COLLEGE PARK, MD. - Head coach John Tillman leads the Maryland men’s lacrosse team into the 2012 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament as the No. 4 seed. The Terps will take on No. 1 seed Duke in the first game of the semifinal doubleheader at 5 p.m at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va. The second semifinal game features No. 2 seed Virginia battling No. 3 seed North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. The winners of the two games will meet in the finals on Sunday, April 22, at 3 p.m.

• Maryland (7-3, 1-2 ACC) is coming off of an 9-6 come-from-behind win at then-No. 3 Johns Hopkins last Saturday at a soldout Homewood Field. Maryland trailed by three goals less than a minute into the third quarter, but the Terrapin defense didn’t surrender a goal to the Blue Jays over the final 29:17. That allowed the Maryland offense to stage a comeback, which was led by Owen Blye, who tallied all four of his goals in the decisive 6-0 scoring run. Kevin Cooper was the only other Terp with multiple points with three on two goals and an assist.

• For the season, Joe Cummings leads the Terps in points, goals and assists with 28, 17 and 11, respectively. Six other Terps have totaled double-digit goals so far: Blye (14), Billy Gribbin (13), Michael Shakespeare (13), Jay Carlson (11) and John Haus (10) Defensively, Amato has stopped 58.6 percent of the shots put on goal by opponents and has a 7.15 goals-against average. Junior long pole Jesse Bernhardt leads the team with 37 groundballs and 18 caused turnovers.

• The Blue Devils are 11-3 on the year and have won their last eight games after dropping back-to-back decisions at Maryland and Loyola in early March. This season Duke is led by sophomore attackman Jordan Wolf, who has 50 points on 26 goals and 24 assists. Junior Dan Wigrizer has started nine of the Blue Devils’ 14 games in cage, including the last six, and has a .547 save percentage and an 8.68 goals-against average.

The Count Down
10 … Since 2002 Maryland has won 88 of the 96 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .916 winning percentage.
9 … Maryland is 106-23 in games since 2002 when it allows nine goals or less, for an .822 winning percentage.
8 … This will be the eighth meeting between the Terps and the Blue Devils in the ACC tournament semifinals.
7 … The Terps are ranked seventh in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering just 7.6 goals per game.
6 … The Terps have shot 30% or better in six of their seven wins in 2012.
5 … John Haus has five goals in ACC tournament play.
4 … In four career games vs. the Blue Devils, Niko Amato has a .655 save percentage.
3 … Three Terps (Joe Cummings, John Haus & Drew Snider) have at least four career goals vs. Duke.
2 … Maryland has played in the last two ACC tournament championship games.
1 … This will be the first time Maryland and Duke have met in the semifinals of the ACC tournament since 2004.

Coaching Match-Up
• John Tillman is in his fifth season as a head coach, and second with the Terps, with a 40-27 career record for a 59.7 winning percentage. Tillman is 20-8 (.714) as Maryland’s head coach. He had a 20-19 record in three seasons as the head coach at Harvard.

• Duke’s John Danowski is in his 30th season as a head coach and holds an all-time record of 310-161 (.658). He is in his sixth season at Duke and has a 91-22 (.805) record with the Blue Devils.

• Tillman has a 5-3 career record against Duke while coaching at Maryland and Harvard, all against Danowski. His first win vs. the Blue Devils came in the 2009 season opener at Harvard. The Crimson upset No. 5 Duke, 9-6, at Koskinen Stadium in Durham. Since becoming the Terps’ head coach, Maryland has defeated Duke, 11-9, in the ACC championship game at Koskinen Stadium, 9-4, in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament in M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and then again in the 2012 regular season, 10-7, in College Park.

Series History vs. Duke
• Maryland and Duke have played 78 times. The Terps hold a 59-19 edge (.756) in the series that dates back to 1940. Maryland’s 58 wins against the Blue Devils are the most against any opponent.

• The Terps raced out to a 4-0 lead halfway through the first quarter and coasted to a 10-7 victory over No. 8 Duke at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. Drew Snider led the Maryland offense with a hat trick. Niko Amato was spectacular in cage, making nine of his 14 saves in the fourth quarter.

• The stakes were much higher in the 2011 rubber match as unseeded Maryland defeated No. 5 seed Duke, 9-4, in a tough, physical game in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Grant Catalino led the offensive attack for the Terps with three goals, while Joe Cummings added two goals and an assist. The Terrapin defense was terrific in holding the Blue Devils to just four goals with Niko Amato making 13 saves to send the Terps to their first NCAA title-game appearance since 1998.

• The 2011 rematch took place again at Duke’s Koskinen Stadium, but this time the stakes were a bit higher – the ACC championship. This time it was the Terps coming away with an 11-9 victory to take its first conference crown since 2005. Ryan Young scored the first game-winning goal of his career when he jumped in the air to redirect a John Haus pass from behind the cage. Grant Catalino earned tournament MVP honors after scoring three goals vs. the Blue Devils in the title game.

• For the second time in two years the Terps and the Blue Devils needed overtime to decide things, but in 2011 in Durham it was Duke that pulled out a 9-8 victory on freshman Jordan Wolf’s game-winning goal 1:01 into the first OT. The Blue Devils held a 7-4 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but four-straight goals by Landon Carr, Michael Shakespeare, Joe Cummings and John Haus, who finished with three goals in the game, gave Maryland a one-goal lead with 3:48 to go. Maryland appeared to have the game wrapped up in the final seconds when Carr forced a Blue Devil turnover, but a controversial holding call gave Duke another chance and Zach Howell scored with 0:03 left to send the game into overtime. Both goalies were sensational in the game with Maryland’s Niko Amato making 19 saves and Duke’s Dan Wigrizer stopped 17 shots.

