The No. 2 seed Terps employed a suffocating defense and a just-enough offense to hold off unseeded Georgetown, 9-6, Sunday afternoon in an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal before an announced 17,721 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

Another defensive gem combined with a hat trick by junior attackman Braden Erksa yielded what has become a most predictable outcome for the Maryland men’s lacrosse team this time of the year: a trip to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four.

ANNAPOLIS, Md — There was little doubt about the excitement for Maryland men’s lacrosse and Georgetown’s first meeting since 2012. 17,721 spectators filed into Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to set an NCAA tournament quarterfinals record.