May 13, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The unseeded Maryland Terrapins (10-6) will take on No. 2 seed Syracuse (13-2) in the NCAA Quarterfinals this Saturday at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. Face-off is set for 12 noon in a game that will be televised live on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESNP360.com. Dave Ryan will be on play-by-play with Quint Kessinich providing the analysis.

• The Terps are making their 32nd NCAA Tournament appearance, the second most of any school in NCAA history. The Orange is not far behind. This is the 29th appearance in the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament for Syracuse. Both teams earned at-large bids into this year's field. Maryland's defense, which ranks fifth in the NCAA with a 7.5 goals allowed average, will be tested by the Orange offense, which is second in the NCAA at 13.0 goals per game. Both teams are proficient extra-man units. Maryland ranks second (.489), while the Orange check in at No. 3 (.465).

• The winner of the Maryland/Syracuse game will advance to the Final Four next weekend in Foxborough, Mass., and will face on the winner of the No. 3 Duke (14-3)/No. 6 North Carolina (12-5) game on Saturday, May 26 at Gillette Stadium. The Blue Devils and the Tar Heels play in Annapolis, Md., on Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Maryland's 32nd Time at NCAA's
• Maryland is making its 32nd overall NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009. The Terps have played in the second-most tournaments since the event began in 1971. Only Hopkins has played in more with 37. Virginia is also making its 32nd NCAA appearance.

• In the quarterfinals of the tournament, the Terrapins have a 19-9 (.679) record overall. The last time the Terps advanced to the quarters was last season. Maryland, the No. 7 seed, battled No. 2 seed Virginia for the third time in 2008 and the game was a classic, but in the end it was the Cavaliers advancing with a 9-8 overtime victory.

• The Terps have captured two NCAA championships, 1973 and 1975, and have reached the NCAA Semifinals 19 times, including three of the last six years.

Maryland's Record In NCAA's
• The Terps have won the third-most Division I NCAA Tournament games, compiling a 41-29 overall record in 70 games. Only Johns Hopkins (65-28) and Syracuse (54-18) have won more Division I tournament games.

• Maryland is fifth by percentage (.586) among all teams ever to play in the tournament. Only Syracuse (55-18, .753), Princeton (30-11, .732), Johns Hopkins (65-28, .699) and Virginia (40-27, .597) are ahead of the Terps.

• The Terps have captured two titles. Only six other schools have ever won the NCAA Championship: Johns Hopkins (9), Syracuse (9), Princeton (6), North Carolina (4), Virginia (4) and Cornell (3) and all of them have advanced to this year's quarterfinal round.

Maryland Unseeded in the Tournament
• This year marks the first time that Maryland has been unseeded since 1997 and just the fourth time overall since the tournament began in 1972. The Terps are 4-3 all-time as an unseeded team in the tournament.

• In addition to 1997, the Terps were previously unseeded in 1993 and 1994. In those first two unseeded-years Maryland lost its first round game to the No. 8-seeded team, which were Army and Duke, respectively. The Terrapins were much more successful in 1997, advancing to the NCAA championship game. Maryland defeated No. 7-seed Georgetown in the first round before knocking off No. 2 Virginia in the quarters. In the 1997 Final Four Maryland upset No. 3 Syracuse, but couldn't topple No. 1-seed Princeton in the finals.

Maryland vs. The No. 2 Seed
• This marks the 12th time that Maryland has faced the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Maryland is 3-9 all-time when playing the No. 2 seed.

• The Terps previously played the No. 2 seed in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1991, 1998, 2003 and 2008. In 1971, the first year for the NCAA tournament, the Terps topped No. 2 Navy 10-7. Maryland then won its first NCAA title in 1973 by defeating No. 2 Johns Hopkins, 9-8 in two overtimes. The Terps lost their next six meetings with the second seed before topping No. 2 Brown, 16-13, in 1991. Maryland advanced to the title game in 1991, but lost to No. 2 seed Princeton 15-5. In 2003, Virginia defeated Maryland, 14-4, in the semifinals in Baltimore. Last season it was again the Cavaliers that ended the Terps' season thanks to a 9-8 Wahoo victory in overtime in Annapolis, Md.

• This will mark the first time that Maryland has played the No. 2 seed as an unseeded team.