• The 2010 meeting will go down as one of the most memorable in the series as the Terps pulled out an 11-10 overtime victory at the 2010 Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic in Baltimore. Grant Catalino was the star of the game for the Terps, netting a career-best five goals, including the game-winner. Duke scored the final three goals of regulation to send the game into OT and then controlled possession for all but eight seconds of overtime, but that’s all the Terps needed for Bryn Holmes to cause a turnover, Brian Farrell to scoop a groundball and Dean Hart to push the transition and find Catalino on the left wing for the game-winning shot. Senior goalie Brian Phipps made 15 saves in the win.

• Maryland won an 11-8 decision over the Blue Devils at the 2009 Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic in Baltimore. Jeff Reynolds was the key factor for the Terps in the victory. He scored a goal and had an assist, but he won three key face-offs that led directly to goals that spurred Maryland onto the win. Grant Catalino had six points on two goals and four assists, while Ryan Young had five points on a pair of scores and three helpers.

• In 2008 the Blue Devils defeated the Terps, 15-7, in Durham, N.C. Travis Reed totaled three goals for the Terps in the defeat.

• The 2007 meeting was the first road game for the Blue Devils since their 2006 season was cancelled. Duke responded with a 14-7 victory behind a six-goal, seven-point effort from Matt Danowski. Max Ritz led the Terps in the game with a three-point effort on two goals and an assist.

• The 2006 season saw the rivalry escalate even more as the teams entered the game ranked first and second in the nation. The game more than lived up to the hype as the two squads battled and needed overtime to decide the victor. In that overtime, Xander Ritz sent the Terps home with the 8-7 win after scoring his fifth goal of the game with 1:14 remaining in the first extra period.

• In 2005 the two teams played three times with the Blue Devils winning two of the three games. It was the second time in the series the two squads played three times in a season. In 1992 the two teams played in early March, again in the ACC Tournament and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Maryland won all three games that season.

• In the 2005 NCAA Semifinals, Duke ended Maryland’s season with a 18-9 defeat at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill McGlone gave the Terps a 1-0 lead, but the Blue Devils responded with nine unanswered goals and took a 10-3 lead into halftime. Joe Walters scored three times in the third quarter, but Maryland could not close the deficit.

• In 2005′s ACC Final, Maryland turned in its finest defensive effort of the year. The Terps held Duke, the nation’s highest scoring offense, scoreless for more than 40 minutes en route to a 9-5 victory at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on May 1. ACC Tournament MVP Harry Alford made 15 saves on the afternoon, while freshman Will Dalton helped the Terps control the ball on face-offs, winning 7-of-10 draws. Offensively Maryland was led by All-American Joe Walters who scored his second straight hat trick vs. the Blue Devils, while adding an assist. Freshman attackman Max Ritz also chipped in a pair for goals in the victory.

• The 2005 regular season game saw Maryland dominate Duke at the Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, but the Blue Devils found a way to get out of College Park with a 10-8 victory. All-American Joe Walters scored a hat trick for the Terps, but Duke outscored Maryland 6-3 in the second half to secure the win. Michael Phipps scored two goals and added an assist for his second career three-point game.

• The Terps dominated the series from 1955 through 1988, winning all 27 meetings.

• The teams have met four times in the NCAA Tournament with Maryland winning 13-11 in 1992, Duke retaliating 14-9 in 1994, and the Blue Devils taking the 2005 match-up 18-9. Maryland took the most recent NCAA meeting, 9-4, in the 2011 Final Four in Baltimore.

Maryland vs. Duke In The ACC Tournament
• This will be the 11th all-time meeting between the Terrapins and the Blue Devils in the ACC tournament. Each team enters this season’s game with five victories.

• Maryland and Duke met in the semifinals in the very first ACC tournament in 1989 with the Blue Devils edging the Terps, 7-6, in Chapel Hill. The two teams didn’t meet again in the tourney until 1992, when the Terrapins evened things with an 8-6 victory at home in the semis.

• The 1997 semis saw the Blue Devils win, 17-10, in the highest scoring tournament game between the two schools.

• The two teams played each other in six-straight tournaments from 2000-05. During that span, each team won three times, including one victory each in the championship game (Duke in 2001 and Maryland in 2005).

• After that six-year run, Maryland and Duke did not meet again in the tournament until last season when the Terps defeated the Blue Devils on their home field, 11-9, to claim their first ACC title since 2005.

League-Best Four Terps Named To All-ACC Team
• Maryland placed a league-high four players on the 2012 All-ACC Men’s Lacrosse Team, which was announced today by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Senior attackman Joe Cummings and sophomore goalie Niko Amato made the team for the second-straight season, while junior long pole Jesse Bernhardt and junior midfielder John Haus are first-time selections.

• All four ACC men’s programs are represented on the annual All-ACC team, which was determined by a vote of the four head coaches. Maryland’s four honorees were the most by any school. Duke and Virginia each had three selections, while North Carolina had one player make the team.

The Terps On ESPNU
• Maryland has had 41 games on ESPNU since 2006. Maryland is 23-18 (.561) all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.

