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No. 3 Terps Face No. 6 Princeton In NCAA Quarterfinals, This Saturday At 3 p.m.
May 19, 2004
Complete Release With Stats and Player Notes in PDF Format
#6 PRINCETON (10-3) vs. #3 MARYLAND (13-2)
No. 3 Terps Face No. 6 Princeton In NCAA Quarterfinals * Maryland's student radio station, WMUC (88.1 FM) will carry the game and will have a live audio feed available over the Internet at WMUCRadio.com. Princeton will also carry the game on WHWH (1350 AM) in New Jersey which will simulcast on GoPrincetonTigers.com. Live stats of the game will be available through UMTerps.com. * The Terps are making their 27th NCAA Tournament appearance, the second most of any school in NCAA history. ACC Champion Maryland comes into the quarterfinals for the 25th time and is vying for its 18th trip to the NCAA Semifinals. Princeton is making its 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament earning an at-large berth out of the Ivy League. The Tigers have been to the semifinals nine previous times, winning six national championships since 1992. * The winner of the Maryland/Princeton game will take on the winner of the No. 2 Navy (13-2)/No. 7 Cornell (9-4) game on Saturday, May 29 in the national semifinals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The Midshipmen and Big Red play in Ithaca, N.Y., on Sunday, May 23 at noon at Schoellkopf Field. The other quarterfinal game pits No. 4 Syracuse vs. No. 5 Georgetown, at 3 p.m. * This game marks the first time Maryland and Princeton will play since the 2000 NCAA Quarterfinal when the Tigers eliminated the Terps with a 10-7 win at Rutgers on May 20. Overall, Maryland leads the series 28-11-1. Princeton has won the last four -- all in the NCAA Tournament (two in the national championship game in 1997 and 1998) to end Maryland's season. This is the first time the Terps are the higher ranked team in the game. The teams have not played in the regular season since 1977.
Quick Game Capsule * Maryland (13-2 overall) is led by the nation's third-leading point and goal scorer Joe Walters (Rochester, N.Y.), who comes into the game with 45 goals and 66 points. Walters has at least three goals in 12 of 15 games this season including the Terps' last five games in a row. The Terps have won five games in a row including a 16-12 win over Army last Saturday at Byrd Stadium. The five-game streak began with a pair of wins to capture Maryland's first ACC Championship since 1998. Walters set a conference-tournament record with nine goals as Maryland beat Duke 10-7 and Virginia 12-11 to claim the title. Maryland closed the regular-season with a 9-8 double-overtime win over Notre Dame on May 1 and a 13-5 win over Penn on Senior Day last Saturday. In the win over Penn, sophomore Bill McGlone (Swarthmore, Pa.) had a career-high seven points on two goals and five assists. McGlone and Walters continued the scoring show as they combined for 10 points in the first-round win over Army. Walters had three goals and three assists for his fifth six-point game of the season. McGlone had two goals and two assists and now has 11 points in his last two games. In the win over Army, 10 different Terps scored goals including seven different players in a 7-0 run that opened the fourth quarter to put the Terps ahead for good. Senior Drew Virk (Ross, Calif.) was key, winning nine straight face-offs and finished with a career day, winning 13-of-19 draws and 11 groundballs. The Terps' defense has been rock solid all season, led by senior All-Americans and Tewaaraton Trophy nominees Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and Lee Zink (Rowayton, Conn.). Maryland has a 7.63 goals against average as goalie Tim McGinnis (Ellicott City, Md.) is fourth in the NCAA in save percentage (62.5) and seventh in goals against average (7.46). * Princeton (10-3) advanced to the quarterfinals with a 12-4 win over state-rival Rutgers last Saturday as Ryan Boyle had a career-high four goals and two assists. Boyle leads the way for the Tigers, as he is second in the nation in assists with 39 and sixth in points with 58. Junior Jason Doneger and Ivy League Rookie of the Year Peter Trombino have been the beneficiaries of Boyle's unselfish play as they have combined for 56 goals. Six Tigers have more than 22 points -- but they are the only players with more than seven points on the roster. The midfield unit is led by Drew Casino, who has 21 goals and four assists. On defense, Oliver Barry and Ricky Schultz head up a squad that has allowed just 8.14 goals per game. Ryan Schoenig and Casino share face-off duty with both winning more than 50 percent. In goal, sophomore Dave Law has started every game and has a 7.74 goals against average and a 52.6 save percentage. The Tigers have won three games in a row, beating Dartmouth (10-8 on May 1), Brown (9-6 on May 8) and Rutgers. They tied for the Ivy League title, but lost the tiebreaker for the automatic qualifier, falling to Cornell (12-11 in overtime) on April 24 for their last loss.
