WASHINGTON — For the first two-thirds of the game yesterday against Georgetown, it certainly seemed like the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team was finally poised to defeat a top-10 opponent.
But in a scene that has become all too familiar, the Terps again failed to play two solid halves.
This time, the Terps utterly collapsed. The Hoyas rallied from a four-goal, second-half deficit to score the game’s final six goals and fend off an upset, winning, 8-6, at North Kehoe Field.
“This was really a game we thought we could pull together,” Terp coach Cindy Timchal said. “We need to find that strength in the second half. We didn’t find it today.”
Holding a 4-2 lead at intermission, the No. 9 Terps (7-5) pushed two more goals across to start the second half. But moments later, they inexplicably began to crumble.
With about 20 minutes remaining in the game, sophomore midfielder Martha Raver had a weak clearing pass intercepted by Lauren Redler, who darted straight to the net and scored the Hoyas’ third goal.
“That got them going,” Timchal said.
No. 4-ranked Georgetown (7-2) subsequently won enough draws and efficiently converted its opportunities to claim the lead. Terp defensive miscues also factored into the Hoyas’ success, as senior goalie Kirah Miles was often faced with point-blank shots.
“They capitalized on our mistakes, which was the difference in the game,” sophomore defender Becky Clipp said. “When everyone’s on the same page, everything fits together. But in the second half, we had lapses and weren’t on the same page.”
Georgetown sophomore attacker Coco Stanwick — who leads the Hoyas in goals — was held in check by senior defender Greta Sommers for most of the game, but delivered the go-ahead score that gave her team the lead it would not relinquish with eight minutes remaining.
Throughout the first half, the No. 9 Terps’ play was airtight. By making smart decisions and being aggressive in transition, they jumped out to an early 4-1 advantage. Sommers led the charge, as she assisted on the first two Terp goals by taking the ball into the eight-meter circle from midfield before dumping off a pass.
Sommers finished with three points, and senior attacker Jessica Dorney had two goals to pace the Terps.
“We were faster than them in the midfield, transition-wise,” Clipp said. With a little bit more precision, the Terps could have buried Georgetown in the first half. The score was frozen on 4-1 for about 10 minutes as multiple Terp shot attempts clanked off a post.
The Terps’ defense limited the Hoyas to eight first-half shots and Miles notched five saves in the frame.
Georgetown sneaked back into the game in the second half by applying its full-field zone defense, which effectively dried up the Terp attack. In addition, senior midfielder Acacia Walker and sophomore midfielder Meghan Higgins did not consistently earn draw control, giving the Hoyas the opportunity to string together a sustained scoring run.
The Terps only attempted eight second-half shots.
“They stepped up their pressure a lot, and it seemed like there was a change in momentum after a few key turnovers,” senior attacker Annie Collins said. “And we didn’t have the ball as much as we did in the first half.”
