For 20 minutes in College Park, Md., on Saturday, the Hoyas looked like they might be able to pull off the upset. For the next 40 minutes, the Hoyas were just trying to stop the bleeding, as the No. 14 Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (1-1) fell to the No. 3 Maryland Terrapins (2-0) Saturday afternoon, 20-8. The loss marked the first time the Hoyas have allowed 20 goals in a game since 2006 when they lost to then-No. 1 Virginia in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. That score was also 20-8.

“I think we came out really strong, which is something we harp on constantly,” senior midfielder Max Seligman said. “I believe it was 6-4 at the end of the half, and we were down, but we weren’t out, and it’s something we haven’t dealt with before, being down and fighting back.”

It was a banner day for Seligman, who recorded a hat trick and an assist, including two goals during a 3-0 run that put the Hoyas up 3-1 early in the second quarter.

“I think we took our foot off the gas and let them claw back, and we let it get too far,” Seligman said.

The first half saw a pretty even match between the Beltway rivals. Despite a 6-4 advantage for Maryland going into halftime, the Hoyas had taken more shots (16 to 14) and won more face-offs (7 to 5) than the Terps. Then, the floodgates opened.

“We need to work harder to make sure teams don’t get a quality shot,” Head Coach Dave Urick said. “Some of the best athletes on our team are at [the defensive] end of the field. [Senior goalie] Jack [Davis], I thought did well. It wasn’t like Jack let up a lot of soft goals.”

Six of Maryland’s 10 starters are seniors, and their experience showed in the second half. The Terrapins outshot the Hoyas, 24-10, won 15 faceoffs to Georgetown’s five, and Maryland took 29 groundballs to the Hoyas’ 12. Terrapin senior attack Grant Catalino scored five goals on seven shots, and 10 other Maryland players recorded goals.

“Maryland is good every single year, especially with the talented seniors they have this year,” Seligman said. “They’ve all been starting since freshman year. I think the Jacksonville game was a great warm-up, but playing Maryland, you really have to do everything perfect. We’re going to learn a lot from this game. Unfortunately we had to learn it the hard way.”

The Hoyas still have a tough schedule ahead that should give them plenty of chances to notch some marquee victories. Georgetown will start a three-game, seven-day spring break stretch that will pit it against St. John’s and Harvard on the road before the Hoyas return home to play No. 1 Syracuse on March 13.

The last time the Hoyas traveled to the Big Apple, the Red Storm shocked a Georgetown team that eventually missed the NCAA tournament. Seligman identified the loss as season-defining.

“Last time I played [at St. John’s], we lost. Unfortunately, that game meant a lot to the rest of our season,” Seligman said. “Honestly since then, I don’t think we’ve ever overlooked another team. We’re going to have to put in a lot to beat them.”

Seligman’s coach was just as calm.

“It is what it is,” Urick said in relation to the loaded spring break schedule. “Players would rather play than practice, there’s no doubt about that. We’re starting to get a feel for [St. John’s]. They’re tough at home.”

Faceoff is set for 1 p.m at St. John’s on Saturday.