The Maryland/Princeton Series History * Princeton has won the last four meetings, all in the NCAA Tournament, including the two in the national title games in 1997 and '98. * The Tigers defeated Maryland in the last meeting, 10-7, in the NCAA Quarterfinals on May 20,2000. Princeton built a lead as large as 10-3 heading to the fourth quarter before the Terps scored the final four goals of the game. All-Americans Chris Malone and Brian Zeller each scored two goals in that game for Maryland. Princeton had three players score twice: Sean Hartofilis (older brother of Terp Michael), Josh Sims and Matt Striebel. In goal, Maryland's Pat McGinnis (Tim's older brother) made 15 saves, while Trevor Tierney stopped nine shots for the Tigers. * The Tigers won both NCAA Championship games in convincing fashion, 15-5 in 1998 and 19-7 in 1997. Princeton defeated the Terps in the teams' first NCAA quarterfinal meeting, 11-10 on May 16, 1992 at Princeton. * The teams have not played in the regular-season since 1977. The Terps have won 28 of the 36 regular-season meetings dating to the 1927 inaugural game, a 13-6 Maryland win. The Terps have won the last five regular-season games going back to the last tie in Maryland history, 6-6 on March 30, 1968.
Maryland-Princeton Connections * Many Maryland and Princeton players played high school ball together. * Long-time friends Chris Passavia and Drew Casino will match-up for the first and only time in a game that will see one of their college careers come to a close. Passavia and Casino led Ward Melville High School to New York State Championships in 1999 and 2000 with undefeated records. * At the Landon School, Terps J.R. Bordley (Vienna, Va.), Brendan Healy (Great Falls, Va.) and Ian Healy (Great Falls, Va.) played with Tigers Erik Kudla and Tony Vita in helping the Bears to continue their string of 22 consecutive IAC Championships. * Princeton's roster features 12 Maryland natives, while the Terrapin roster has just one New Jersey resident in freshman Ray Megill from Clark, N.J.
Coaching Match-up * Now in his 22nd season as a head coach, Dave Cottle comes into the game with a 215-80 career record for a 72.9 win percentage, third-highest among active coaches. His win total is eighth among active coaches. He is 34-10 (77.2) in his third season at Maryland. * Princeton's Tierney is the winningest coach among all active coaches in lacrosse with a 225-67 record in 20 years at RIT and Princeton. He has a 191-60 record in 17 years at Princeton, leading the Tigers to the last 15 NCAA Tournaments in a row, winning the title six times, most recently in 2001 with a 10-9 overtime win over Syracuse. * Cottle has only faced Tierney three previous times, winning once -- in the only regular-season game between the coaches, a 10-9 Loyola win in 1991. Tierney's Tigers ended Cottle's Greyhounds season in the NCAA Tournament twice, winning 12-6 in the 1993 quarterfinals and 8-7 in the 2001 quarterfinals. That 2001 game was Cottle's final as head coach at Loyola, as he came to Maryland in September of 2001 to take over for the retired Dick Edell.
Cottle In The NCAA Tournament * With his 16th tournament appearance, Cottle now ranks tied for fourth all-time in most NCAA Tournament Division I appearances as a head coach behind only Syracuse's Roy Simmons Jr. (19), former Maryland coach Dick Edell (17) and Towson's Tony Seaman (17). * Cottle's streak of 14-consecutive tournaments while at Loyola, is second only to Simmons Jr.'s (19) for the longest-consecutive streak. * Cottle has led his teams to the NCAA Quarterfinals on 14 occasions -- including this year's appearance -- and to the NCAA semifinals twice prior to last season 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.
Maryland's 27th Time At NCAA's * The Terps have captured two NCAA championships, 1973 and 1975, and reached the NCAA Semifinals 17 times including last season.
Maryland Record In NCAA's * Maryland is fifth by percentage (.593) among all teams ever to play in the tournament (Princeton, Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Cornell are ahead). * The Terps have captured two titles. Only six other schools have ever won the NCAA Championship: Syracuse (8), Johns Hopkins (7), Princeton (6), North Carolina (4), Cornell (3), Virginia (3).
Maryland As The No. 3 Seed * The last time Maryland won the NCAA championship in 1975, the Terps were seeded No. 3. In 15 games as the No. 3 seed, Maryland has a 10-5 record, following its 16-12 win over Army in the first round last week. * No. 3 Maryland beat Ohio State, 8-5, in the first round last season and then UMass, 13-7, in the quarterfinals at Syracuse before falling to eventual champion Virginia in the semifinals, 14-4. * Prior to last year, in its last tournament as the No. 3 seed, Maryland fell to No. 6 seed Towson, 12-11 at Byrd Stadium in 2001. That game was the finale for coach Dick Edell, who retired the following fall due to health problems.
Against The 2004 Field * The Terps have a 71.4 win percentage against teams in the field, fourth-best among all teams in the field. Also, the 5-2 record against the field marks the fourth most by any team in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. * Princeton is 3-3 against the field with wins over Rutgers (9-7 on March 10), Pennsylvania (9-6 on April 13) and Rutgers again (12-4 in the NCAA First Round). They lost to No. 1 seed Johns Hopkins (14-5 on March 6), No. 4 seed Syracuse (14-12 on March 27) and No. 7 seed Cornell (12-11 in overtime on April 24).
