In a showdown of senior-laden units Saturday, John Tillman knew it was only a matter of time before his Terrapin men’s lacrosse team’s attack would find its way.
For nearly a half of action, the Terps’ veteran unit was routinely stifled by Georgetown’s heralded defense. Facing a backline comprised of four Hoya seniors, the Terps’ own upperclassmen — Grant Catalino, Travis Reed and Ryan Young — were held scoreless for more than 29 minutes of action, managing a mere two shots until a late goal from Catalino.
But like clockwork, the No. 3 Terps’ offense exploded in the second half, embarrassing the No. 14 Hoyas en route to a 20-8 victory. The 20 goals were the most Georgetown (1-1) has ever allowed in its series against the Terps (2-0) and the most overall since a 2006 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals matchup against Virginia.
“It was almost like last week. We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit,” said Tillman, referencing the Terps’ similarly slow start in a 16-4 win against Detroit Mercy. “It was anybody’s game there for a long time. We thought coming out of the third quarter if we could get the first goal and get it to three, that would be important.”
After falling behind 2-1 in the first quarter and entering the second half with just a two-goal lead, the Terps’ senior attack trio came out firing to start the third frame.
Two early goals from Catalino during his five-score day helped key a 6-3 second-half Terp run. Georgetown had no answer for him in the second half, and Catalino fired in shot after shot with ease.
His second-half outburst sparked a turnaround for his attacking running mates, who combined with Catalino to finish with 11 points on seven goals and four assists.
“You’ve got to be patient,” Catalino said. “The shots will come to you, whether it’s in the first quarter or the last two minutes of the last quarter.”
“He’s one of the best [shooters] I’ve seen,” added goalkeeper Niko Amato, who faces Catalino regularly in practice. “He’s a really smart player. He knows how to pick his shots and knows goalies’ tendencies.”
In addition to Catalino’s dominant day, 13 other Terps recorded a point. Young scored two goals and dished out three assists, midfielder Owen Blye notched two goals and two assists and three other players — midfielders John Haus, Curtis Holmes and Drew Snider — all totaled three points.
“From the very start, it was a team effort,” Catalino said. “We were down as a team, and we got up as a team.”
For the second straight game, the Terps got good performances in goal and at the faceoff X from Amato and Holmes, respectively. Goalkeeper play and faceoffs were the two biggest question marks facing the team this season, but Amato and Holmes have so far answered resoundingly.
Amato was especially important early in the game, making six saves in the first half while the Terps struggled to show up offensively. Overall, he stopped 53 percent of the shots he faced, allowing only seven goals.
Holmes, meanwhile, won 20 of 31 draws, giving the Terps a possession advantage for the majority of the second half. He also scored a goal and had two assists.
“My clamp was working pretty well, so I just stuck with that,” Holmes said. “Even though they started sending out different guys, I just did what works for me.”
With the win, the Terps have won the last two outings against the Hoyas, bringing the Terps’ all-time record in the series to 9-2.
The 12-point margin of victory was the Terps’ largest ever against Georgetown and gave the team its first quality victory of the season.
The fact that it came against their crosstown rival in the two teams’ annual “Battle of the Beltway” made it only that much sweeter.
“This is awesome,” Catalino said. “This starts our long road of playing top-25 teams, and coming off a win is huge. It gives us a lot of confidence, but we’re going to stay hungry.”
jengelke@umdbk.com
