DURHAM, N.C. - The Maryland women’s lacrosse team upended top-seeded North Carolina 14-10 en route to its unprecedented fourth straight Atlantic Coast Conference title Monday.

Katie Schwarzmann was named tournament most valuable player after capping her stellar weekend with a six-point showing against the Tar Heels. The junior midfielder joined Karri Ellen Johnson with four goals each to lead the Maryland (16-3) attack.

Monday’s win was Maryland’s third consecutive in the ACC championship against UNC (14-3). The victory avenged an early-April loss to the Tar Heels, and unlike that contest, the Terps were dominant from the first draw.

Maryland tallied two goals in the first four minutes of the match, courtesy of scores from Johnson and Kristy Black. Both scores came via assists from Alex Aust, who finished the championship with an ACC tournament career record 13 assists.

The Terps would go on to edge the Tar Heels 5-3 in the first stanza and, following an early UNC goal in the second half, erupted for a 3-0 run in-and-around the 25-minute mark. UNC attacker Abbey Friend scored to stop the drive at 21:56 but Maryland outscored the Tar Heels 5-1 in a 10-minute span midway through the second half.

The Terps were able to sustain a pesky 4-0 run from North Carolina with time winding down in the match, which was Maryland’s third in the last four days. After a late five-minute stall by the Terps, Johnson capped the scoring with 27 seconds left.

Maryland’s championship is its ninth in program history. In addition to Johnson, Schwarzmann and Aust, senior goalie Brittany Dipper landed on the ACC All-Tournament team. It was the fourth straight season the reigning IWLCA National Goalie of the Year was tabbed to the all-tournament team.

“We knew coming into tonight that this was going to be a great game with two teams full of talented players,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “I am really proud of our team for the way that we handled the pressure and played this one out.”

With four goals Monday, Schwarzmann ended the tournament with 11, a mark that ties the ACC championship record for scores in the championship.

Maryland will celebrate its senior class Wednesday night with a home game against Georgetown at 7 p.m. at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

The Game: Third-ranked Johns Hopkins (9-1) plays host to the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse as the Blue Jays welcome ninth-ranked Maryland (6-3) to Homewood Field.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins and Maryland both got back on the winning side of things with wins last week. Hopkins bounced back from a loss to North Carolina with a 17-6 win over Albany last Thursday, while Maryland ended a two-game slide with a 13-6 victory over Navy last Friday night in College Park.

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Maryland are meeting for the 108th time in a series that dates to a 10-0 Johns Hopkins victory in 1895. The Blue Jays hold a commanding 68-38-1 advantage against the Terps and have won 10 of the last 13 meetings A complete series review can be found at the back of this week’s note packet.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Maryland with an all-time record of 921-295-15 (.754). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

A Win For Johns Hopkins Would …
• Give the Blue Jays 10 wins for the ninth time in 12 seasons under head coach Dave Pietramala.
• Give JHU 10 wins for the 33rd time in school hsitory.
• Improve JHU’s home winning streak to 13 games.
• Improve head coach Dave Pietramala’s overall record to 100 games over .500. He is currently 158-59.
• Be the ninth for JHU in 12 games against Maryland since Dave Pietramala took over in 2001.
• Improve JHU’s record to 56-4 against teams from the state of Maryland since Dave Pietramala took over in 2001.
• Improve Johns Hopkins’ reocrd to 50-8 in games played in April under Dave Pietramala.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 158-59 (.728), including a 135-42 (.763) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

About the Start: Although Johns Hopkins had its eight-game season-opening winning streak snapped with the loss to North Carolina on April 1, good things could be in store for the Blue Jays down the road. Since 1977 the Blue Jays have opened a season with eight straight wins seven times (including this season). JHU has won the national championship three times in the previous six years, made two other trips to the title game and advanced to the NCAA semifinals the other year.

April Reign: Flipping the calendar to April has usually been a good sign for the Blue Jays, who are 49-8 (.860) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in April. JHU is 28-3 at home, 19-3 on the road and 2-2 on a neutral field in April under Pietramala’s guidance.

Marching Orders: Johns Hopkins closed out the March portion of its 2012 schedule at Virginia on March 24. The Blue Jays posted their first perfect record in the month of March (5-0) since 2005, when they also won all five of their games played in the month. Since 1972, JHU has posted a perfect record in the month of March 15 times (not including this season). In six of those years the Blue Jays went on to win the national championship and in seven other instances JHU finished as national runner-up.

