The Terrapin women’s lacrosse team will look to keep its undefeated season alive at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex against the No. 7 Georgetown Hoyas (2-2) tonight.
The No. 2 Terps (6-0) defeated No. 15 New Hampshire on Saturday in their most dominating offensive performance of the season and will look to continue that against the Big East’s Hoyas. Last year, the Terps engaged in a tight battle with Georgetown, ending with a 14-12 Terps win.
Despite the rain, the Terps came out flying against the Wildcats this past weekend. By halftime the Terps had 28 shots to go along with their 12 goals. On defense, the team held New Hampshire to nine shots and forced 16 turnovers in the first half. In the end, the Terps trampled the Wildcats, 20-6. It was the most goals (20) and shots (49) the Terps have had in a game all season.
Attackers Karri Ellen Johnson and Sarah Mollison led the way with four goals a piece. Ten different players scored for the Terps. Defensively, the Terps held their opponent to under 10 goals for the sixth consecutive game this season. New Hampshire had nothing.
The key to the Terps recent stretch of dominance (see @Duke, @George Mason, vs. UNH) is the fast starts. After their game against Penn State on Feb. 21, when the Terps went into halftime with a 6-3 deficit, the team has played with reckless abandon right from the opening draw. If the Terps plan to discourage the Hoyas, look for Reese to take advantage of her quick attack to go up a few goals early.
The Hoyas lost at Duke, who the Terps trampled a few weeks ago, last Saturday 10-8. So while the .500 record Georgetown currently has looks unimpressive, the two losses have come against top-5 opponents (Northwestern is the other). The Hoyas beat Johns Hopkins and Florida earlier this year.
On attack, Molly Ford leads the Hoyas with 14 goals and four assists. In goal, Caitlin Formby boasts 39 saves.
Tonight’s match should provide some entertainment and yet another test for the seemingly unstoppable Terps. If not, the weather is beautiful anyways. Look for more updates on my twitter and right here at the Terrapintrail.com
Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at ceckard@umdbk.com