Cottle in the NCAA Tournament
• This is Dave Cottle's seventh NCAA Tournament appearance as the head coach of Maryland. He is coaching his 21st team to the NCAA Tournament, with the first 14 coming during his stint at Loyola. All 14 of his appearances with the Greyhounds came consecutively starting with the 1988 season and going through the 2001 campaign.

• Overall, Cottle is 17-20 in NCAA Tournament games, which ranks him fifth among all coaches in the 2009 tournament in wins. Only Princeton's Bill Tierney (30), Virginia's Dom Starsia (28), Syracuse's John Desko (27) and Hopkins' Dave Pietramala (20) have more tournament wins to their credit among this year's crop.

• With his 21st tournament appearance, Cottle is tied for first place on the all-time list for most NCAA Tournament Division I appearances as a head coach with Virginia's Dom Starsia. Syracuse's Roy Simmons Jr. and Towson's Tony Seaman are second with 19. With his streak of 14-consecutive tournaments while at Loyola, Cottle is behind only to Simmons Jr. (19) and Bill Tierney (15), for the longest-consecutive steak.

• Cottle has led his teams to the NCAA Quarterfinals on 17 occasions and to the NCAA semifinals five times, making an appearance in the 1990 championship game where Loyola fell to Syracuse, 21-9. He also reached the NCAA semifinals as the No. 1 seed with Loyola, but lost to Maryland, 19-8, at Byrd Stadium on May 23, 1998. At Maryland he has now lead the Terps to three semifinal berths, falling to eventual champion Virginia, 14-4, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on May 24, 2003, a 18-9 loss to No. 2 seed Duke, 18-9, on May 28, 2005, and an 8-5 loss to UMass in 2006.

Consecutive 10-win Seasons
• Last week's 7-3 victory over No. 7-seed Notre Dame did more than send the Terps into the NCAA Quarterfinals for the seventh time in the past eight seasons. That victory was also the 10th of the year for Maryland, giving it seven straight seasons with double-digit wins. (Special thanks to Patrick Stevens of the Washington Times).

• How does that stack up against the rest of the college lacrosse programs? Take a look at programs with at least four-straight 10-win seasons:

Maryland (7): 2009 (10-6), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (10-6), 2006 (12-5), 2005 (11-6), 2004 (13-3), 2003 (12-4)
Navy (6): 2009 (11-5), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (11-4), 2006 (11-4), 2005 (12-4), 2004 (15-3)
Cornell (5): 2009 (11-3), 2008 (11-4), 2007 (15-1), 2006 (11-3), 2005 (11-3)
Virginia (5): 2009 (14-2), 2008 14-4), 2007 (12-4), 2006 (17-0), 2005 (11-4)
Notre Dame (4): 2009 (15-1), 2008 (14-3), 2007 (11-4), 2006 (10-5)
UMBC (4): 2009 (12-4), 2008 (12-4), 2007 (11-6), 2006 (10-5)

Coaching Match-up
• Now in his 27th season as a head coach, Dave Cottle enters today's game with a 268-110 career record for a 70.9 win percentage, sixth-highest among active coaches with at least 100 career wins. His win total is fifth among active coaches. He is 87-40 (68.5) in his eight seasons at Maryland.

• John Desko is in his 11th season as a head coach, all of them coming at the helm of the Syracuse Orange. During his 11 years as a head coach he has compiled a 131-42 (.757) career record. Desko has been a part of the Orange program for the past 34 years. He was a player from 1976-79 and was assistant coach 19 years (1980-98).

• Cottle has an 4-11 career record vs. Syracuse, all coming during his 19 years as the head coach at Loyola. Cottle is 0-3 all-time vs. the Orange in the NCAA Tournament (1990, 1997 & 1999). Against Desko-coached SU teams, Cottle is 2-2 (wins in 1999 and 2001 regular seasons; losses in 1999 tournament and 2000 regular season).

Series History vs. Syracuse
• Maryland holds an 8-5 advantage in its all-time series vs. Syracuse, dating back to 1927. In NCAA Tournament play Syracuse leads the series 3-2.

• The two teams played four times in an 11-year span from 1927 to 1937 with Maryland taking three straight after Syracuse won the first-ever meeting.

• The two storied programs did not play again until 1954 when the Terps took a 16-9 decision in College Park. The Orange travelled south again in 1956 and the result was the same - a lopsided Maryland victory (24-4).

• Maryland and Syracuse played only once in the 1960's. That was in 1960 and again it was a Terrapin win by a 22-7 margin.