Streaking – Part 1: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 17-2 in its last 19 games, 22-4 since the start of the 2011 season and 24-6 in its last 30 games.

Streaking – Part 2: Johns Hopkins is 110-30 (.786) in its last 140 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 127-38 (.770) overall since the start of the 2002 season.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Home Cookin’: Johns Hopkins ran its home winning streak to 12 games with the 17-6 win over Albany on April 1. The streak is the second-longest under head coach Dave Pietramala, who picked up his 75th career victory at Homewood Field with the win earlier this season against Delaware. Hopkins sports a gaudy 79-12 (.869) record in home games during his career at JHU. JHU won a school and national-record 37 straight home games from 2001-06 under Pietramala’s guidance and the current 12-game home winning streak is the fourth home streak of seven wins or more since he arrived.

More Home Cookin’: In addition to boasting the second-longest home winning streak of the Dave Pietramala era, Johns Hopkins’ current 12-game winning streak at Homewood Field is also the second longest active home winning streak in the nation. Only Cornell, which has won 14 straight at Schoellkopf Field, has a longer current streak in the home whites than Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins’ win at Virginia on March 24 snapped UVA’s 14-game home winning streak, which had stood as the longest in the nation.

Striking the First Blow: Johns Hopkins scored on its first shot of the game seven times in 2011 and has already turned the trick four times this season. JHU has scored on its first shot of the game four times and its second shot of the game four times as well this season. Johns Hopkins has failed to score on one of its first two shots twice this season – against Manhattan and Virginia. In both of those games, the Blue Jays scored on their fourth shot.

Balancing Act: Johns Hopkins has employed virtually the same first and second midfield units throughout the first 10 games and those units have proven to be steady in terms of production. JHU’s first unit of Rob Guida (12), John Ranagan (12) and John Greeley (7) has combined for 31 goals, while the second unit of Lee Coppersmith (11), Mark Goodrich (6) and Greg Edmonds (2) has 19 goals to its credit. The major difference between the two groups has been with assists. The unit of Guida, Ranagan and Greeley has combined for 16 assists. Edmonds’ assist against North Carolina was the first assist of the season from the trio on the second midfield, which now has two assists to its credit.

Attack Oriented: Despite being forced to start five different players in three different combinations, the starting attack units the Blue Jays have trotted out have been effective and efficient. The unit has combined for 51 goals and 36 assists (8.7 points per game) through 10 games.

On the Flip Side: While the Blue Jay attack is collectively averaging more than eight points per game, the Blue Jay defense has not been nearly as giving. In fact, the starting attack units Johns Hopkins has faced this season have totaled just 32 goals and 20 assists (5.2 points per game).

Bassett Now 22-4 in Last 26 Starts: Junior goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 25th career victory in goal with the 17-6 win vs. Albany as he posted 11 saves in just over 55 minutes of action. Including the win over the Great Danes he is 22-4 in his last 26 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season and counts a 25-8 career record to his credit. Through 10 games Bassett currently ranks fourth in the nation in goals against average (6.69) and 10th in save percentage (.578). Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Jesse Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Boland Returns: Senior attackman Chris Boland returned to the lineup against North Carolina after missing seven consecutive games with an injury he suffered 35 minutes into the season opener against Towson. Boland scored twice and dished out a pair of assists against the Tar Heels and came back with a three-goal, two-assist showing against Albany to push his season totals to nine goals and four assists in just three games. Boland’s three-goal, two-assist showing vs. Albany pushed his career totals to 75 goals and 42 assists for 117 points. It was also his 10th career hat trick, 27th career multi-point game and 18th game with four points or more.

Stanwick in Rare Company: Freshman Wells Stanwick ran his streak of consecutive multi-point games to seven with one goal and two assists in the win over Albany. His run of seven straight multi-point games to open his career is the longest by a Johns Hopkins player (freshmen only – not transfers) since all-time leading scorer Terry Riordan opened his career with 18 consecutive multi-point games from 1992-93. Stanwick has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in seven games played. He missed three games early in the season with an injury, but is still tied for third on the team in scoring and ranks second in assists.