• The Terps will have at least four games (at UNC, vs. Virginia, at Johns Hopkis, at ACC tournament) Maryland will play on ESPNU in 2012.

Honorable Mention: Mixed Martial Arts-Bellator Fighting Championships 64 (Friday 8pm from Windsor, Ontario, Canada live on MTV2); Women’s College Lacrosse: Maryland @ North Carolina (Saturday 3pm from Chapel Hill, NC live on ESPN3.com); Soccer: Team USA Women vs. Brazil (Tuesday 7am from Chiba, Japan live on ESPN2), MLS-Seattle Sounders @ DC United (Saturday 7:30pm RFK Stadium)

10. Alabama Shakes (Saturday 8pm Rams Head Live); Cody Canada/Shooter Jennings (Friday 8pm Recher Theatre); Kevin Costner & Modern West (Tuesday & Wednesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Snow Patrol (Friday 7pm Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); Moody Blues (Tuesday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Of Monsters And Men “My Head Is An Animal” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

I’ll be at RHL Saturday night because I’m ALL IN…

I wish I could tell you I enjoyed The Moody Blues. Sadly I do not. But here’s this because there’s not much going on this week…

Now here’s Snow Patrol. Look, if Paul McCartney was playing this week I’d post something of his…

I think I posted the studio version of “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men last week. But I’m posting them again this week because THEY’RE REALLY FREAKING GOOD…

9. Mike Epps (Saturday 8pm 1st Mariner Arena); Kevin James (Wednesday 7:30pm Warner Theatre); Royal Comedy Tour feat. Bruce Bruce, Sommore, Mark Curry, Earthquake (Saturday 8pm Show Place Arena); “War Horse” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “American Reunion” out in theaters (Friday)

We’re going to see “American Reunion” Thursday night/Friday morning at midnight in White Marsh. If you’re not going to see “American Reunion” Thursday night/Friday morning at midnight you’re a terrible human being and I don’t want to be your friend. So just make it simple and come with us. We’ll probably hit Tilted Kilt before then.

But honestly, if you don’t go see this movie you’re just the worst person of all time…

You’re going to have to indulge me on this one. I have no one to yell at and no incredible statement to make about a current sporting event.

Instead, if this column was called “Your Saturday Reality Check”, I would have gotten this perfectly to the date.

Ten years ago-Sunday, March 24, 2002-the University of Maryland met the University of Connecticut in the East Region Final (or the Elite 8 if you well) of the NCAA Tournament. The game was at the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University.

For full disclosure, I wasn’t there. It was my freshman year at the University of Maryland, but I didn’t make the trip. I didn’t make the trip to the Georgia Dome for the Final Four either, which is one of the greatest regrets of my still very young life. I actually think our own Luke Jones was at the game, but I’m just rambling now.

You certainly remember the shots that defined the game. The Terrapins trailed the Huskies 77-74 with just under four minutes to play as Caron Butler simply wouldn’t let UConn go away quietly. Juan Dixon calmly sank a three pointer from near the top of the key to even the game back up. Then in the final minute, a previously scoreless Steve Blake altered a play call in the huddle and used a ball fake to create an open three for himself to put the Terps up 86-80, effectively the final nail in the coffin of a 90-82 victory.

What I remember was how the game felt like the most intense college basketball game I had ever witnessed. While Gary Williams likely ruined an expensive suit due to sweat that afternoon, Glenn Clark also ruined a number of t-shirts and a pair of pajama pants. This was a game where neither team ever appeared to have the upper hand. Lonny Baxter was absolutely dominant in the paint against future NBA standout Emeka Okafor, but Butler’s 32 points kept the Huskies at Maryland’s heels all afternoon.

We’re planning to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the University of Maryland’s only basketball championship throughout the week on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net. I’ve admitted regularly that I openly wept at Cole Field House that early April night (the anniversary of the championship is this Sunday for those scoring at home) in College Park. I had two goals for my life from about the time I was eight years old. One was to become a professional broadcaster, the other was to attend the University of Maryland.

Being a “Terp” was in my blood. My grandmother (a journalism teacher in Baltimore County and later professor at Morgan State University) is a University of Maryland alum. While I was too young for the Bob Wade era of Maryland basketball to mean much to me, the early years of the Gary Williams era (which were not always pretty) shaped who I wanted to be when I stepped on a basketball court at Chapel Hill Elementary School or Perry Hall Middle School. I pretended to be Evers Burns. I pretended to be Kevin McLinton. I ABSOLUTELY pretended to be Walt “The Wizard” Williams, Joe Smith, Keith Booth and Sarunas Jasikevicius.

I really had no idea I’d ever witness my heroes playing in a Final Four or for a national championship. I had felt the 1999 team (lead by Steve Francis) had a legitimate chance, but Erick Barkley and St. John’s extinguished those hopes in the Sweet 16. Just weeks before Maryland’s initial Final Four run in 2001 there were calls for the head of Gary Williams after an embarrassing streak of five losses in six games (including a “rock bottom” defeat at the hands of Florida State on Valentine’s Day).

But there was something about the 2001-2002 Terps that made you believe the entire time that team was capable of finally breaking through. The heartbreak of blowing a big loss to Duke in the Final Four the year earlier seemed to fuel them to an ACC regular season championship and back to that afternoon at the Carrier Dome. The confidence of an incredible group of upperclassmen was never lacking at any point during the season.

