Maryland WLAX Rolls Georgetown, 12-3

Mismatch

Maryland came into this game undefeated and ranked as the top team in the nation. Georgetown was 2-7 on the year and doesn't even average eight goals a game on offense. Cathy Reese has never lost to the Hoyas before and this was the first time that the two local teams have played since 2012.

This was a massive mismatch on paper and Maryland was expected to coast to an easy and comfortable win.

First Half

Georgetown's goalie, Maddy Fisher, was tasked with stopping the juggernaut that is the Maryland offense and she did a fantastic job of keeping Maryland from scoring early on. Zoe Stukenberg got the first goal of the game for either team with 16:52 left to play in the half off of a feed from Taylor Cummings.

The Hoyas answered back about three and a half minutes later with a goal from Colleen Lovett and the game was tied 1-1. Brooke Griffin put the Terps back on top just 38 seconds later and it was a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. Cummings set up for a free-position with under nine minutes left in the half and passed it off to a wide-open Griffin who buried it for her 22nd goal of the year.

Maryland then got another two goals in a 32 second span in the final 3:11 of the half. Precocious freshman Megan Whittle added to her team-leading goal total with a finish through traffic with 3:11 left in the half. Cummings added an unassisted goal just 32 seconds later to change the complexion of the game from potentially being 4-1 at the half to 5-1. The way Georgetown had been playing on offense (and the way Maryland had been playing defense) seemed to indicate that overcoming a four goal deficit against Maryland was next to impossible.

The Terps caused seven turnovers in the first half alone but Georgetown was able to keep the score relatively close because they only trailed 4-3 in draw controls for the half. Georgetown tried to slow the game down but Maryland's defense gave Maryland enough possessions to get some goals. If there was a blueprint to making Maryland look vulnerable, Georgetown showed it tonight in the first half. The second half was not as competitive as the first half was.

Second Half

Taylor Cummings got the scoring started in the second half with 27 minutes left to go in the game. Whittle added a goal 22 seconds later and then picked up yet another hat-trick on the season with her goal with 23:53 left in the game. Whittle now has six hat-tricks in 11 games this season. Caroline Tarzian stopped the run for Georgetown with a goal at the 21:26 mark to make it 8-2. Six goals was as close as the Hoyas would get in the second half as Whittle poured in another goal just a minute later. Cummings picked up a hat-trick of her own as she got the Terps to double digits with 18:47 left in the game.

Kristen Bandos scored for Georgetown with 12:23 left to make it 10-3 but that would be the last goal that Georgetown would score. Cummings went top-shelf just 26 seconds later to push the lead back to eight. Freshman Taylor Hensh ended the scoring with a goal off of an assist from Cummings with 7:41 left in the game to make it 12-3.

Recap

Maryland broke the game open in the second half and the key stat was the draw controls. They led 4-3 in draw controls in the first half but got locked in and fired off of the 30s in the second half. The result? A 9-1 edge in draw controls which led to extra possessions that they didn't have in the first half.

Maryland peppered Fisher in both halves, shooting 15 times in the first and 14 times in the second. Fisher was game in the first and made six saves while holding Maryland to only five goals. In the second half, Maryland scored seven goals on their 14 shots to blow the game open and make it a comfortable win.

The Terps shut down the Hoyas for the most part defensively. Georgetown put up 12 shots in the second half but Alex Fitzpatrick had four saves and only allowed two goals in the half. She had six saves in total for the game.

Taylor Cummings was her usual, sensational self. She had a game-high nine points with four goals and five assists. She also added six draw controls and five ground balls. She dominated this game. Megan Whittle scored four goals after scoring five against Northwestern last week and now has 37 goals on the year.

Even though Maryland won this game by a large margin, this was a tightly contested game in the first half. The Terps came out in the second half and did what great teams do. They moved on from the first half and worked to bury Georgetown quickly. Every time Georgetown tried to get back into the game, Maryland smothered their chances by scoring quickly and taking away any momentum or hope that the Hoyas had.

Bottom Line

This was not a fantastic game for Maryland after playing on national television against Northwestern last week. They did not look great in the first half and that was apparent in the draw control battle. Maryland typically dominates opponents on the draw but only led 4-3 after the first half. Had Maryland not struck quickly for two goals in a 32 second span in the final 3:11 of the half, it would have been 3-1 going into the second half.

It took over 13 minutes for Maryland to score in this game. It was 1-1 until 11:46 left in the half when Brooke Griffin gave Maryland the lead for good. Maryland cannot afford to play this kind of game against a great team like UNC or Syracuse. If Maryland struggles on the draw and possessions become scarce, they cannot afford to go on long stretches without scoring. The defense was smothering against a weak Georgetown offense but Maryland will not be playing teams with anemic offenses in May.

In the second half, Maryland got back to doing what Maryland does best. They dominated on the draw, they got out and ran and they scored in bunches. The Terps scored three goals in a span of less than four minutes at the beginning of the second half and that basically ended the game because it would have taken a miracle for the Hoyas to come back from down seven. Even great teams have these kinds of game but Maryland made sure that they wouldn't allow Georgetown to stick around in the second half.

The Terps now have six players on the 53-person Tewaaraton Award Watch List. That is the most of any school in the country. Maryland (11-0) will host Rutgers (1-11) this Saturday in their first ever Big Ten home game.