Jumping Right In: Junior John Kaestner had played in 12 career games and hadn’t so much as taken a shot before getting the starting nod at Princeton with freshman Wells Stanwick out. No worries, all Kaestner did was stick the first two goals of his career during a 4-1 fourth-quarter run that fueled JHU’s 10-8 win. He came back with one goal and one assist in the win vs. Manhattan and duplicated that effort in the win over UMBC.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number three in both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 392 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 390 of those 392 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 369 of the 392 and the top five in 295 of those 392. Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one 104 times since the poll debuted in 1973.

State Rivalries: Without question the Blue Jays play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and a big part of the schedule are the in-state rivalries the Blue Jays have. Including wins this season vs. Towson and UMBC, JHU is 55-4 (.932) against teams from Maryland under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 38 of 40 quarters this season and two or more in 33 of the 40 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 36.7 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 16th in the nation in scoring offense (11.00), 10th in extra-man offense (.472) and sixth in scoring margin (+4.40).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins is surrending an average of just 29.6 shots per game.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 13 of 40 quarters this season (32.5%).
• The Blue Jays rank fourth in the nation in scoring defense (6.60), 20th in man-down defense (.697) and sixth in scoring margin (+4.40) this season.
• Johns Hopkins has held each of its 10 opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:52 and nine of the 10 have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer.

Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC. The Retrievers did score a pair of extra-man goals in the first half, but the first six-on-six goal they scored came 34 seconds into the fourth quarter.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan on March 6. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in school history with 57 of those 61 shutouts coming prior to 1950.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 921 all-time wins.

That’s 625 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 921-295-15 (.754) … that’s 626 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be six games over .500.

The Game: Top-ranked Johns Hopkins (8-0) heads to New Jersey for the second time this season as the Blue Jays travel to Met Life Stadium to take on 11th-ranked North Carolina (7-3) in the third game of the Konica Minolta Big City Classic.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins improved to 8-0 with an 11-10 overtime victory at then top-ranked Virginia. North Carolina made it two straight in the win column with an 11-10 victory at home against Maryland last Saturday.

Series History: Johns Hopkins and North Carolina are meeting for the 41st time in a series that dates to a 16-9 Johns Hopkins victory in the 1977 NCAA Quarterfinals. The Blue Jays lead the all-time series 24-16 and grabbed a 10-9 win over the Tar Heels in the Big City Classic last season. A complete series history can be found at the back of this week’s note packet.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against North Carolina with an all-time record of 920-294-15 (.755). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

Game Number 175: Last week’s game at Virginia was the 175th for Dave Pietramala as the head coach at Johns Hopkins. He sports a 134-41 (.766) record since taking over in 2001.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 157-58 (.730), including a 134-41 (.766) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

About the 8-0 Start: Johns Hopkins is 8-0 for the first time since 2005 and just the second time under head coach Dave Pietramala. Prior to opening at 8-0 in 2005, JHU hadn’t opened a season with eight straight wins since 1995. Since 1977 the Blue Jays have opened a season with eightstraight wins seven times (including this season). JHU has won the national championship three times in those six years, made two other trips to the title game and advanced to the NCAA semifinals the other year.

Program Ties: UNC Assistant Coach Brian Holman played lacrosse at JHU from 1980-83 and was a member of the 1980 NCAA Championship team … he was JHU’s starting goalie for his final three seasons and helped Hopkins to three straight national runner-up finishes • UNC junior attackman Davey Emala is the son of Dave Emala, who played football and baseball at JHU and is a member of Hopkins’ Athletic Hall of Fame • UNC sophomore midfielder William Scroggs’ father, Willie, played lacrosse and football at JHU and served as an assistant coach for both sports prior to become the Tar Heels’ men’s lacrosse coach … Willie Scroggs was a member of three (1967 1968, 1969) USILA Championship teams at Johns Hopkins.

Marching Orders: Johns Hopkins closed out the March portion of its 2012 schedule last weekend at Virginia. The Blue Jays posted their first perfect record in the month of March (5-0) since 2005, when they also won all five of their games played in the month. Since 1972, JHU has posted a perfect record in the month of March 15 times (not including this season). In six of those years the Blue Jays went on to win the national championship and in seven other instances JHU finished as national runner-up.

April Reign: Flipping the calendar to April has usually been a good sign for the Blue Jays, who are 48-7 (.873) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in April. JHU is 27-3 at home, 19-3 on the road and 2-1 on a neutral field in April under Pietramala’s guidance.