Maryland’s run to the National Championship was unprecedented. After an opening round win over Siena, the Terps faced a modern day “Murderer’s Row” of basketball programs as they ran through Wisconsin, Kentucky, UConn and then Kansas and Indiana. Maryland faced the highest seed they could possibly face in every round as a 1 seed (16, 8, 4, 2, 1, 1) as well. Yet somehow they never really seemed to be in danger of losing.

In the Final Four a huge second half lead was cut into by the Jayhawks, but it never appeared particularly nerve-racking. The Hoosiers briefly held a second half lead in the National Championship game, but a quick baseline jumper from Dixon turned the game back toward the favor of Maryland.

The only game that involved great drama was the UConn game. It was the type of drama that sees eight ties and seven lead changes in the final 13 minutes. It was the type of drama that almost could never be fairly described in words. (ESPN’s Dick Vitale described it as a “Maalox Masher” immediately after the game. He’s certainly a wordsmith if nothing else.)

It was the type of drama that made you think “whoever wins this game is winning a national championship” in the second half. At least it made me feel that way…and I was right.

To this day, this is still my absolute favorite game I’ve ever watched. More so than the Tennessee Titans/Baltimore Ravens AFC Divisional Playoff in 2001, more so than the Mike Mussina/Randy Johnson showdown at Camden Yards in Game 4 of the 1997 ALDS, even more so than the Andre Agassi/James Blake thriller at the 2005 U.S. Open. If your heart can take it, it’s worth reliving below.

I’m not sure mine can, but I’m still grateful for these memories some ten years later.

Carry on.

-G

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Junior Billy Gribbin had a hat trick to lead the No. 7 Maryland men’s lacrosse team, but the Terps dropped an 11-10 decision at No. 14 North Carolina Saturday afternoon at Fetzer Field.

The loss puts the Terrapins at 5-2 on the year and evens their conference mark at 1-1. UNC improves to 6-3 overall and are also 1-1 in ACC play.

A sloppy field led to some sloppy play at the start and that allowed the Tar Heels to take advantage of some Terrapin turnovers to open a 3-0 lead in the first quarter off of goals by Marcus Holman, Will Campbell and Joey Sankey.

Carolina looked to up its lead when freshman Goran Murray was called for an illegal body check, giving the Tar Heels an extra-man opportunity. But sophomore goalie Niko Amato made a big save on the first UNC shot, which allowed the Terps to kill off the penalty.

The Terps used that possession to score its first goal of the game as senior Joe Cummings found Gribbin on the right wing and Gribbin got a shot past UNC goalie Steven Rastivo to make it 3-1 with 2:56 left in the first.

Maryland opened the scoring in the second quarter when junior Owen Blye found Gribbin open at right goal line extended and Gribbin made the Tar Heels pay, making it a 3-2 game at the 12:26 mark.

The Terps appeared to have tied the game with 10:05 to go in the second when Cummings’ shot slipped past Rastivo, but the goals was taken off the board due to an interference call on UNC’s Tyler Morton. Maryland couldn’t convert on the extra-man opportunity keeping the game 3-2 in favor of the Tar Heels.

The game stayed that way until 16 second left in the second when Sankey scored from the left wing top put UNC up by a pair.

It looked like that’s the way it would be going into halftime, but junior Curtis Holmes won the ensuing faceoff when junior Landon Carr scooped up the groundball. Carr patiently brought the ball down the right alley, set his feet and unleashed a Huge shot that got past Rastivo with just one tick left on the clock.

A violation by UNC’s R.G. Keenan on the opening faceoff of the third gave Maryland the ball on a mini-break. Good ball movement from Holmes to junior Jesse Bernhardt to Carr to Cummings on the left wing created a clear look at the goal for Cummings. Rastivo got a piece of the shot, but the ball trickled over the goal line, tying the score at 4-4 just nine seconds into the third.

Amato make a big save on a shot by Jimmy Dunster and made a great outlet pass to Bernhardt. He brought the ball into the box, but was never really picked up by a Tar Heel defender. A couple of pumps by Bernhardt preceded a a long low-to-low shot that got past Rastivo, giving Maryland its first lead of the day, 5-4, at 13:13 of the third.

Carolina looked to tie the game on a goal by Chad Tutton at the 11:59 mark, but the officials ruled he was in the crease before getting the shot off.

Two Maryland penalties gave UNC a 6-on-4 advantage and the Tar Heels tied the game at 5-5 with 11:42 left on a goal by Davey Emala.

Carolina retook the lead when Chad Tutton tipped a shot by Holman past Amato at the 10:34 mark.

The Terps tied the game at 6-6 with 6:33 to go in the third. Cummings was swarmed by the UNC defense, but junior Kevin Cooper picked up the tough groundball and moved it to Blye behind the cage. Blye skipped the ball over to the right alley where senior Michael Shakespeare’s bouncer found the back of the net.

An unsportsmanlike penalty on Greg McBride gave Maryland an extra-man opportunity and Cummings converted off a feed from Blye to put the Terps back up 7-6 with 5:38 to go.

Two penalties on UNC’s Ryan Creighton, including an non-releasable unsportmanlike conduct foul, near the end of the third gave the Terps the ball and a 1:42 EMO to start the fourth quarter.

However, Maryland couldn’t capitalize on the chance for the first 1:41, but as the penalties expired redshirt sophomore Mike Chanenchuk found Gribbin on the right wing where he ripped a shot inside the near pipe to give Maryland an 8-6 lead at the 13:14 mark of the fourth.

