Oct. 13, 2010

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - The No. 4 (Soccer America)/6 (NSCAA) Maryland Terrapin women's soccer team (11-1-1/3-1-1 ACC) returns home after a three-game road trip to face the Clemson Tigers (5-8-0/0-5-0 ACC) on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Ludwig Field.

Tickets and Game Promotions
• Click here for ticket information for all 2010 Maryland women's soccer home games.

• Click here for a complete list of game promotions for this season.

Event Multimedia
• Fans will be able to follow all of the action on umterps.com via Gametracker.

Scouting The Terps
• Maryland is 11-1-1 after road wins last week at No. 2 Boston College and at NC State. Those two wins moved the Terps to 3-1-1 in conference play, putting them currently in third place in the ACC standings with 10 points.

• Maryland opened the 2010 season with a comfortable 6-0 shutout over Iona (recap | final stats) on Aug. 20. Junior Ashley Grove paced the Terps with two goals and an assist in the win over the Gaels. Junior Lydia Hastings snapped a 22-game goal-scoring drought with a goal, while also adding two assists. Senior co-captain Caitlin McDowell moved to left back after playing in the midfield for three seasons, but that didn't effect her production as she tallied a pair of assists.

• The Terps then had a short turnaround for a showdown with two-time defending Big 12 regular season champs Missouri (recap | final stats) on Aug. 22. The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead in the sixth minute of play, but the Terps rallied to knot the match at 1-1 before halftime on junior Sade Ayinde's first goal of the season in the 37th minute. Maryland came out of the break firing and took a 2-1 lead on junior Amy O'Sullivan's first collegiate goal in the 49th minute. Junior Ashley Grove's third goal of the season was an insurance goal in the 71st minute, but that proved to be the game-winner when Mizzou scored again in the 78th minute to make it a 3-2 game, which is how it would finish.

• Junior forward Ashley Grove scored her third straight game-winning goal to lead the Terps to a 3-1 victory over Tennessee (recap | final stats) in the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic. Junior Lydia Hastings gave Maryland an early 1-0 lead and Grove's score made it 2-0 early in the first half. The Lady Vols pulled to within one midway through the first half, but the Terps sealed the victory with Jasmyne Spencer's first goal of the season in the 74th minute.

• The Terps then clinched the Lady Vol Classic title with a 4-0 win over 2009 Atlantic Sun champ Kennesaw State (recap | final stats). Jasmyne Spencer, who was named the MVP of the tournament, and Caitlin McDowell each scored twice in the win to become the first Maryland teammates to score two goals apiece in a game since Oct. 1, 2003 when Jen Biscoe and Katie Ludwig both had two goals in a 6-0 win over James Madison. Joining Spencer on the all-tournament team were Ashley Grove and Domenica Hodak.

• Maryland wasn't sharp vs. Stony Brook (recap | final stats), but still managed to come away with a 2-0 shutout victory. Sophomore Danielle Hubka returned after missing two games due to injury to score the game-winning goal off assists from Sade Ayinde and Olivia Wagner. Ayinde put in the insurance goal off assists from Jasmyne Spencer and Kayla Clarke, who earned her first collegiate point on the goal.

• Sade Ayinde's penalty kick in the 81st minute was the difference in the Terps' 3-2 road victory at Seton Hall (recap | final stats). Goals by Olivia Wagner and Ashley Grove gave Maryland a 2-0 lead, but the Pirates fought back to knot the score in the 77th minute. A breakaway by Jasmyne Spencer off of an early throw-in led to the penalty kick that Ayinde burried.

• The Terps fell behind thanks to an early, unconventional goal vs. Delaware (recap | final stats), but Maryland tied the score at 1-1 before the half on a 40-yard header by Colleen Deegan and then rattled off three second-half goals for a 4-1 victory. Sade Ayinde scored back-to-back goals to lead the Terps' scoring parade. Ayinde was taken down in the box and converted the penalty kick to give Maryland the 2-1 lead. She then scored on a highlight-reel sliding bicycle-kick-type goal to make it 3-1. Ashley Grove netted her team-leading sixth goal to close out the scoring.

