Georgetown women’s lacrosse (7-2 overall) came from behind to defeat ninth-ranked Maryland 8-6 on the strength of six straight secondhalf goals.
Sophomore midfielder Katie Doolittle recorded the Terps’ first goal barely three minutes into the game off a breakaway pass from senior defender Greta Sommers. Less than two minutes later, Sommers pushed the ball down the field and assisted on another Maryland goal, giving the Terps a 2-0 lead.
Senior attacker Sarah Oliphant put the Hoyas on the board just over nine minutes into the game, only to see that goal matched by Sommers 38 seconds later, as she motored past Georgetown’s defense and found the net unassisted.
Both teams netted a goal right before the end of the half, with Maryland leading 4-2. Maryland’s effective, fast-paced offense produced several goals and was a major factor in their two-goal lead going into the half.
“They used their speed very well,” Hoya head coach Ricky Fried said “It put us at a disadvantage. I think we were on our heels early, and that’s a credit to them.”
The Terps won the opening draw of the second half and attacked the Geogetown net until they finally scored less than three minutes into the half. Maryland senior midfielder Acacia Walker notched her 100th career goal on a solo score with 23:17 left in the game, and the Hoyas found themselves in a four-point deficit with a score of 6-2.
Georgetown’s defense stepped it up a notch and began to slow Maryland down. Senior midfielder Lauren Redler snatched up an errant Maryland pass and zipped it over Terp goalie Kyrah Miles’s right shoulder for Georgetown’s first score of the second half. The momentum swung back to the Hoyas as junior attacker Lucy Poole scored her second of the day, and senior midfielder Allison Chambers added another to make the score 6-5.
The three-goal run prompted Maryland to take timeout and regroup, but it was to no avail as Georgetown rattled off three more unanswered goals. They sat on the ball to let the final two minutes of the game tick off and secure the 8-6 win. Georgetown’s pressure defense, led by sophomore defender Chloe Asselin, held Maryland scoreless for the final 22 minutes of the game.
“Chloe did an excellent job of reading when to go into the appropriate defense,” Fried said. “She took advantage of the double team, and the defense behind her did what they had to do.”
Redler and Pool had two goals apiece on the day while senior attacker Catherine Elbe swept up six ground balls.