Sankey continued to score tough goals, when he split two crashing Terp defenders and slipped a shot past Amato to make it an 8-7 Terp lead with 11:39 left in the fourth.

A slashing call on Murray gave UNC an extra-man opportunity and Keenan won the faceoff giving the Tar Heels a chance to tie the game. Sophomore Michael Ehrhardt blocked a shot by Emala, but Emala picked up the groundball and moved it to Holman, who found Nicky Glasso on the right side of the crease, tying the game at 8-8 at the 10:37 mark.

A slip by junior John Haus created a huge scramble for the ball that ended with Cooper picking up his second tough groundball of the game. He moved it to senior Drew Snider, who had time and room to unleash a big shot from 15 yards out into the upper right corner, tying the game at 9-9 with 7:54 to go.

Campbell scored his second of the day just over a minute later to give UNC a 10-9 lead.

A Maryland turnover turned into a transition opportunity for the Tar Heels and Wood scored his second of the quarter to give UNC a two-goal lead at 11-9 with 2:23 to go.

The Terps had the ball, but turned the ball over. An ugly incident led to ejections for both teams, but Maryland made it a one-goal game with 20 second left.

Murray caused a Jimmy Dunster turnover and then scored his first goal of his career off an assist from Cummings to make it an 11-10 game.

Freshman Charlie Raffa won the final faceoff, giving the Terps a chance. Blye’s feed to Cummings on the crease missed him, but got through to Rastivo, but didn’t make it past him, preserving the 11-10 win for the Tar Heels.

Amato finished the game with 10 saves, while Rastivo had six. Murray led the Terrapin defense with three groundballs and four caused turnovers. Ehrhardt finished the game with five groundballs.

Maryland finishes up its regular season conference slate next Saturday when it hosts No. 1 Virginia in a noon game at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. That game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Game Notes:
• With today’s 11-10 loss, Maryland is now 40-22 all-time vs. North Carolina and 16-11 all-time in Chapel Hill.
• With four points on two goals and two assists, senior Joe Cummings now has 24 multi-point, 16 multi-goal and two multi-assist games for his career.
• With three points on three assists, junior Owen Blye now has 16 multi-point, eight multi-assist games for his career.
• With three points on three goals, junior Billy Gribbin now has one hat trick, five multi-point and five multi-goal games for his Maryland career.

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - The seventh-ranked Maryland men’s lacrosse team (5-1) travels down Tobacco Road to play No. 14 North Carolina (6-3). The game is scheduled for a noon start on Saturday, March 24 at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.

• The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU with Mike Corey handling the play-by-play and Jamie Munro and Ryan Flanagan will provide the analysis.

• Maryland (5-1, 1-0 ACC) is coming off of an 11-4 victory over then-No. 10 Villanova last Saturday that saw Terp goalie Niko Amato make 12 saves and pick up six groundballs. Owen Blye enjoyed a career day vs. his hometown team, setting career highs with six points and four goals. Billy Gribbin and Michael Shakespeare each scored two goals in the victory. Long pole Jesse Bernhardt had another terrific game with six groundballs, three caused turnovers and one assist.

• For the season, the Terps are led offensively by senior All-American Joe Cummings, who has 15 points on a team-leading 10 goals along with five assists. Junior All-America midfielder John Haus also has 15 points on eight goals and a team-best seven assists. Freshman Jay Carlson is tied with Cummings for the team lead in goals with 10. Defensively, Amato has stopped 64.6 percent of the shots put on goal by opponents, which is second among all NCAA Division I goalies, and has a 5.86 goals-against average. Junior long pole Jesse Bernhardt leads the team with 11 caused turnovers and is tied for the team lead with 21 groundballs.

• The Tar Heels are 6-3 on the year after dropping a 13-11 decision to No. 11 Duke last Friday in Durham and topping Dartmouth, 13-10, on Wednesday. UNC opened the season with four-straight wins before losing, 9-8, to No. 10 Lehigh on March 3. Carolina followed that with a 10-6 midweek loss at Penn, but rebounded to beat No. 12 Princeton, 9-8, at the Konica Minolta FaceOff Classic in Baltimore on March 10. North Carolina hosts Dartmouth on Wednesday at Fetzer Field. Carolina is deep and talented at the offensive end of the field with seven Tar Heels already posting double-digit points this season. Junior attackman Marcus Holman leads the team with 29 points on 13 goals and 16 assists. Freshman attackman Joey Sankey leads UNC with 14 goals. Junior Steven Rastivo has started all eight games in cage for the Tar Heels and has a 53.3 save percentage and a 9.33 goals-against average.

The Count Down
10 … Since 2002 Maryland has won 87 of the 94 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .926 winning percentage.
9 … Maryland is 104-23 in games since 2002 when it allows nine goals or less, for an .819 winning percentage.
8 … The Terps are eighth in the nation in scoring offense this season with 12.2 goals per game.
7 … John Haus has seven career points vs. North Carolina in five meetings.
6 … The Terps have won six of the last nine meetings vs. UNC.
5 … Maryland has allowed just five first-quarter goals in 2012.
4 … Maryland ranks fourth in the NCAA in caused turnovers with 10.17 per game.
3 … Kevin Cooper set his career high with three goals vs. the Tar Heels in the 2011 NCAA tournament game in Chapel Hill.
2 … Niko Amato is second in the NCAA with a .646 save percentage.
1 … The last time Maryland and North Carolina played each other just once in a season was 2008.

