It seems hard to believe, but there are just five regular-season games left on the No. 5 Terrapins women’s lacrosse team’s 2012 schedule. And yet, after just a month and a half of play, it has already been through plenty of ups and downs.

After opening the season with a dominating three-game stretch, the team struggled with consistency before eventually getting back on track. The Terps are currently riding a four-game winning streak, and if they want to finish on a high note entering the postseason, they’ll need to prove their worth against four straight ranked opponents.

That stretch will start tonight when the Terps host No. 20 Towson.

“They’re really good, and their goalie is really good,” midfielder Brooke Griffin said. “When we play against her, we’re just going to have to make our shots and put it around her.”

Although Towson (6-2) goalie Mary Teeters may not have the national acclaim Terps goalie Brittany Dipper has, she has posted a .491 save percentage that surpasses Dipper’s .469 mark. If the Terps’ (9-2, 2-1 ACC) offense can keep up its recent play, however, it may not matter who is guarding the cage for Towson.

In the Terps’ past four games, all wins, their lowest goal total was 14. That’s a higher mark than any they posted in their previous four games. Perhaps even more impressive is their offensive consistency and shooting percentage during their current winning streak.

The Terps have netted at least half of their shots in their past four outings. That kind of offensive efficiency hasn’t been visible since the squad’s second game of the year, a 21-4 rout of Delaware.

“I’ve really been pleased with the progress and the direction we are going in,” coach Cathy Reese said. “We’ve been executing and putting our shots away.”

The Terps, in the process, have developed a balanced attack. Midfielder Katie Schwarzmann leads the team with 35 goals this season, and has scored more than three in each of the Terps’ past four games. Attacker Karri Ellen Johnson has more than helped lighten Schwarzmann’s load, however. The preseason first-team All-American netted four goals during Saturday’s win over James Madison, tying Schwarzmann’s game high.

The two also combined for eight goals in last year’s 17-8 win over Towson – a game mostly remembered for being Johnson’s last appearance before concussion symptoms sidelined her for the remainder of the Terps’ tournament run.

Griffin has returned to putting up gaudy numbers, and fellow attacker Alex Aust has emerged as another threat as well. The junior, who is usually delivering the ball to goal scorers, has scored 11 goals in the past four victories. With all of this offensive firepower, the Terps are hoping to keep the good times rolling.

“The main thing is to work together as a team in every game, and just keep coming together,” Griffin said. “We’re getting closer to the end of the season, so we need to keep coming out hard.”

munson@umdbk.com