• Maryland finished its non-conference schedule with a perfect 8-0-0 record thanks to two late goals by Jasmyne Spencer that gave the Terps a 2-1 come-from-behind victory in overtime over George Mason (recap | final stats). The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute, scoring on a free kick. Spencer netted the tying goal in the 80th minute on a terrific individual effort, going through three defenders to get off the initial shot and then working past two more Patriot defenders to fight for the ball before putting away the rebound. In the fouth minute of the first overtime, Colleen Deegan sent a long ball over the top of the Patriot defense. With a step on her defender, Spencer got on the end of the pass with only the goalkeeper to beat. Instead of rushing the shot Spencer showed a great deal of patience, skill and technical skill by waiting for Bodenschatz to commit before taking a shot that bounced just inside the right post.

• The Terps fell behind to #14 Duke midway through the second half, but Ashley Grove scored in the 76th minute to earn an important point in the ACC with a 1-1 tie (recap | final stats). Redshirt junior Yewande Balogun made a season-high five saves in the match, while defender Megan Gibbons made two team saves to preserve the tie. Jasmyne Spencer led the offensive attack with five shots.

• Sophomore Danielle Hubka scored the game-winning goal at rain-soaked Ludwig Field to give Maryland a 3-2 victory over No. 6 Virginia (recap | final stats). Lydia Hastings gave the Terps a 1-0 lead in the third minute, finishing a cross from Jasmyne Spencer with a blistering one-timer from 18 yards out. The Cavaliers tied the match early in the second half on a rebound goal off of a blocked shot. The two teams traded penalty kicks midway through the second half, setting up Hubka's header off of a great corner kick from Olivia Wagner in the 74th minute. Redshirt junior Yewande Balogun made five saves in the win, but several of those were spectacular diving efforts that preserved the victory in the waning minutes.

• The Terps suffered their first loss of the season, 1-0, at Virginia Tech (recap | final stats). Maryland goalkeeper Yewande Balogun finished with three saves. Junior Sade Ayinde led the Maryland offensive attack with three shots. Senior Caitlin McDowell, juniors Skyy Anderson and Ashley Grove, and sophomore Olivia Wagner each had a pair of shots.

• Maryland earned arguably the biggest win in the program's history when it topped No. 2 Boston College (recap | final stats) by a 2-1 margin. Senior Colleen Deegan got on the end of an Ashley Grove corner kick to head home the game-winning goal with just eight seconds left on the clock to give the Terps the victory. The Eagles took a 1-0 lead early in the second half, but junior Amy O'Sullivan capitalized on a loose ball off of a Megan Gibbons' cross to tie the match in the 76th minute. Redshirt junior Yewande Balogun was solid in net for the Terps, especially in the first half when she made five of her seven saves. The victory over the No. 2 Eagles marks the highest-ranked opponent ever to go down in defeat at the hands of the Terps. Maryland's win over No. 3 UCLA in 2004 was the previous highest-ranked victory.

• Junior Jasmyne Spencer scored the game's lone goal in the 68th minute to lead the Terps to a 1-0 road win at NC State (recap | final stats). The goal started with a great ball from senior Colleen Deegan, who played it back against the grain to sophomore Megan Gibbons down the sideline. Gibbons then slipped the ball into the box with a short cross that Spencer ran onto and one-timed into the back of the Wolfpack net.

Scouting The Tigers
• Clemson is 5-8-0 overall on the season and is 0-5-0 in ACC action.

• The Tigers opened their season with five straight wins, but have lost their last eight.

• Clemson was shutout in its first four ACC matches before dropping a 4-1 decision at Duke last Sunday.

• The last time these two teams played the Terps shutout the Tigers (recap | final stats), 3-0, in College Park. Jasmyne Spencer continued her breakout sophomore season with two goals, the first on an assist from freshman Danielle Hubka and the second on a rebound put-back off of an Ashely Grove shot that found the post. Grove scored the third goal for Maryland.

Looking Ahead
• The Terps are off until Thursday, Oct. 21 when they kickoff a trip down Tobacco Road at Wake Forest. Maryland finishes the road swing at No. 2 North Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 24.

Spencer Earns Honors
• Junior Jasmyne Spencer earned two major preseason honors heading into the 2010 season. Spencer became the first Terp in the program's history to be named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List and then was named to Soccer America's Preseason All-America team.

