Each time Georgetown midfielder Kristen Bandos scored, the Terps had an answer in Saturday’s 18-8 win. That was the case to open the second period, too.
Once Georgetown’s attackers got involved later in the second period, though, the Terps struggled to get back on track. After the Terps scored twice in response to Bandos’ goal to open the second half, Georgetown went on a 5-0 run that began with about 16 minutes remaining in regulation.
The Hoyas weren’t in a great position to make a comeback, though, working against a clock that was running since about the 16-minute mark in the first period. They had entered the break trailing 14-2.
But defensively, the No. 1 Terps weren’t satisfied with their second-half performance.
“We definitely need to work on putting together a full 60 minutes of great lacrosse,” midfielder Zoe Stukenberg said. “The second half shows when you have a couple of little things slip, it’s easy to have things swing the other way.”
The outcome was never truly in doubt during the Hoyas’ run, however, because of the Terps’ dominant first half.
Midfielder Bryn Boucher scored the Terps’ first goal 53 seconds after the opening draw. Over the next 19 minutes, the team scored 11 unanswered goals.
And throughout the first half, the defense was stifling. The Hoyas struggled to win draw controls, and when they did, they were unable to take advantage.
Georgetown attempted five shots in the first half and scored twice. In the second half, they attempted 12 shots and outscored the Terps 6-4.
“We were ball watching too much,” coach Cathy Reese said. “[Georgetown] moves the ball quickly and they back door quickly. Our mistakes resulted in goals.”
The second half lapses will also likely make it challenging for Reese and her coaching staff to evaluate the play in net.
Goalkeeper Megan Taylor, who made her first career start Saturday, was between the pipes for just more than 23 minutes, during which the Hoyas only scored one goal. Goalkeeper Emily Kift saw more than 17 minutes of playing time, when the Hoyas scored twice.
Goalkeeper Emma Moss played the final 19 minutes and 39 seconds. Georgetown scored five goals during that span.
“Sometimes [the Hoyas] just got good shots,” Taylor said of receiving playing time while the Terps offense controlled the tempo of the game. “I just kept thinking ‘You’re only as good as your next save.'”
Once the Hoyas started to have success offensively, Reese took a timeout. Stukenberg, who scored three goals and recorded a pair of assists, said the veteran coach put it on her captains to start defending more consistently.
“Cathy and the captains did a good job of saying, ‘This is unacceptable, and just because we’re up doesn’t mean we can take our foot off the gas,'” Stukenberg said. “Everyone did a good job of listening and responding to that challenge.”
As the Terps prepare for their next contest against No. 2 North Carolina in Chapel Hill next weekend, Reese plans on using Saturday’s second half defensive performance as a teaching point.
“Fortunately for us, it’s a lesson,” Reese said. “We need to learn we want to become a team that could play a full 60 minutes and not have the lapses that we had.”
