Sept. 15, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Maryland senior forward Nicole Muracco has been selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Player of the Week after scoring five goals and totaling 10 points in leading the No. 1 Terrapins (National Field Hockey Coaches Association) to wins against 13th-ranked Penn State and Towson.

The Sewell, N.J., native helped Maryland (7-0) open the Terrapin Invitational on Saturday with an 8-1 win against No. 13 Penn State as she racked up two goals on four shots, three of which were on goal. Muracco scored at the 4:40 mark to increase Maryland’s lead to 2-0 and again at 8:27 to give the Terps a 3-0 advantage. Additionally, she helped pace the Terps in outshooting the Nittany Lions, 22-8.

The next day, Muracco recorded a hat trick – her second of the season – in Maryland’s 10-1 win against local-rival Towson. A game-high four of Muracco’s five shots were on goal and three found the back of the cage for scores. She increased Maryland’s lead to 2-0 at the 14:33 mark with her first goal of the day, 7-1 at 42:20 for her second, and 9-1 at 47:35 for her third goal of the game and fifth of the weekend.

For the season, Muracco has nine goals – a team high – for 18 points and team-bests with a .429 shooting percentage and a .667 shots-on-goal percentage.

The ACC Field Hockey Player of the Week will be announced by 5 p.m. each Tuesday during the season. More ACC field hockey information can be accessed at www.TheACC.com.