Max Ritz and the Terps couldn’t hold off the Hoyas

On the verge of being blown out, the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team nearly turned the tide in the second half of Saturday’s game against Georgetown, only to fall short in the end.

Going into halftime with a five-goal deficit, the Terps turned to their defensive leaders and launched a major second-half rally, eventually tying the game. But the Terps never took the lead, allowing two fourth-quarter goals, and fell to the No. 4-ranked Hoyas, 8-6, at the Terrapin Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. The Terps looked anemic in the first half, both offensively and defensively, and the deficit proved to be insurmountable.

“We dug ourselves a pretty big hole,” coach Dave Cottle said. “I didn’t think we gave ourselves much of a chance in the first half.”

Georgetown ran over the No. 5-ranked Terps in the first half, with star freshman Andrew Brancaccio scoring three goals and goalie Miles Kass shutting down the Terps’ offense with seven saves. The Hoyas dominated ball control and played rough, physical defense for which the Terps had no answers.

Sophomore attackman Danny Gallagher was called for an illegal stick after scoring late in the second period, reversing the goal and putting the Terps (2-1) in a tough man-down situation for three minutes late in the half. The Hoyas scored on the ensuing man-up advantage and took a 6-1 lead into halftime.

But at halftime, the Terp defenders stepped up and energized their teammates, creating a visible energy that improved the team’s second half execution.

“We have the seniors on the defense, and we’re the ones that need to take charge,” senior All-American defender Steve Whittenberg said. “That’s something that the leaders on the defense like to do. That’s our job – we’re supposed to get guys to get pumped up, get them ready to go.”

The Terps came out of the locker room with a fury. In the third period, the Terps outscored Georgetown 4-0, pulling themselves back into the game. Junior attackman Max Ritz scored two of his three goals during the stretch, as the Terps aggressively pushed the ball downfield and forced four turnovers during the period.

And after senior midfielder Chris Feifs tied the game at 6-6, the Terps had all the momentum. The comeback proved to be in vain, however, as they allowed two unanswered goals in the fourth period.

Contact reporter Adi Joseph at ajosephdbk@gmail.com.