February 23, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md.--The Hobart College lacrosse team's 100th season and first under Head Coach Matt Kerwick '90 got off to a bumpy start this afternoon. The 23rd-ranked Statesmen dropped a 13-6 decision to the sixth-ranked University of Maryland Terrapins.

Hobart (0-1) started four first-years and the youth in their lineup showed. The Statesmen were out shot 19-2 in the opening 15 minutes and failed to convert 3-of-5 clear attempts.

The Terps (1-0) netted three goals in each of the first two quarters to head into halftime with a 6-0 lead. After the break, Maryland added three more in the third to build a 9-0 advantage.

Senior captain Scott Harvey (Suffern/Cornwall, N.Y.) broke the scoring drought for Hobart with 14:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. Two minutes later, sophomore Dan Cesere (Holderness School/Concord, N.H.) followed suit to move the Statesmen to within seven. The Terps responded with four of the next five tallies to take a comfortable 13-3 lead with 3:41 remaining.

Hobart gave its fans reason for optimism scoring three times in the final 72 seconds. Last season's leading scorer, junior John Bogosian (Kent School/Massena, N.Y.) sparked the run, finishing a feed from classmate Kris Shore (Liverpool/Liverpool, N.Y.). Just 14 seconds had run off the clock when Harvey registered his third goal of the afternoon. As if a natural hat trick wasn't enough, he added his fourth goal of the quarter 33 ticks before the final horn.

In goal, junior Mike Borsz (West Genesee/Camillus, N.Y.) kept the contest from getting out of hand. Despite having three long poles in front of him without a collegiate start among them, he finished with 17 saves, including seven in the first quarter.

While certainly disappointed with the outcome, the Statesmen have to be encouraged by the visable progress made during the game, and the improvements that are sure to come during this week's practice sessions. In the fourth quarter, Hobart outshot Maryland 18-10, outscored its host 6-4, grabbed more ground balls than the Terps (12-9), and won 6-of-10 faceoffs.

Hobart returns to Geneva for its home opener on March 2, when the Statesmen host the Vermont Catamounts. Faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., at the 2001 Artificial Turf Stadium.