• The 1979 season was the first time the Terps and Orange battled in the NCAA Tournament. Playing in Byrd Stadium, the No. 2-seeded Terrapins were able to get past the No. 7-seeded Orangemen, 16-13.

• The last time Maryland and Syracuse played in the regular season was 1983. Syracuse took the season opener over the Terrapins, 16-13. The two programs also met in the NCAA Tournament that season and the Orangemen defeated Maryland again, 12-5, in the semifinals at Rutgers Stadium. Syracuse would go on to win the National Championship with a 17-16 win over Johns Hopkins.

• Six years later the setting was nearly the same and so was the result. Maryland hosted Syracuse at Byrd Stadium in the 1989 semifinals and again it was the Orangemen taking an 18-8 victory. SU would go on to win the title with a championship-game victory over Hopkins.

• The two teams met again in the 1995 tournament, but this time it was in the NCAA finals at Byrd Stadium. Syracuse won its fourth-straight over the Terps, 13-9, claiming its sixth national championship. Matt Hahn had four goals and an assist for Maryland in the loss.

• The last time these two teams met was the semifinals of the 1997 tournament. The unseeded Terps snapped the four-game losing skid to the Orangemen, toppling third-seeded Syracuse 18-17. Matt Hahn had three goals, including the game-winner, and an assist for the Terps, while Casey Powell and Rob Kavovit each had four goals for SU.

The 700 Club
• Maryland's 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 was the program's 700th victory in 84 seasons of varsity men's lacrosse. The Terps join Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Navy and Army as the only programs with 700 or more Division I wins.

• Two things that make Maryland's accomplishment all the more impressive is that the Terps reached the 700-win plateau in just their 84th season. Only Syracuse reached win No. 700 in as few seasons, but it took the Orange 53 more games than Maryland. In fact, Maryland needed only 940 games to reach 700 wins and only Johns Hopkins needed fewer games (932) to hit the historic number, but the Blue Jays did so in their 105th season.

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 10 victories this season the Terrapins are shooting nearly 30% (29.2%, 115 goals/394 shots). In their six losses the Terps' shooting percentage is cut to 22.3% (49 goals/220 shots).

• Another standout statistic from Terp wins and losses is man-up conversion percentage. Maryland has converted 15-of-26 opportunities (.556) in its eight wins, but is 8-of-18 (.389) in six defeats.

Get To 10 And Win
• One of the things Coach Cottle often says is that if the Terps score 10 goals or more the chances of winning are pretty good. Well, a look at the results since Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002 shows that when Maryland scores 10 or more goals there's not just a pretty good chance the Terrapins will win; it's an almost certainty. Since 2002 Maryland has won 61 of the 66 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .924 winning percentage.

• This season the Terps lost to Georgetown, 13-10 on Feb. 21 and lost again when scoring 10 in the ACC Semifinals in a 16-10 defeat at North Carolina. Prior to that, Maryland had not lost when scoring 10 or more goals since dropping an 11-10 decision to Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C. The Terrapins got to 10 goals in the 100th game against Johns Hopkins, but the Blue Jays took the game 14-10. Virginia is the only team to beat the Terps twice when allowing 10 or more goals. The Wahoos did it first in 2002 with another 11-10 decision.

Terps vs. No. 1
• Syracuse may be the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but according to the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll the Orange at the No. 1 team in the country. 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.

• 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.

Defensive Dominance on Display In First Round
• Maryland's defense was dominating in the Terps' first round upset of previously unbeaten and No. 7-seed Notre Dame. Patrick Stevens of the Washington Times researced the following: "It marked only the third time in tournament history that a higher seeded team scored three goals or less at home; the others were 1984 Virginia (a fourth seed that lost 11-2 to fifth-seeded North Carolina) and 1992 Navy (an eighth seed that fell 9-3 to unseeded Yale). There is another instance of a home team getting almost entirely shut down. Seventh-seeded Duke was forced to play at unseeded Hobart in 2000, then promptly eviscerated the Statesmen 13-1."