Coaching Match-Up
• John Tillman is in his fifth season as a head coach, and second with the Terps, with a 38-25 career record for a 60.3 winning percentage. Tillman is 18-6 (.750) as Maryland’s head coach. He had a 20-19 record in three seasons as the head coach at Harvard.

• Joe Breschi is in his 15th season as a head coach and holds a lifetime record of 133-81 (.621). He is in his fourth year with the Tar Heels and has a 41-18 (.695) record as the Carolina head coach.

• Tillman has an 2-1 record vs. North Carolina as a head coach with all three decisions coming last season.

Series History vs. North Carolina
• Since Maryland and North Carolina began their series in 1964, Maryland holds a 40-21 (.650) advantage. The Terps have won 16 of the last 20, with the losses in College Park in the 2011 regular season, at Chapel Hill in the 2010 regular season, in the 2009 ACC Tournament in Chapel Hill and in 2003, a 10-6 UNC victory at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium on March 22.

• The rubber match of 2011 took play at Fetzer Field in the first round of the NCAA tournament and it was the unseeded Terps advancing thanks to a convincing 13-6 victory over the No. 8-seeded Tar Heels. Drew Snider led the offensive charge, including scoring on the hidden-ball play pulled off by Grant Catalino and Brian Farrell. Kevin Cooper had a hat trick for the Terrapins, while Curtis Holmes dominated the faceoff X, winning 15-of-22. Niko Amato made 13 saves in cage.

• Just like in 2010 the Terps answered a regular season loss to Carolina with a victory in the ACC tournament. UNC led 6-2 going into the fourth quarter, but Maryland scored five unanswered goals for a 7-6 win. Owen Blye scored two goals in the run, which was capped off by a behind-the-back game-winner by Grant Catalino.

• The 2011 regular-season meeting saw North Carolina come into Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium and leave with an 11-6 victory. The Terps opened up a 4-1 lead in the first quarter, but an illegal stick penalty on Maryland allowed the Tar Heels to regain their composure and go on a 7-0 run to take command of the game. Grant Catalino led the Terps with three goals. Curtis Holmes was terrific at the face-off X, winning 15-of-20 draws.

• The Terps avenged the loss in the 2010 regular season to UNC by topping the Tar Heels, 13-5, in the semifinals of the ACC tournament in College Park. Grant Catalino led the way, tying his career high with six goals. John Haus tallied his first career hat trick for the Terps. Brian Phipps was terrific in cage for Maryland, stopping 13 Carolina shots.

• In the 2010 regular-season meeting it was Carolina earning a 9-7 victory over the Terps on March 20 in Chapel Hill. Marcus Holman subbed for the injured Billy Bitter and scored four goals to lead UNC. Maryland was paced by Ryan Young and Adam Sear with two goals apiece.

• The Tar Heels scored 10 goals in the first half en route to a 16-10 win in the semifinals of the 2009 ACC Tournament at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. Joe Cummings recorded his first career hat trick for the Terps, while Ryan Young had a three-point day on a goal and two assists.

• Earlier in 2009 the Terps and the Tar Heels played a nail-biter at Ludwig Field and in the end it was Maryland coming away with the 8-7 victory. Dan Groot scored three goals, including the game-winner that deflected off of two Carolina defender sticks, and added an assist. Grant Catalino chipped in with two goals, while Jason Carter played the whole way in cage and stopped 10 Tar Heel shots.

• The Terps entered the 2008 game as the underdog for the first time since 2000, but left the game with their sixth straight victory over the Tar Heels, 13-8. Junior midfielder Jeff Reynolds scored his first career hat trick to lead the Terps. Grant Catalino, Dan Groot, Jeremy Sieverts and Max Ritz each had a goal and an assist in the Maryland victory.

• The Maryland midfield dominated the 2007 game and le the Terps to an impressive 14-8 win over a rising Carolina team at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Sophomore midfielder Dan Groot led the Terrapin attack with three goals for his second career hat trick. Freshman goalie Brian Phipps was stellar in the cage for Maryland, stopping 15 Tar Heel shots, while allowing just seven goals.

• The Tar Heels led for nearly the entire game in the 2006 ACC semifinals, but Xander Ritz scored off a brilliant cross-crease pass from Michael Phipps with just 1:25 left in the fourth quarter to give the third-ranked Terps their first lead of the game and the 10-9 victory. Brendan Healy scored three goals and added a pair of assists for Maryland, while Ritz finished with a hat trick and Bill McGlone scored two and assisted on another two scores.

• In the 2006 regular season meeting Joe Walters scored five goals to lead the No. 4 Terps to a 9-6 win at North Carolina on March 25. Sophomore attackman Max Ritz added two goals, while Bill McGlone and Michael Phipps each scored one. Defensively, Harry Alford stopped eight shots and allowed just six goals in net for the Terps.

• Terrapin goalie Harry Alford stopped 20 UNC shots in the 2005 meeting to lead the fourth-ranked Terps to a 9-4 win over Carolina in College Park. Michael Hartofilis turned in the finest performance of his Maryland career with a goal and a career-best three assists. Brendan Healy, Michael Phipps and Joe Walters each scored twice in the Maryland win.

• The 2004 meeting in Chapel Hill saw Maryland pick up a thrilling 10-9 victory at Fetzer Field on March 27. The Tar Heels used a five-goal third quarter to take a 8-7 lead into the fourth, but two goals by Maryland’s Mike Brown and another by Joe Walters gaves the Terps a 3-1 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter and the 10-9 win. Walters finished the game with four goals, while Michael Phipps scored two goals in the victory.

