Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Mirabito’s Goal in Overtime Lifts Hoyas, Ends Skid

Image Contributor
Redshirt sophomore Ricky Mirabito drives for the game-winning goal in overtime of Georgetown’s 9-8 win over Harvard.

With a hard cut through the Harvard defense and a flick of his stick, redshirt sophomore attack Ricky Mirabito gave Georgetown the win, and let Head Coach Dave Urick take a sigh of relief. After losing two games in a row, and three of their last four, Georgetown (3-4) edged No. 13 Harvard (4-2) 9-8 in overtime.

“You’re thinking about how you deal with it if you win or if you lose how you deal with it – you think those things during overtime,” Urick said after the game.

In a slow first half, the Hoyas took what appeared to be a commanding 4-2 lead with just under four minutes to go before the break, following a goal by junior midfielder Scott Kocis, but the Crimson fought back. Sophomore attack Dean Gibbons took the ball around the cage from left to right and backed down his defender, ripping a shot past sophomore goalkeeper Jack Davis. Harvard tied the game minutes later on a goal by senior midfielder Nick Sepia.

Despite dominating the first half, Georgetown needed a save by Davis at the end of the half to keep the Crimson from taking the lead.

“I thought we had some good chances in that first half, but we needed to finish and we didn’t,” Urick said.

Kocis got the scoring going in the second half with a long goal from the top of the zone. Kocis faked left, spun right and from 14 yards out ripped a shot low to beat Harvard senior goalkeeper Joe Pike.

Both teams slowed the game down for the rest of the third quarter, and it looked as if Kocis’ goal might end up being the difference.

“We had said how there were so many 5-4 games over the weekend, and I looked up and I was thinking, `Jeez, we might be in one ourselves,'” Urick said.

After an anemic extra-man opportunity by Georgetown, in which they could not manage a shot on goal, Harvard found Gibbons in transition, who beat Davis with 25 seconds left in the quarter to tie the score at five each.

With four minutes to go in regulation and the score tied 6-6, junior midfielder Eric Bicknese stripped Harvard freshman attack Jeff Cohen in front of the crease, but Georgetown, who had trouble with ground balls all day, could not get the loose ball. Cohen pushed the loose ball to junior midfielder Travis Burr, who brushed the ball like a hockey puck past Davis to give the Crimson a 7-6 advantage.

With time winding down, Georgetown put two shots on Pike, but he stopped both, including a facemask save on the shot by Kocis. A slashing penalty on senior defense Max Gottschall after Pike’s second save gave Georgetown its fourth EMO of the day.

This time the Hoyas did not disappoint. With 1:10 left in regulation, junior midfielder Craig Dowd, playing behind the cage, found a streaking Mirabito, who put it home to tie the game at 7-7.

The Hoyas won the ensuing faceoff on a ground ball pickup by Ehrmann, who led the Hoyas with five ground balls in the game, and immediately called a time out. Out of the time out, senior midfielder Todd Cochran took the ball at the top of the zone and let go a weak dribbler that sneaked past Pike to give the Hoyas an 8-7 lead with 49 seconds to go.

“You set up in the time out, but it never works out that way,” Urick said. “Our kids just played and took advantage of what they could get.”

Harvard followed Georgetown’s example, winning the next faceoff and calling time out. After patiently waiting for a shot, Cohen took the ball around the cage from left to right, then turned and beat Davis stick-side to tie the game at 8-8 with 22 seconds to go.

Harvard won the opening faceoff in the overtime period, but turned it over, giving Georgetown possession. After a time out, Dowd lost control of the ball, but a questionable push was called on senior defense Sam Slaughter, giving possession back to the Hoyas. Mirabito then lost control of the ball, but another push was called, this time on senior midfielder Nick Smith.

Given another opportunity, Mirabito did not disappoint. Dowd, playing behind the cage, found Mirabito cutting through Harvard defense. With just Pike to beat, Mirabito took the pass and put the ball low and in the back of the cage to give the Hoyas the win and much needed life.

“We just went back to basics,” Mirabito said of the Georgetown offense. “We tried to simplify what we were doing and make good passes and good decisions. Luckily today we made more good than bad.”

More to Discover