College Park, Md., Feb. 21 – On Thursday, Georgetown Head Coach Dave Urick said that his team’s matchup with No. 3 Maryland was not a do-or-die situation – but after the eighth-ranked Hoyas knocked off the Terrapins 13-10 Saturday, even he could not help but acknowledge the game’s importance.

“It’s the first game [and] we got a lot of big ones,” Urick said. “But this one, it seems like it takes a long time to get here, and then when it finally does, it magnifies the whole thing because it’s so close, it’s Maryland, it’s a great team and I’m just really proud of these kids.”

It was just the second win for Georgetown in the history of this Beltway rivalry – two years ago in College Park marked the first time – and it is a boost of confidence for a program that missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years last season.

“[There] was a little bit of extra motivation for these guys because they were sitting home last year when everyone else was playing,” Urick said. “I’ll give an awful lot of credit to [Assistant Coaches] Matt [Rienzo] and Scott [Urick]. These kids have worked a lot harder than I can remember any of our teams working in the recent past.”

After trading goals for much of the first half, Maryland senior midfielder Jeff Reynolds found the back of the net with 2:45 remaining in the first half to give the Terps a 6-5 advantage that carried into the intermission. Each team added another tally in the first four minutes of the second half, but for the rest of the third quarter it was all Ricky Mirabito (three goals, one assist) and the Hoyas, who went on a 6-0 run.

irabito, a junior attack, initiated the Hoyas’ surge, taking the ball from 10 yards out on the left wing and bouncing it past Maryland junior goalkeeper Brian Phipps, who came on in relief in the second half for senior Jason Carter, to even the score at 7-7.

Georgetown senior midfielder Michael Shotwell won the ensuing faceoff, and one minute later sophomore attack Ryan Shuler took a pass, wrapped around the cage from right to left, and, with a defender on him, managed an off-balance shot as he was falling to the turf that beat Phipps to put the Hoyas in front. The goal was the third of the day for the sophomore, who delivered a breakout performance.

“It was his first game starting as a sophomore, and they threw a short stick at him, thinking they’d be able to handle it, and he took advantage of that,” junior attack Craig Dowd said.

While the stats do not necessarily indicate it, Shotwell’s (9-of-24 on faceoffs) ability to give the Hoyas possession at the X was a key factor in Georgetown’s offensive explosion. He had three of his nine wins at the X during the Hoyas’ third-quarter outburst.

“Mike certainly earned the opportunity to take a fair number of ’em today, and he did fine,” Urick said. “He hasn’t peaked yet for sure.”

The senior won his second faceoff in a row following Schuler’s goal, but a Dowd shot on that possession was saved by Phipps. In what became a theme for the Terps, Phipps failed to convert on a clear after the save, sailing the ball over junior defense Brian Farrell’s head and out of bounds, giving possession back to Georgetown. Maryland was 1-of-4 on clears in the third period and had six turnovers to boot.

“[There is] the old adage `Good offense lends itself to good defense,’ [but] bad offense lends itself to bad defense,” Maryland Head Coach Dave Cottle said. “What happened? We turned the ball over six times in the third quarter. When you don’t clear and you turn it over and have a lot of possessions, a lot of pressure goes on your defense.”

With possession of the ball, the Hoyas unleashed a barrage of shots on Phipps before Dowd, working behind the net, found Mirabito for an easy goal to put the lead at 9-7.

After a goal by junior midfielder Andrew Brancaccio in the waning seconds of the third, the Hoyas found themselves with a commanding 10-7 lead. They increased that lead thanks to senior midfielder Dan D’Agnes, who took a pass from junior midfielder Scott Kocis just outside the crease and put it home for a goal on an extra-man opportunity – the third conversion for the Hoyas on four EMO chances. A goal by senior midfielder Todd Cochran moments later gave Georgetown its biggest lead of the day at 12-7.

aryland scored two quick goals, but Georgetown squelched any hopes of a rally. A combination of key saves by junior goalkeeper Jack Davis and crucial groundball pickups, particularly by junior defense Barney Ehrmann, who led the team with five groundballs on the day, maintained the Hoyas’ advantage.

Urick was especially pleased with the effort of the six-foot-five Ehrmann, who, after missing most of the week of practice due to illness, was forced to play close defense in order to matchup against the large physical attack of Maryland.

“He’s just one of the best athletes we’ve ever had,” Urick said. “You watch him when the balls on the ground, it’s in his stick if there’s anyone around.”

Next up for the Hoyas is a trip to Queens, N.Y. next Saturday to play St. John’s. Faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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