• In the 2003 game at Byrd Stadium, No. 13 North Carolina upset the No. 2 Terps as goalie Paul Spellman had a career-game with 25 saves. Joe Walters scored two goals for the Terps in the defeat. Bill McGlone also added a tally in the win. UNC was paced by Austin Garrison, who had four goals.

• Eight of the last 20 meetings with North Carolina have been decided by one goal.

• The Terps and Tar Heels have only met twice in NCAA tournament play. Maryland lost the first meeting with the Heels in 1986, 12-10, but won the 2011 first round game, 13-6.

The Stretch: Carolina, Virginia, Navy, Hopkins
• Since 1978 Maryland’s schedule has been highlighted by a four-game stretch in the middle of its season: North Carolina, Virginia, Navy and Johns Hopkins. In the 35-year span only four times has the stretch been interrupted with another game added in between one of these traditional four (1981, 1997, 2001, 2003).

• Overall, Maryland is 62-74 (.456) since 1978 vs. those four teams during that time.

• The Terps have swept the four games only once – in 1987. Only twice (1981 & 1988) has Maryland lost all four games. Six times (1978, 1979, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001) the Terps have won three of the four games. Johns Hopkins broke up the Terps’ bid for a perfect stretch four times, while Carolina and Virginia broke it up one time each.

The Terps On ESPNU
• Maryland has had 38 games on ESPNU since 2006. Maryland is 22-16 (.580) all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.

• This will be the first of at least four games (at UNC, vs. Virginia, at Johns Hopkins, at ACC tournament) Maryland will play on ESPNU in 2012.

Going Purple
· Once again this season, the Terps will be wearing purple “MY” stickers, to show their support for the fight against pancreatic cancer, which touched everyone in the Maryland lacrosse family last season with the passing of Maria Young on April 17.

· This past fall the Terps, Maryland alums and family and friends came together for the inaugural Forever Young Walk/Run for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. More on Ms. Young and her amazing story can be found here: Forever Young.

· If you’re interested in more information about the Lustgarten Foundation, including how to make a donation, click here to visit the foundation’s website. You can also get more information on pancreatic cancer at CurePC.org.

In case you’re wondering here are some facts about pancreatic cancer from the American Cancer Society:
· More than 43,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer present each year
· There are more than 36,000 deaths from pancreatic cancer each year
· The lifetime risk of having pancreatic cancer is about 1 in 71.
· The risk is about the same for both men and women.

Going Gray
· Maryland players will also be wearing gray stickers with the number 42 in honor of Zack Wholley’s father, John, who passed away from brain cancer on August 28, 2011.

· If you’re interested in more information, please visit the National Brain Tumor Society website.

In case you’re wondering here are some facts about brain and spinal cord tumors from the American Cancer Society:
· About 22,910 malignant tumors of the brain or spinal cord (12,630 in males and 10,280 in females) will be diagnosed. These numbers would likely be much higher if benign tumors were also included.
· About 13,700 people (7,720 males and 5,980 females) will die from these tumors.
· Overall, the chance that a person will develop a malignant tumor of the brain or spinal cord in his or her lifetime is about one in 150 for a man and one in 185 for a woman.

Get To 10 And Win
• One axiom of lacrosse is that if you score 10 goals or more your chances of winning are pretty good. Well, a look at the results since 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 87 of the 94 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .926 winning percentage.

· The Terps scored 11 vs. Johns Hopkins on April 16, 2011, but the Blue Jays won the game in overtime, 12-11. On April 3 of last season the Terps lost to No. 1 Virginia by a final of 11-10, giving Maryland its only loss when scoring 10 or more goals in 2010. In 2009 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..

Holding Opponents To Single-Digits
• The Terps have been extremely impressive (winning 92.6 percent of its games since 2002) when it scores 10 or more goals, they have been nearly as impressive when holding opponents to less than 10 goals during that span.

• Since 2002 Maryland is 104-23 in games, for a .819 winning percentage, when it has held opponents under 10 goals. The Terps have played 168 total games since 2002. Maryland has held opponents to nine goals or less 75.6 percent of the time.

Shooting Tells The Story
• The difference between winning and losing for Maryland this season is simple – when the Terps shoot well they win. As it turns out 30% is the magic number for the Terps this season. Maryland is 5-1 on the year and has shot 30% or better in all five victories.

Hartford: 12 goals, 40 shots = 30%
Georgetown: 16 goals, 41 shots = 39.0%
Duke: 10 goals, 28 shots = 35.7%
UMBC: 7 goals, 30 shots = 23.3%
Marist: 17 goals, 43 shots = 39.5%
Villanova: 11 goals, 31 shots = 35.5%

• Since 2005 the Terps are a remarkable 50-3 (.943) when shooting 30% or better in a game. The first game Maryland lost during that stretch was a 13-10 decision to Georgetown in 2009 (the Terps shot 10 of 30 for 33.3% vs. the Hoyas). The second loss came in 2010 in the controversial 11-10 loss to No. 1 Virginia on April 3. The Terps shot 10 of 33 for 30.3%. The most recent came on April 16, 2011 in a 12-11 overtime loss to No. 3 Johns Hopkins.

