Maryland women’s lacrosse vs. Georgetown preview

After defeating William and Mary last week, Maryland women’s lacrosse heads to Georgetown on Saturday. The Terps are coming off a 13-3 victory, which included nine unanswered goals and a dominant defensive performance.

However, the Hoyas are a step up from William and Mary. Last season, the Terps defeated the Hoyas 18-8 at home, and Maryland has a 20-4 career record against Georgetown.

Georgetown Hoyas (1-1)

Head Coach: Ricky Fried. Currently in his 13th season as head coach, Fried is the winningest coach in team history with a career record of 130-88. Fried has led Georgetown to seven Big East regular season championships and one Big East tournament championship. Last year marked the 10th straight season that Fried’s Hoyas played in the Big East tournament.

Players to Watch

Francesca Whitehurst, 5’5, midfield, No. 26. The sophomore, who won the team’s rookie of the year award last season, was named an Inside Lacrosse preseason All-American and to the preseason All-Big East team. She collected five goals on Wednesday against George Washington, which is tied for the team lead this season, as the Hoyas cruised to a 16-9 victory. With 12 draw controls, Whitehurst has nine more than anyone else on the team.

Maddy Fisher, 5’4, goalkeeper, No. 50. A senior who has started 47 games in her career, Fisher has gotten off to a hot start. In her first two games she stopped 59.5 percent of shot attempts, good for fifth in the country so far this season.

Strength

Free position. Against George Washington, the Hoyas converted four free-position goals on seven attempts. On the season, Georgetown has a .625 free position percentage, tied for 12th in the nation. Maryland let up one free position goal last weekend.

Weakness

Turnovers. So far this year, Georgetown has committed 35 total turnovers, including 21 in its season opener against Delaware. The Terps forced 18 turnovers in their first game, which means they should be able to take advantage.

Things to Watch

Which Georgetown team will show up? In their first two games, the Hoyas have produced drastically different results. They struggled mightily against Delaware, losing almost every major statistical matchup, but bounced back vs. George Washington with a powerful 11-goal victory.

Goalkeeper matchup. Maryland’s Megan Taylor was named Defensive Player of the Week after a strong performance against William and Mary. Although it’s only one game, Taylor’s .727 save percentage leads the nation, and both she and Fisher have been impressive to begin the season.

Looking Ahead

With a national championship rematch against North Carolina looming next week, Maryland has to be careful to not look ahead and get the job done on Saturday. Being that this is the Terps’ final tune-up before the home opener, they need to make sure that all the rust is off.