• Stevens also provided the following chart showing the fewest goals allowed in an NCAA Tournament game:

0: No. 2 Cornell 14, No. 7 Washington & Lee 0 (1976 quarterfinals)
1: No. 3 Maryland 10, No. 6 Air Force 1 (1971 quarterfinals)
1: No. 7 Duke 13, Hobart 1 (2000 first round)
2: No. 1 Cornell 12, No. 8 Washington & Lee 2 (1978 quarterfinals)
2: No. 1 North Carolina 16, No. 8 Navy 2 (1982 quarterfinals)
2: No. 5 North Carolina 11, No. 4 Virginia 2 (1984 quarterfinals)
2: No. 1 Hopkins 14, Army 2 (2003 first round)
3: No. 4 Army 19, No. 5 Hofstra 3 (1971 quarterfinals)
3: No. 1 Maryland 9, No. 8 Rutgers 3 (1972 quarterfinals)
3: No. 2 Virginia 10, No. 7 Army 3 (1972 quarterfinals)
3: No. 1 Hopkins 10, No. 8 Delaware 3 (1984 quarterfinals)
3: No. 5 Harvard 9, Notre Dame 3 (1990 first round)
3: No. 4 North Carolina 18, No. 5 Harvard 3 (1990 quarterfinals)
3: Yale 9, No. 8 Navy 3 (1992 first round)
3: No. 5 Syracuse 12, Army 3 (1996 first round)
3: No. 6 Cornell 12, Stony Brook 3 (2002 first round)
3: No. 1 Hopkins 15, Providence 3 (2004 first round)
3: No. 4 Hopkins 13, Penn 3 (2006 first round)
3: No. 1 Duke 18, Providence 3 (2007 first round)
3: No. 3 Hopkins 8, Delaware 3 (2007 semifinals)
3: No. 3 Syracuse 20, Canisius 3 (2008 first round)
3: Maryland 7, No. 7 Notre Dame 3 (2009 first round)

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 eight 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.

• The defense had some tremendous efforts turned in during the 10-9 loss to Johns Hopkins at the inaugural Smartlink Day of Rivals. Sophomore Max Schmidt was given the task of marking Stephen Boyle and held the Blue Jays' dynamic attackman without a point for the first time in 13 games. Chris Boland was Hopkins' leading scorer entering the game, but senior Mike Griswold held Boland to a goal and an assist.

• The Terrapin "D" overwhelmed Binghamton in their 15-6 rout of the Bearcats. Maryland dominated groundballs, 53-20, and forced 12 of Binghamton's 24 turnovers. Leading the way was sophomore Max Schmidt, who had a career-best six groundballs to go along with two caused turnovers. Defenders also got into the scoring act for the Terps with junior long pole Dan Halayko netting the team's second goal of the day and junior short-stick Bryn Holmes adding an assist.

• Two goals was all the Penn Quakers could manage in the Terps' 9-2 win. Even more impressive for the defense is the face that Penn did not get a shot off in the fourth quarter. In face the Quakers were held without a shot (not a shot on goal - any shot) for 17:38. The trio fo Schmidt, Schmidt and Griswold were terrific, scooping up a combined eight groundballs and causing four Penn turnovers. The defense got into the scoing act again with Dan Halayko netting the team's third goal of the game, which proved to be the game-winner, off an assist from Bryn Holmes.

• Faced with a Yale team that was averaging more than 10 goals per game, the Terrapin defense was dominant in a 10-6 win over the Bulldogs. Brian Phipps was sensational in cage, stopping 11 Eli shots, picking up three groundballs and causing two turnovers. The starting close "D" unit of Mike Griswold, Brett Schmidt and Max Schmidt combined for eight caused turnovers and six groundballs.

• The defense was terrific in the first round NCAA Tournament game at undefeated Notre Dame. The Terps held the No. 7-seeded Irish to a season-low three goals. That three-goal total is the lowest for a seeded team in the first round since the tournament expanded to 16 teams in 2003. The Terps held Notre Dame's leading goal-scorer Ryan Hoff to 0 shots and nearly as many touches.

Opponent Scoring Droughts
Feb. 13 vs. Presbyterian: 0 goals in 22:41
Feb. 14 vs. Air Force: 0 goals in 25:14
Mar. 7 at Towson: 1 goal in 31:56
Mar. 15 vs. Bryant: 1 goal in 35:20
Mar. 21 vs. UNC: 0 goals in 22:41
Mar. 28 at Virginia: 0 goals in 29:39
April 3 at Navy: 0 goals in 24:44
April 14 vs. Binghamton: 1 goal in 32:28
April 18 at Penn: 0 goals in 23:06
April 18 at Penn: 0 goals in 22:09
May 2 at Yale: 1 goal in 28:27
May 10 at Notre Dame: 0 goals in 36:31

Offensive Defenders
• Through 16 games Terrapin defensive players have been surprisingly offensive. So far in 2009, six 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 had two goals and an assist before being sidelined after the Georgetown game with an injury. 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 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 and against Johns Hopkins, while his running mate Dean Hart put in a goal vs. Presbyterian.

