and held the All-American to just one goal. Brett was given the task during the overtimes of covering Shamel Bratton and held him without a shot in the overtimes.

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

• Brian Farrell was moved to close defense this season, but that didn'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 making him the highest-scoring defender in school history.

• 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 assists at Towson and Virginia, while his running mate Dean Hart put in a goal vs. Presbyterian.

• Junior Bryn Holmes has two goals on the season, but he scored one while a member of the second midfield. The other he tallied at Virginia (off an assist from Burns) when he was switched back to a defensive short-stick.

Fast Starts
• Since Coach Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002 only 13 players (for a total of 21 times) have totaled 20 points or more in the first nine games of a season. Five of those are on the 2009 team.

• Sophomore Grant Catalino is on an amazing pace. His 33 points on 18 goals and 15 assists is second only to Joe Walters' amazing 2004 numbers (25-14=39). Catalino is also on the list for his 2008 season when he had 14 goals and six assists through nine games.

• Senior Dan Groot is one of only two full-time midfielders on the list. His 21 points on 12 goals and nine assists is only one point behind Bill McGlone's pace in 2005 (17-5=22), when he was named a first-team All-American.

• Will Yeatman has 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists, while attackmen Ryan Young makes the list for a second time with 14 goals and six assists. Young and Travis Reed are also 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 22-game point streak dating back to last year's Providence game. In those 22 games, he has had multiple points in 19, but his string of multiple-point games came to an end at 13 at No. 1 Virginia on March 28, 2009. Catalino's streak is currently the 10th-longest in the nation.

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

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.

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 24 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.

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 699-234-4 (.748), 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 107-45 for a .704 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
• 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 Patrick Fischer with "Men's Lacrosse E-Mail" as the subject and you will receive every update.

• Terps on the Web: For up-to-date game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please log-on to www.umterps.com on the Internet.

• GameTracker: Follow Terps games live in 2009 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.