• Spencer enjoyed a breakthough season in her second year in the Terrapin program. The Bay Shore, N.Y., native started the year with the game-winning goal in the 3-0 win over Army and didn't slowed up from there. Spencer led the team with 25 points on 10 goals, including four game-winners, and was tied for second on the squad with five assists. Her 25 points were the most fo Terrapin in a season since 1998 when Keri Sarver set the school record with 49 points. Her 10 goals are also the most since 1999 when Jackie Mynarski had 11.

• The preseason honors may have been based upon last season's production, but the 5-foot-1 dynamo has been just as productive early on in 2010 and has earned the honors to show it. Spencer earned three weekly honors following her MVP performance at the Lady Vol Classic (Aug. 27-29). She scored her first goal of the season in the 3-1 victory over host Tennessee and then scored the team's first two goals in the 4-0 shutout of Kennesaw State. In addition to being named the tournament MVP, Spencer was named the co-ACC Player of the Week, selected to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week and was one of collegesoccer360.com's Primetime Performers of the Week. Spencer's ACC honor marks the first time since 2004 that a Terrapin has earned ACC POW honors.

• Fighting To The Finish

Super Grover
• Junior forward Ashley Grove is having the best season of her career, leading the team with 17 points and seven goals. She is working her way up the career points and goals charts as well. She is currently tied for 11th on the all-time points list with 44 career points and is tied for 13th on the all-time goals list with 16. She has also worked her way into the top 20 in career assists and is currently in a four-way tie for 13th with 12 career assists.

Ayinde Honored By TopDrawer
• Junior Sade Ayinde was selected to TopDrawerSoccer.com's Team of the Week following her performances vs. Seton Hall and Delaware. Ayinde scored the game-winning goals vs. both the Pirates and the Blue Hens with both game-winners coming on penalty kicks. It is the first recorded instance of a Maryland player tallying PK goals in back-to-back games in the 24-year history of the program.

McDowell Moving Up By Giving
• Senior co-captain Caitlin McDowell may have moved to the back line this season, but that has not stopped her from continuing to be among the team leaders in assists. The Plano, Texas, native is tied for the team lead (with Sade Ayinde) with six assists, which gives her 18 for her career. That total ties her for sixth on the all-time list with Jen Biscoe and Lindsay Givens.

• Defining A Turnaround

Ranked Terps
• The Terps moved up two spots to No. 6 in the latest NSCAA Top 25, and also jumped one slot to No. 4 in this week's Soccer America Top 25. Maryland checks in at No. 8 in TopDrawerSoccer.com's 2010 Tournament 64 Rankings, which, according to TDS.com's website, "are a running attempt to project the postseason college soccer tournament qualifiers, including every automatic conference berth."

• The No. 4 ranking is the tied for the highest in Terrapin women's soccer program history. It ties the 1996 team which was ranked No. 4 for several weeks in October of that season.

Non-Conference Success
• Dating back to its 10-0 win over Mount St. Mary's in 2008, Maryland has won its last 19 matches vs. non-ACC opponents. The Terps have outscored its non-conference opposition 59-11 in those 19 victories.

• The 19 straight wins over non-ACC foes breaks the school record which was set in 1996 when that squad of Terps won 17 consecutive non-conference games before losing at Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.

100 And Counting At Ludwig Field
• The Terps won their 100th match at Ludwig Field with a 6-0 victory over Iona on Aug. 20, 2010. Since its opening in 1995, Ludwig Field has proved to be a tremendous home-field advantage for the Terps women's soccer team. All-time Maryland is 105-46-17 (.676) at Ludwig Field.

• Through the seasons, the Terps have had a knack for shutting teams out at Ludwig Field. Maryland has won 70 of its 105 victories (66.7%) at Ludwig Field via shutout. Add in the nine 0-0 ties the Terps have had at Ludwig Field and it totals 79 times that Maryland has shutout its opponent in 168 games (47.0%).

The Last Time ...

Head Coach Brian Pensky
• Brian Pensky is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Maryland women's soccer program. After helping lead the Terrapin men's program to three-straight appearances in the College Cup, Pensky took over the women's soccer program prior to the 2005 season. He has steadily built the program back to prominence and took it to its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2004 last season. Pensky owns an overall head coaching record of 48-46-14 (.509).

Media Information
• Email Straight To You: If you would like the latest Maryland women's soccer news emailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, email women's soccer contact Patrick Fischer with "Women's Soccer 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 2010 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.