The Hoyas’ stellar season is sliding downhill at an alarming rate. The Blue and Gray, who started the spring with a five-match winning streak in the young season, suffered their third loss within the last four games Wednesday, falling to beltway rivals, No. 3 Maryland, 14-7.

The game was an odd one, yo-yoing back and forth the entire time, with each team stringing together several goals in a row before relinquishing possession to the other. The Terrapins did, however, maintain the lead for the vast majority of the match, and although the Hoyas did put up an occasional fight, they were never able to do enough to seriously threaten their opponents. Maryland’s win was the first time since 2000 that more than five goals separated the two rivals; the then-No. 1 Terrapins defeated the No.5-ranked Hoyas, 16-6.

Georgetown started off Wednesday’s game attempting to shake off its recent trend of slow first-half starts and cashed in early thanks to goals from freshman attacker Jordy Kirr and senior midfielder Patty Piotrowicz in the first five minutes of play. Within seconds of the Hoyas’ second goal, however, the Terrapins began their onslaught.

The host team blasted in goal after goal, while the Hoyas were unable to even knock in one, and when the halftime whistle blew, the scoreboard read 9-2. Five of the nine Terrapin goals came off individual efforts and three came off assists by senior midfielder Kelly Kasper. Kasper also added a goal, while her classmates, attacker Lauren Cohen and midfielder Dana Dobbie, recorded three goals apiece.

The Hoyas allowed their opponents to take a lead into halftime the fifth time this season, matching the five losses they have amassed so far. The Terrapins’ defense restricted the Hoyas to just eight shots at goal during the half, while their offense capitalized on possession and recorded 15 shots. Maryland’s senior goalkeeper Allie Buote was forced into just a single save, while Hoya sophomore Caitlin Formby stopped four in the first half.

Head Coach Ricky Fried’s halftime talk must have pumped some energy into a side that looked in serious trouble. When play resumed, a fiercer, fresher attack seemed to have replaced the lethargic one of the first half, and Georgetown ripped off a scoring streak of its own. Three free-position shots and one assisted goal later, the Hoyas managed to pull the score up to 9-6, trailing by just three goals with 16:37 remaining on the clock.

Just as the Hoyas gained momentum, however, the Terrapins shattered it and built up a relentless counterattack. Yet again, the Hoyas were pushed aside by the fierce Maryland attack as the Terrapins notched five more in a row to take the score to a staggering 14-6.

With barely more than a minute of play remaining, freshman attacker Allie Hubschmann, earning her first career start of the season, netted her second goal off a free-position shot to give the visitors a consolation goal. But it was, as has been the case with the team in recent games, too little too late, and the Terps breezed past their ninth-ranked opponents with double their amount of goals.

Georgetown managed just 18 shots on goal overall, rivaled by the Terrapins’ 25. The Blue and Gray committed 19 in comparison to Maryland’s 16, and the latter led by five draw controls as the Hoyas managed just nine.

The Hoyas will look to turn their bout of bad form around at this crucial stage of the season as they prepare for a Big East game on the road against Connecticut. The match is set for Sunday in Storrs, Conn., at 1 p.m.

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