Streaking – Part 1: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 16-1 in its last 17 games, 21-3 since the start of the 2011 season and 23-5 in its last 28 games.

Streaking – Part 2: Johns Hopkins is 109-29 (.790) in its last 138 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 126-37 (.773) overall since the start of the 2002 season.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Home Cookin’: Johns Hopkins ran its home winning streak to 11 games with the 11-7 win over sixth-ranked Syracuse on March 17. The streak is the second-longest under head coach Dave Pietramala, who picked up his 75th career victory at Homewood Field with the win earlier this season against Delaware. Hopkins sports a gaudy 78-12 (.867) record in home games during his career at JHU.
JHU won a school and national-record 37 straight home games from 2001-06 under Pietramala’s guidance and the current 11-game home winning streak is the fourth home streak of seven wins or more since he arrived.

More Home Cookin’: In addition to boasting the second-longest home winning streak of the Dave Pietramala era, Johns Hopkins’ current 11-game winning streak at Homewood Field is also the second longest active home winning streak in the nation. Only Cornell, which has won 12 straight at Schoellkopf Field, has a longer current streak in the home whites than Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins’ win at Virginia last Saturday snapped UVA’s 14-game home winning streak, which had stood as the longest in the nation.

Fifteen Straight: Johns Hopkins ran its regular season winning streak to 15 games with the 11-10 overtime win at Virginia. This is the longest regular season winning streak for JHU since a 19-game run that bridged the 2004 and 2006 seasons. Hopkins’ last loss during the regular season … a 5-4 double-overtime setback at Syracuse last season.

Fifteen Straight – Historically: Not only is the current 15-game regualr season winning streak the second longest under Dave Pietramala, it’s also the sixth longest in school history during the NCAA Tournament era (1971 – Present).

Striking the First Blow: Johns Hopkins scored on its first shot of the game seven times in 2011 and has already turned the trick three times this season. JHU has scored on its first shot of the game three times and its second shot of the game three times already this season. Johns Hopkins has failed to score on one of its first two shots twice this season – against Manhattan and Virginia. In both of those games, the Blue Jays scored on their fourth shot.

Balancing Act: Johns Hopkins has employed virtually the same first and second midfield units throughout the first eight games and those units have proven to be steady in terms of production. JHU’s first unit of Rob Guida (9), John Ranagan (8) and John Greeley (6) has combined for 23 goals, while the second unit of Lee Coppersmith(9), Mark Goodrich (5) and Greg Edmonds (1) has 15 goals to its credit. The major difference between the two groups has been with assists. The unit of Guida, Ranagan and Greeley has combined for 15 assists. The next assist for the second unit will be its first of the year.

Jumping Right In: Junior John Kaestner had played in 12 career games and hadn’t so much as taken a shot before getting the starting nod at Princeton with freshman Wells Stanwick out. No worries, all Kaestner did was stick the first two goals of his career during a 4-1 fourth-quarter run that fueled JHU’s 10-8 win. He came back with one goal and one assist in the win vs. Manhattan and duplicated that effort in the win over UMBC.

Bassett Now 21-3 in Last 24 Starts: Sophomore goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 24th career victory in goal with the 11-10 win at Virginia as he posted nine saves to improve to 24-7 in his 31 career starts. He is 21-3 in his last 24 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season.
Through eight games Bassett currently ranks third in the nation in goals against average (6.03) and eighth in save percentage (.584).
Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Poppleton, Kennedy Fuel Success at the X: Freshman Drew Kennedy did a solid job on faceoffs in the season-opener vs. Towson as he won 9-of-14 in the absence of junior Mike Poppleton. Poppleton returned against Delaware and has been solid in seven games since as he ranks ninth in the nation in FO win percentage (.621 • 72-of-116). He won 15-of-18 against Siena, 11-of-21 at Princeton, 10-of-12 vs. Manhattan and 12-of-18 against Syracuse. Kennedy was also solid in the win at #1 Virginia as he won 8-of-14 with four GBs and is now 19-of-34 (.559) on the year. As a team, JHU is 91-of-159 (.572) on faceoffs this season and ranks 12th in the nation in FO winning percentage.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number one in both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 390 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 388 of those 390 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 367 of the 390 and the top five in 293 of those 390. This week’s number one ranking is the 104th for JHU since the poll debuted in 1973.

