COLLEGE PARK – The decade-long rivalry between the Terps’ men’s lacrosse team and the Georgetown Hoyas may be coming to an end after the two teams meet on Friday night.
Until a conflict between the two universities over scheduling men’s basketball games is resolved, Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson is opposed to letting any of Maryland’s teams play against Georgetown, said Doug Dull, Maryland’s associate athletic director.
The Terps have won nine of their 11 games against the Hoyas.
| Year | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 (NCAA 1st Round) | 14-10 | Maryland |
| 2003 | 9-5 | Maryland |
| 2004 | 14-5 | Maryland |
| 2005 | 13-6 | Maryland |
| 2005 (NCAA Quarterfinal) | 9-8 (OT) | Maryland |
| 2006 | 10-4 | Maryland |
| 2007 | 8-6 | Georgetown |
| 2008 | 11-6 | Maryland |
| 2009 | 13-10 | Georgetown |
| 2010 | 15-13 | Maryland |
| 2011 | 20-8 | Maryland |
John Tillman, Maryland’s head coach, said he supported Anderson’s decision.
“Whatever is best for our department, we’ll support. Obviously there are some downsides to it, but we’ll support everyone else,” he said in an interview. “Our hope is maybe it’s on hold right now.”
Maryland’s 9-2 advantage in the series includes two NCAA Tournament victories over Georgetown.
The two teams have never faced off with a ranking below 14th in the country. In three of the matchups, they were both top five teams.
Maryland senior captain Joe Cummings said the Georgetown game will help set the tone for the rest of the season.
“It’s a real big opportunity at the beginning of the year for each team to play a big game, no matter where each team is ranked. Each program has a big history, great coaching and great players,” Cummings added.
Junior attack John Haus, who scored a goal and had two assists in last year’s 20-8 dismantling of the Hoyas, wants to make sure his younger teammates are ready for the game.
“A lot of the freshman don’t realize that Maryland-Georgetown…is a huge rivalry. It’s something that we try to go in every year and win,” he said.
Dave Urick, Georgetown’s head coach, said the rivalry has everything a sports fan wants.
Maryland and Georgetown are, “Two very good lacrosse programs, the proximity, Big East versus ACC. There’s a lot of interesting match-ups in lacrosse and this one is right up there,” he said.
Maryland will provide a big test for Georgetown, which has yet to play an actual game.
“[Maryland] Is not the type of opponent you want to open with. You want to ease in to the schedule, but that’s not a luxury we have. There are other factors involved,” he said.
Urick declined to discuss specifics about the scheduling situation.
“Those are matters other people deal with. We’ll go with what evolves from this. It’s something I have no control over,” he said.
Maryland sophomore defender Michael Ehrhardt, who notched his first career start last Saturday against Hartford, said the team isn’t worried about the future of the rivalry.
“We’ve beaten them the last two years. We want to go out on top in case it’s the last time we play them,” he said.