Against Common Opponents
Current Individual Terps In The NCAA Tournament * Included in that group is graduate goalie Tim McGinnis, who led Gettysburg College to two NCAA Division III Championships games and has played in a total of eight tournament contests after starting and beating Army. * McGinnis led the Bullets to the title games in 2001 and 2002 as a sophomore and junior. In eight games, overall, he has 102 saves and has allowed 76 goals for a 57.3 save percentage and a 9.55 goals against average. In 2001, he made 26 saves in three games, including six in the title game loss to Middlebury and 11 in a semifinal win over Denison. In 2002, he led the Bullets back to the finals, making 66 saves in four games. He made 15 saves in that title game loss to Middlebury following a 20-save performance against Washington & Lee in the semifinals. * Joe Walters leads all Terps in career NCAA scoring with five goals and eight assists for 13 points. He had a goal and two assists in last season's first-round win over Ohio State and followed that up with a goal and three assists vs. UMass in the quarterfinals. He posted three goals and three assists vs. Army in the first round. * Paul Gillette has four points after scoring two goals vs. Army. He had assists in two previous NCAA Tournament games with one in 2001 vs. Towson and one vs. Virginia in 2003. * Sophomores Brendan Healy and Bill McGlone also had two goals in the win over Army. They both scored goals in last season's NCAA Tournament. Healy's goal was the first of his career, coming in the NCAA Semifinal vs. Virginia. * Also notable, freshman Ryan Clarke's goal against Army last weekend was the first of his career and Tyler Hereth's assist was the first of his career.
Call Them Graduates After Thursday * The Terps' other five seniors will complete their degrees in the next semester: J.R. Bordley, Paul Gillette, Jeremy Pastula, Justin Smith, Lee Zink.
ACC Honors All Around for Terps * Maryland head coach Dave Cottle was named ACC Coach of the Year after leading the Terps to the league title and a perfect 5-0 record in games against ACC teams. The last and only other Terp coach to be honored by the league was Dick Edell in 1989, 92 and 98. * With his huge performance in the ACC Tournament, Joe Walters was named MVP of the event. He posted a career-high six goals in the championship game and added an assist to his career-best for points with seven. Overall, he had nine goals in the two-game event, to set a new ACC Tournament record. Walters is the first Terp to earn Tournament MVP since Scott Hochstadt, who set the event record for goals in a game with seven - one more than Walters - in 1998. * Joining Walters on the ACC All-Tournament team were five other Terps: senior attacker J.R. Bordley, senior midfielder Paul Gillette, graduate goalie Tim McGinnis, senior defenseman Chris Passavia and senior defenseman Lee Zink. * At the ACC Tournament banquet on April 22, three Terps were named to the All-ACC Team. Chris Passavia was named to the team for the third time. Joe Walters and Lee Zink both earned honors for the first time. All three are also among 15 final nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy as lacrosse's top player.
Terps At Top of ACC, NCAA Stat Lists * The Terps lead the ACC in goal-scoring average and are sixth in the nation, piling up 11.87 goals per game. The Terps' 178 goals is fifth nationally. On defense, Maryland also leads the league, allowing just 7.63 goals per game -- 11th in the nation. * The Terps are also third in the country in goal-scoring margin at +4.24 per game. * Individually, Joe Walters leads the ACC in scoring with 66 points as well as in points per game at 4.40. His total points ranks third in the nation while the points per game mark is also fourth overall. * Walters is also first in the ACC and for first in the nation in total goals with 45 and goals per game (3.00). Army's Jim Wagner tops the country with 3.07 goals per game. Syracuse's Michael Powell also scores 3.0 goals per game. * In goal, Tim McGinnis is seventh in the nation in goals against average with a 7.46 GAA. He is also fourth in country in save percentage at 62.5, both marks are the best in the ACC. * Checking other ACC stat charts, Joe Walters leads in game-winning goals with five. Xander Ritz and Walters ranks third in the league in assists (21) and assists per game (1.40). * Paul Gillette is second in the ACC in groundballs per game at 4.60 and second on total groundballs with 69.
Walters off to best two-Year Start in Maryland history * With his 78 career goals in just his second season, Walters has already set the record for most goals by a Terrapin in his first two years of action. Walters broke the previous record of 70 set by Roger Goss, who scored 70 goals in 1958-59 as a sophomore and junior. Prior to 1972, freshmen were not eligible to play on varsity teams. Walters also broke the record for goals prior to the end of a sophomore season as Maryland all-time leading goal scorer Matt Hahn had 69 goals in 1995-96. * Walters became just the seventh Terp to break the 100-point barrier in his second year of action as well, accomplishing it against Notre Dame on May 1. Goss holds that record for 132 points in 58-59. Among four-year players, Hall of Famer Frank Urso had 112 points in his first two years in 1973-74. * With his 45 goals this season, Walters now has the eighth-best single-season goal total in Maryland history. He is just two goals shy of tying for sixth and three goals shy of fifth. * Walters is also tied for the 10th-best single-season points total with 66. He is tied with all-time leading scorer Bob Boneillo, who had 66 in 1978 and Scott Hochstadt, who had 66 in 1998. Next up on the list with 67 are a trio of former All-Americans: Ray Altman (1962), Jack Kaestner (1971) and Rob Chomo (1971). After that Charles Wicker is sixth on the list with 71 points in 1956.
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