• Junior Bryn Holmes has two goals, but he scored one while a member of the second midfield, and two assists on the season,. The other he tallied at Virginia (off an assist from Burns) when he was switched back to a defensive short-stick. Holmes also tallied an assist in the 15-6 win over Binghamton and the 9-2 victory at Penn.

• Junior long pole Dan Halayko got into the scoring act against Binghamton, netting the Terps second goal of their 15-6 rout of the Bearcats. He scored again against Penn off an assist from Holmes.

Fast Starts
• Since Coach Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002 only 10 players (for a total of 15 times) have totaled 35 points or more in the first 16 games of a season. Three of those are on the 2009 team.

• Sophomore Grant Catalino is averaging 2.75 points per game with 44 points on 23 goals and 21 assists. The only other sophomore above Catalino on the list is Joe Walters, who had 68 points on 46 goals and 22 assists in 2004. Last year through 16 games Catalino had 42 points on 29 goals and 13 assists. Catalino is one of just three Terps that made the list more than once, along with Walters and Mike Mollot.

• Sophomore Ryan Young is on the list and that's impressive in itself considering he missed the opener vs. Presbyterian. Young is alone in 13th with 37 points on 19 goals and 18 assists.

• Senior Dan Groot entered the list this week after scoring two goals at No. 2 Notre Dame to push his season point total to 35 on 21 goals and 14 assists. He is just the second full-time midfielder on the list. Bill McGlone had 36 points as a sophomore in 2004 on 25 goals and 11 assists.

Climbing The Charts
• The season has just a few weeks left and that means it's time to check in on where some Terrapin players are falling on some record lists.

• Sophomore Grant Catalino has already climbed into the top 10 in terms of sophomore scoring with 43 points. He moved past Alan Lowe (26-16=42, 1965) for ninth with an assist vs. Yale. Catalino's 22 goals ties him with Tom Worstell (1986) for 16th on the sophomore goals chart. His 21 assists also places him on that sophomore list, tied for No. 11 with Mike Mollot (2001).

• Sophomore Ryan Young entered the sophomore lists for scoring and assists with his two-assist performance at Notre Dame last Sunday. Young is now tied for 19th on the points list with 37 on 19 goals and 18 assists. He's tied with Mike Hynes (15-22=37, 1975), Andrew Whipple (23-14=37, 1996) and Scott Hochstadt (31-6=37, 1997). Young's 18 assists also ties him for 14th on the sophomore assist chart with Xander Ritz, who had 18 in 2004.

Two-Year Totals
• How good has Grant Catalino been in his first two seasons? The easy answer would be pretty good, but here's some numbers to back that claim up.

• In his first two seasons (and there are still at least a couple of games to go) Catalino has the sixth-highest point total since freshman records were first kept in 1970.

Joe Walters (2003-04): 75-39=114
Frank Urso (1973-74): 68-42=110
Bob Boneillo (1977-78): 38-72=110
Dan LaMonica (2001-02): 40-50=90
Mike Mollot (2000-01): 34-53=88
Grant Catalino (2008-09): 52-34=86

Terps' 84th Season Of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 703-237-4 (.747), 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 111-48 for a .698 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.

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 43-16 (.729) 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 8-2 (.800) at Ludwig Field.

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 10 games in an NFL stadium. All-time the Terps are 5-5 in professional stadiums. Earlier this season Maryland topped Duke, 11-8, at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium and lost a 10-9 decision to Johns Hopkins in the inaugural Smartlink Day of Rivals.

• 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.

First-Time Opponents
• Maryland has played 71 different opponents in its 83 previous seasons. The 2009 season added Presbyterian, Bryant and Binghamton to that list. In the Terps' 74 first-time meeting, including the 18-3 win over Presbyterian, the 13-6 victory over Bryant and the 15-6 rout of Binghamton, Maryland is 70-4 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.

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.

Maryland Men's Lacrosse on Facebook
• Join the official Maryland Men's Lacrosse Facebook page here.

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.