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Sophomore defender Chris Nixon
Starting three freshmen attackers in the season opener against one of the most formidable defenses in the country, Maryland Head Coach Dave Cottle was apprehensive of what to expect from the unit. He knew his freshmen had the talent, but he was worried how they would match up against Georgetown’s experienced back line.
All his fears were put to rest in the first six minutes of the game, when freshman attacker Grant Catalino picked up a rebound from fellow freshman Travis Reed’s shot and beat Georgetown’s senior goaltender Miles Kass for the first of his four goals. The young Terps dominated their beltway rivals in nearly every facet of the game in their 11-6 victory in front of 3,500 spectators at the Multi-Sport Facility Saturday as their freshman phenoms accounted for nine of their 11 goals.
“We had a plan, and we executed that plan,” Cottle said. “When you get a young team sometimes they don’t follow the plan. Luckily they did.”
The game was a back and forth battle for the beginning of the first period and was tied 2-2 after Georgetown senior attacker Brendan Cannon scored an unassisted goal with 7:19 left in the first quarter. The last five minutes of the quarter would belong to Maryland, however, as they played with poise beyond their years in a 5-0 run over a 10-minute span that left the Hoyas searching for answers.
“You have to give Maryland an awful lot of credit,” Georgetown Head Coach Dave Urick said. “They were well prepared and well conditioned, and the shot the ball well.”
For as well as the Terps shot in that second quarter, Georgetown may have shot equally poorly, leading to relatively easy saves by Maryland’s junior goaltender Brian Carter, who had seven stops in the first half.
“We had some chances in that first half, but we didn’t shoot the ball really well,” Urick said. “You can look at it two ways, did the goalie come up big or did you shoot poorly.”
Sophomore defenseman Barney Ehrmann put a stop to the Maryland run with an unassisted goal with 9:44 left in the second quarter.
Georgetown pulled to within four at 8-4 before halftime, but turnovers doomed the Hoyas in the second half. Just 30 seconds into the second half things broke down for Georgetown as a clear was intercepted by Maryland freshman attacker Ryan Young. With Kass out of the net, Young alertly ripped a shot from 35-yards out to put the Terps up 9-4 on a play that summed up Georgetown’s day.
“We didn’t handle the ball well at all today,” Cannon said. “I’m not going to say it was the weather, I just think we mentally weren’t focused throughout the game. We had a lot of passes to people’s feet.”
Faceoffs were an area of concern for Urick and his staff coming into the game, but the efforts of freshman midfielder Brian Tabb gave Georgetown a 14-7 advantage in the circle.
“That was a concern coming in,” Urick said. “We weren’t sure how we were going to match up. Matching up against [senior attacker Max] Ritz was a big concern of ours and he didn’t do much damage.”
The Maryland lead increased to 10-4 before junior attacker Jake Samperton was able to score for Georgetown and bring the deficit to five goals. With the veteran Hoyas looking poised to make a rally, the Terps’ zone defense turned up the intensity, leaving the home team with little space for good passing and even less space to drive.
Sophomore goaltender Mike Phipps, who came on in relief of Carter, snuffed out any hopes the Hoyas had for a comeback with three key saves in the fourth quarter as the Terps held on for the win five goal victory.
For Maryland, the win should move them up in the rankings and give their freshmen confidence. For Georgetown, the loss is something that they can learn from as the season progresses, and Cannon feels that is just what the team will do.
“We have to put it behind us,” he said. “We have to stay positive. No one is going to get down on themselves. We have another game next week, so we got to get to work. It’s a long season. . Thank God.”
Next up for Georgetown is St. John’s on Mar. 1 at noon on the Multi-Sport Facility.
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