Maryland women’s lacrosse holds off a late Georgetown run in 17-13 win

Although there were a few difficult stretches, Maryland women’s lacrosse came out with a 17-13 victory over Georgetown on Saturday.

The Terps were cruising in the first half, up 9-2, but Georgetown came storming back before halftime. The Hoyas scored five unanswered goals in the final eight minutes of first-half play. In that stretch, Maryland struggled to clear the ball and control draws.

However, the Terps responded with four of their own unanswered goals to start the second half and stop the bleeding. Maryland outscored Georgetown 8-1 to start the second half and take control of the game.

With most of Maryland’s starters out near the end of the game, Georgetown went on a 5-0 run to chop the lead down, but couldn’t get closer than the final score indicated.

After 10 different players scored last week, Maryland had balanced scoring again this week, as eight different players contributed. Megan Whittle and Caroline Wannen starred, combining for nine goals and three assists. Zoe Stukenberg and Taylor Hensh each scored a pair of goals, while Kali Hartshorn, Hannah Warther, Jen Giles, and Caroline Steele tallied one of their own.

The game was about as evenly played as the score suggests. Maryland won draw controls 19-13, lost the turnover battle 14-12, and lost the ground ball battle 14-13. However, the Terps played as if they could dominate when it really mattered.

Three things to know

1. Megan Taylor showed her value: Despite the rough stretch to end the first half, Taylor was strong in goal all game. She made multiple difficult saves to hold the lead and allowed the offense the flexibility to extend it. Taylor finished with 10 saves on 18 attempts. Backup goalkeeper Emily Kift, who replaced Taylor with ten minutes to go in the game, struggled, giving up five goals on six attempts.
2. Megan Whittle got back on track: Whittle’s five goals this week were a welcome sight after only scoring one last week against William and Mary. Last season’s goals leader found her groove early in the first half, scoring three in the first 12 minutes of play.
3. Maryland’s lack of experience was on display: This is a young Maryland team, and it showed with a difficult stretch of play to end each half. Up nine with 8:31 to go in the game, Cathy Reese pulled the majority of her starters to give her bench some experience. Georgetown proceeded to score five goals in that stretch.

Looking Ahead

Maryland hosts No. 1 North Carolina next week in the home opener at Maryland Stadium for a rematch of last year’s national championship.