Youth Is Served
• Maryland started two sophomores (Michael Ehrhardt and Brian Cooper) and a freshman (Goran Murray) at close defense in the 2012 season-opening win over Hartford. The last time Maryland’s defense had two sophomore and one freshman starting was 2005 when sophomores Steve Whittenberg and Ray Megill started alongside freshman Joe Cinosky. The first game that group started together was April 23, 2005 at Fairfield (a 9-6 Terrapin win).

• Goran Murray became the first Maryland freshman to start at close defense in a season opener since 2008 when Max Schmidt started in an 11-6 win at Georgetown.

Face-Off Firsts
• Junior Curtis Holmes’ 19-of-20 (.950) performance facing-off vs. Hartford in the 2012 season opener is just the fifth time since 2000 that a Maryland face-off man has won at least 90% of his draws with at least 10 attempts.

• Holmes joins Andy Claxton and Brian Haggerty as the only Terps with multiple games of 19 or more face-off wins. Claxton did it three times (27 at Towson in 1991, 21 vs. Duke in 1991 and 19 at Brown in 1991), while Haggerty did it twice (20 vs. Butler in 1998 and 19 vs. Virginia in 1998). Holmes had 20 wins vs. Georgetown last season to go along with his 19 vs. the Hawks, which makes him the only Terp to win 19 or more face-offs in different seasons.

• The last 90% performance was in 2008 when Bryn Holmes, Curtis’ older brother, won 9-of-10 face-offs at Mount St. Mary’s.

• The last time a Terp faced-off with a winning percentage above 90% was on March 21, 2006 when David Tamberrino won 12-of-13 in a 14-2 win over Dartmouth.

Best Face-Off Performances Since 2000
Curtis Holmes - 19/20 (.950) vs. Hartford 2/18/12
Brian Carroll - 12/13 (.923) at Delaware 3/17/01
David Tamberrino – 12/13 (.923) vs. Dartmouth 3/21/06
Jeremy Pastula - 11/12 (.917) at Towson 3/8/03
Bryn Holmes - 9/10 (.900) at Mount St. Mary’s 2/26/08
Bryn Holmes - 12/14 (.857) vs. Presbyterian 2/13/09
Brian Carroll - 11/13 (.846) vs. Mount St. Mary’s 2/26/02
Bryn Holmes - 11/13 (.846) vs. Air Force 2/14/09
Ryan Moran - 10/12 (.833) vs. Bucknell 3/11/03
Will Dalton - 18/22 (.818) vs. Vermont 2/20/07
Curtis Holmes - 17/21 (.810) vs. Detroit Mercy 2/19/11

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.

Terps’ 87th Season Of Lacrosse
· The Terps boast an all-time record of 733-247-4 (.746), 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 85 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 10-6. The program reached the 700-win milestone with a 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 at Ludwig Field.

· During the decade of the 2000s, Maryland went 111-49 for a .694 win percentage, making it the winningest decade in Terrapin lacrosse history. 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. So far, Maryland is 25-9 in the 2010′s for a .735 winning percentage.

First-Time Opponents
• Maryland has played 78 different opponents in its 87 seasons. The 2012 season added Hartford (a 12-6 win on 2/18) and will add Marist (3/10) to that list. In the Terps’ 78 first-time meetings Maryland is 74-4 (.949) 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 83-3-1 (.960) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 19 openers and 26 of the last 27, 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.)

19 Straight in Season Openers
• After beating Hartford to open the 2012 season the Terps have an 19-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 (twice), Presbyterian, Detroit Mercy and Hartford. Over the 19-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 267-99 (an average score of 14.1-5.2) in those games.

· The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 18 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.

Consecutive 10-Win Seasons
· The 11-9 victory over Duke on April 24, 2011 was the 10th of the year for Maryland, giving it nine straight seasons with double-digit wins. (Special thanks to Patrick Stevens of the D1Scourse.com).

· How does that stack up against the rest of the college lacrosse programs? Take a look at programs with at least five-straight 10-win seasons:
Maryland (9): 2011 (13-5), 2010 (12-4), 2009 (10-7), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (10-6), 2006 (12-5), 2005 (11-6), 2004 (13-3), 2003 (12-4)
Cornell (7): 2011 (12-3), 2010 (12-6), 2009 (11-3), 2008 (11-4), 2007 (15-1), 2006 (11-3), 2005 (11-3)
Virginia (7): 2011 (13-5), 2010 (16-2), 2009 (14-2), 2008 (14-4), 2007 (12-4), 2006 (17-0), 2005 (11-4)
Notre Dame (6): 2011 (11-3), 2010 (10-7), 2009 (15-1), 2008 (14-3), 2007 (11-4), 2006 (10-5)
Duke (5): 2011 (14-6), 2010 (16-4), 2009 (15-4), 2008 (18-2), 2007 ( 17-3)
Siena (5): 2011 (13-5), 2010 (12-5), 2009 (12-6), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (10-6)

A Family Affair
· Many school’s refer to their sports programs as families, but the Maryland men’s lacrosse program is truely a family affair. Since 2002, the Terps have had 13 sets of brothers, including three on this season’s roster, don the red and black together for at least one season.

Harry & Thomas Alford: 2004-05-06-07
Jake & Jesse Bernhardt: 2010-11-12
Justin & Owen Blye: 2009-10-11
Brian & Kevin Cooper: 2011-12
Billy & Bobby Gribbin: 2012
Brendan & Ian Healy: 2003-04-05
Bryn & Curtis Holmes: 2010
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: 2008-09-10-11