State Rivalries: Without question the Blue Jays play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and a big part of the schedule are the in-state rivalries the Blue Jays have. Including wins this season vs. Towson and UMBC, JHU is 55-4 (.932) against teams from Maryland under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 31 of 32 quarters this season and two or more in 26 of the 32 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 36.4 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 24th in the nation in scoring offense (10.5), 16th in extra-man offense (.429) and fifth in scoring margin (+4.63).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins held Towson to just 18 shots and Manhattan to just 14. Hopkins is surrending an average of just 27.5 shots per game.
• Johns Hopkins has held each of its eight opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:52 – seven of the eight have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 11 of 32 quarters this season (34.4%).
• The Blue Jays rank second in the nation in scoring defense (5.88), 10th in man-down defense (.741) and fifth in scoring margin (+4.63) this season.

Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC. The Retrievers did score a pair of extra-man goals in the first half, but the first six-on-six goal they scored came 34 seconds into the fourth quarter.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in school history with 57 of those 61 shutouts coming prior to 1950.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 920 all-time wins.

That’s 625 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 920-294-15 (.754) … that’s 625 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be six games over .500.

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

Honorable Mention: Soccer-Cuba @ US Under-23 Men (Thursday 9pm from Nashville live on Universal Sports Network), Canada @ US Under-23 Men (Saturday 9pm from Nashville live on Universal Sports), El Salvador @ US Under-23 Men (Monday 9pm from Nashville live on Universal Sports), MLS-DC United @ Vancouver Whitecaps (Saturday 10pm from Vancouver live on Comcast SportsNet); Tennis: ATP Tour WTA Tour Sony Ericsson Open (Saturday-Monday 11am from Miami live on Tennis Channel); Boxing: Friday Night Fights-Antwone Smith vs. Roberto Garcia (Friday 9pm from Pharr, TX live on ESPN2), ShoBox-Diego Magdaleno vs. Eduardo Lazcano (Friday 11pm from Tucson, AZ live on Showtime), Erik Morales vs. Danny Garcia (Saturday 10pm from Houston live on HBO), Zab Judah vs. Vernon Paris (Saturday 10pm from New York live on NBC Sports Network); Mixed Martial Arts: Bellator Fighting Championships 62 (Friday 8pm from Laredo, TX live on MTV2)

10. The Head And The Heart (Tuesday 7pm Rams Head Live), Crack The Sky (Saturday 8pm Rams Head Live); Adema (Wednesday 7pm Recher Theatre); Psychedelic Furs (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Phil Vassar (Wednesday 6pm & 9pm Rams Head on Stage); Gotye (Thursday 7pm 9:30 Club), Fatboy Slim (Friday 9pm 9:30 Club), The Joy Formidable (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); Fiona Apple (Wednesday 9pm Sixth & I Historic Synagogue); Kevin Eubanks (Thursday-Sunday Blues Alley); Angelique Kidjo (Saturday 8pm Lisner Auditorium); ShamrockFest feat. Dropkick Murphys, Gavin Degraw, Carbon Leaf (Saturday RFK Stadium); The Shins “Port of Morrow” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

Here’s a truth. The Head and The Heart had one of the ABSOLUTE best songs of 2011…

Gotye is the band whose name you have NO IDEA how to pronounce but you just can’t get out of your head…

Fiona Apple once did a video in her underwear. It was awkward because 14 year old Glenn was both aroused and terribly disturbed…

I saw The Shins on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago. I wasn’t sure I was into them. I’m into them.

9. Ralphie May (Friday 8pm Lisner Auditorium); Bret Ernst (Thursday-Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Pablo Francisco (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” & “The Muppets” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “The Hunger Games” opens in theaters (Friday); Beer, Bourbon & BBQ (Friday & Saturday Timonium Fairgrounds)

I will be at BBBBQ Saturday morning with my “Reality Check Players” partner John Collingsworth. If you intended to do something with me at some point during the day Saturday understand…well…just be prepared for anything.

I’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to Friday night on Tuesday and Wednesday on “The Reality Check.” Not sure if Beer, Bourbon & BBQ is an event for you? I have a simple question. Does this look like something you’d enjoy?

What about this?

See you this weekend.