Victory didn’t come easy to the Maryland women’s lacrosse team, which allowed Georgetown to twice score five straight goals in Saturday’s game.

However, the No. 2 Terps (2-0) secured the 17-13 win, and coach Cathy Reese was pleased after the game as her players showed improved chemistry on the field.

“We’re trying to get our feet under us right now,” Reese said. “We’re trying to move forward and trying to get better from where we are.”

The Terps wanted to improve their shooting accuracy after their 13-3 win over William & Mary on Feb. 11. Reese said converting more of their opportunities was a big factor entering the Georgetown game, and the Terps showed it.

Against the Tribe, the Terps scored on 37 percent of their total shots. They increased that to 50 percent against the Hoyas, scoring four more goals in the process.

“We shot a lot better today than we did last week,” Wannen said. “As long as we keep getting better each week, that’s our main goal.”

Junior attacker Megan Whittle scored five goals and senior attacker Caroline Wannen added four. The pair had combined for three against William & Mary.

Whittle said the offense found more of a groove against the Hoyas. She was especially impressed because it came against a different kind of defense than the Terps often see.

“We were working against a zone defense, and that’s something we’re not usually used to,” Whittle said. “Our offense plays straight-up, so we were practicing all week on just keeping your head up and moving the ball.”

[Read more: A few Georgetown runs didn’t prevent Maryland women’s lacrosse from securing a 17-13]

The Terps’ emphasized offense, but Whittle acknowledged the team wanted to sharpen draw controls, too. It had 10 against the Tribe’s eight in the opener, and bested Georgetown 19-13.

The Terps also progressed in transition, failing to clear just once Saturday compared to three times against the Tribe.

There were categories where the Terps had trouble against Georgetown. They turned the ball over more and picked up fewer ground balls than they did in the opener.

Reese, however, isn’t stressing about the shortcomings.

“It’s early in the season, just two games in now,” Reese said. “We have a lot of stuff to continue to get better on.”

Reese said the Terps are still young and developing chemistry entering a top-two matchup Saturday against No. 1 North Carolina at Maryland Stadium.

The Tar Heels defeated the Terps in the national championship game last season, and Reese knows Maryland will have to continue to build on its early season wins if it wants to knock off the country’s top team.

“The experience is crucial,” Reese said. “We need to continue to learn from our mistakes, and continue to try. If we fail, we find out why and we figure it out and make changes that way.”