Nov. 20, 2009

Winston-Salem, N.C. -

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For the second consecutive year, and eighth time overall, the NCAA Field Hockey Championship Game will feature two Atlantic Coast Conference teams vying for the national title. Top-ranked (National Field Hockey Coaches Association) Maryland clinched its second straight berth in the title game this afternoon with a 7-5 win over fourth-ranked Princeton at Kentner Field at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. Third-ranked North Carolina defeated second-ranked Virginia, 3-2, in the second semifinal game of the day to advance to its second championship game in three seasons.

The Cavaliers, making their third appearance in the national semifinals, ended one of the best seasons in program history with a 20-4 overall record.

Maryland (23-0, 5-0 ACC) is returning to the national championship game after defeating Wake Forest, 4-2, in 2008 for the schools sixth field hockey title, and is seeking its fourth title in five season. North Carolina (19-2, 4-1 ACC) defeated Penn State, 3-0, in 2007 for its fifth title, and after a one-year absence, is making its 11th overall appearance in the title game.

Maryland (23-0, 5-0 ACC), the top-seeded team in the national tournament, combined with the Tigers for the highest-scoring game in a national semifinal—and second-highest overall in the NCAA Championship, with 12 total goals. Junior three-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year Katie O’Donnell totaled nine points in the contest, the most in a national semifinal game, with three goals and three assists. Her first assist of the game broke the ACC record for career assists, and she now has 74 for her career.

Goals from senior All-ACC forward Danielle Forword, junior midfielder/forward Elizabeth Drazdowski, and sophomore forward Taryn Gjurich paced the Tar Heels in their second win over Virginia this season.

Either team is a stranger to the NCAA title game, as Maryland head coach Missy Meharg (5), the 2009 ACC Coach of the Year, and North Carolina head coach Karen Shelton (5), have combined for 10 NCAA field hockey championships since 1989.

The Terrapins are making their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship Game, fourth in the last five seasons, and ninth overall. The Tar Heels are making their league-record 11th appearance in the title game.

Maryland and North Carolina have faced each other three times in the championship game, with the Terps holding a 2-1 advantage in those match-ups. Maryland defeated North Carolina, 2-1 in overtime, in 1987 for their first NCAA title. Six years later in 1993, Maryland again beat the Tar Heels by a 2-1 count in a game decided by penalty strokes. North Carolina won its second NCAA field hockey championship in 1995 when it defeated Maryland, 5-1.

The two teams met earlier this season in Chapel Hill, N.C. on October 24 as the top-two ranked teams in the nation. The top-ranked Terps used two goals from senior All-ACC forward Nicole Muracco and a goal each from senior All-ACC defender Emma Thomas and O’Donnell to best the second-ranked Tar Heels, 2-1. Junior forward Jen Slocum scored North Carolina’s lone goal. Despite the loss, the Tar Heels out-shot Maryland, 21-14, and won the penalty-corner battle by an 8-4 margin.

Maryland will be looking for its league-record seventh NCAA field hockey championship and is 6-2 in national title games, with its only two losses coming to North Carolina (1995) and Michigan (2001). North Carolina will be looking for its sixth title in 11 tries and enters the game with a 5-5 national title-game record.

With Maryland and North Carolina competing for the NCAA title, the ACC is guaranteed a 15th NCAA field hockey championship, all of which have come since 1983, the first year the ACC sponsored field hockey. Wake Forest (2002-04), Maryland (2005-06, 08), and North Carolina (2007) have combined to win the last seven NCAA field hockey championships.