No. 7 Maryland and No. 9 Georgetown have played an entertaining first half at Mult-Sport Field in Washington, D.C., but the Hoyas appear to be the faster team as they enjoy a 10-7 lead.
On at least four goals, Georgetown's players have either dodged their way past falling Terps defenders or rolled off picks in the slot for easy scores. Another goal occurred when two Maryland players failed to pick up a loose ball in the defensive zone, allowing junior attackman Ryan Schuler to pounce on it and score with 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Hoyas a 5-2 advantage.
All this is surprising considering that this is Georgetown's season opener. The Terps, who beat Bellarmine, 12-7, a week ago, just look either slow or out of sync.
Other notes:
*Aside from junior attackman Ryan Young, who has posted four assists, the rest of the Maryland attack unit has been quiet. Junior Travis Reed and sophomore Joe Cummings have each scored once, and junior Grant Catalino recorded an assist, but senior Will Yeatman has zero points. Yeatman, who was shut out by defenseman Eric Bicknese in last year's 13-10 loss to the Hoyas, is having similar troubles against senior defenseman Chris Nixon.
*The good news is that the Terps are getting some production from their midfield. Senior Adam Sear has scored twice, and sophomores Jake Bernhardt and Drew Snider and junior Scott LaRue have each posted a goal. Those contributions could further inject some confidence into some inexperienced lines.
*Maryland is winning the groundball battle, scooping up 27 to Georgetown's 18, but are getting outshot, 21-12. That tells me that the Terps are not maximizing their offensive opportunities while not playing tighter defense. Maryland must improve on those two areas in the second half.