No. 11 Maryland women’s lacrosse vs. Georgetown preview

No. 11 Maryland won its second straight on Saturday when it dismantled the Villanova Wildcats, 15-6.

It was a complete wire-to-wire victory in which Maryland’s defense held its fourth straight opponent under 10 goals. On offense, a plethora of attackers and midfielders found the back of the net, with Libby May, Kori Edmondson and Shaylan Ahearn headlining the bunch.

Next on the calendar for the Terps is local foe Georgetown. The match will take place at SECU Stadium in College Park.

Georgetown has opened its season with a 4-4 record, with three of its losses coming against ranked opponents in Rutgers, Johns Hopkins and Loyola (Md.). In their wins, the Hoyas have beat their opponents by a combined score of 57-37.

Wednesday’s game will begin at 7 p.m. and stream on Big Ten Plus.

Georgetown Hoyas (4-4, 0-0 Big East)

2022 record: 9-9, 3-2 Big East

Ricky Fried is currently in his 19th season coaching the Hoyas. In 2014, he became the winningest coach in program history. Under his leadership, Georgetown has claimed seven Big East regular-season titles and gone to the NCAA Tournament nine times. In total, Fried has coached 23 All-Americans. He and his staff have won Big East Staff of the Year twice. In his playing career, Fried was an All-American at UMBC and was named to the program’s All-Time Team in 1990.

Players to know

Emma Gebhardt, sophomore attacker, No. 10 — On Monday morning, Gebhardt was named the Big East Attacker of the Week. She earned these honors after putting up 10 goals and totaling 12 points in Georgetown’s win over Monmouth. Her 10 goals are tied for the fourth-most goals in a single game in NCAA history. In her freshman year, Gebhardt scored 30 goals to go along with seven assists. She was also honored with the Sheehan Stanwick Rookie of the Year award.

Nicole Massimino, graduate defender, No. 31 — On March 6, Massimino was named Big East Defender of the Week. This came after she totaled nine ground balls and six caused turnovers in two matchups. So far this season, Massimino leads the Hoyas in ground balls (17) and caused turnovers (13). In 2022, she started all 18 games for the squad and was named First Team All-Big East. Before coming to Georgetown, Massimino played at Notre Dame, where she spent two seasons sidelined due to injury and appeared in just six contests.

Kylie Hazen, junior attacker, No. 34 — So far this season, Hazen leads the Hoyas in total points scored. She possesses a balanced game, with 16 goals and 13 assists accumulated to this point. In 2022, Hazen ranked third on the squad in scoring with a total of 40 points. Her freshman year was most impressive, however, when she scored 33 goals and racked up 45 points. This led to her being named Big East Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-Big East selection.

Strength

Defense. The Hoyas rank in the top three in the Big East in save percentage (.496), saves per game (10.17), caused turnovers (9.5) and ground balls per game (17.5). In addition, the Hoyas are tied for last in the conference in fouls per game with just 18.

Weakness

Offensive production. The Hoyas rank second-to-last in the Big East in goals per game (10.5) and assists per game (2.83). When it comes to controlling the draw, Georgetown has also been toward the bottom of the pack, with just 12.33 per game. It only has a .366 shooting percentage, which is well below the average in the Big East. Finally, the Hoyas turn the ball over an average of 16.67 times per game, the third-most in their conference.

Three things to watch

1. How will Maryland attack? As mentioned previously, Georgetown is tied for last in the Big East in fouls per game. So it’s only fair to wonder how this style of defense will clash with an offense that has taken an abundance of free-position shots over the course of the season.

Will Maryland be able to beat Georgetown’s defenders in one-on-one situations and force them to draw more fouls? Or will the Terps be forced into an alternative style of offense, one where they must rely on physicality and quick-release shots from within the eight-meter arc?

2. All eyes on the defense. Until the Terps’ defense yields 10 or more goals to an opponent, this will continue to be one of their biggest storylines. In its last four matches, Maryland has held opponents to eight goals or less. After a high-scoring duel against Florida, the Terps have looked like the No. 1 defense they were predicted to be before the season began.

In these recent contests, the defense has played with consistent energy and seldom faltered. Each player has been aggressive and noticeable. Abby Bosco even recorded her first point of the season against William & Mary with a beautiful assist.

3. Season leaders. Now eight games into the season, this time is as good as any to provide an update on who the impact players have been so far this season, and who Maryland fans should continue to watch closely.

In the Big Ten, May places third in total goals with 24, while Eloise Clevenger ranks second in assists with 17. Hannah Leubecker ranks sixth in shots per game with 5.86. Ahearn leads the conference in draw controls by a hefty margin, with 56 on the season. Finally, Bosco is tied for third in caused turnovers per game with 1.75, while Emily Sterling’s 9.27 goals against average places third in the Big Ten.