FIELD HOCKEY | GU Drops Two More Contests

Georgetown’s field hockey team (2-8, 0-2 Big East) added two more losses to their record this weekend, but buried in the defeats were some positive signs for the Hoyas.

In their first game of the weekend road trip, Georgetown got off to a fast start against Louisville (7-3, 1-0 Big East), with senior forward Catherine Shugrue scoring once and a Cardinal defender helping the Blue and Gray out with an own goal.

But Louisville responded quickly and had the game tied by halftime. Still, Head Coach Tiffany Marsh was pleased with how her team contended with one of the conference’s upper-echelon programs in the opening period.

“To be up 2-0, to be tied at halftime — it was a big step for our girls to see that they are starting to belong, that they can really compete in the Big East,” Marsh said.

But there were still signs of major deficiencies for the Hoyas, including the facts that they were outshot 22-3 and gave up 12 penalty corners while taking none themselves. Among those 22 shots were two second-half goals for the Cardinals that handed the hosts the 4-2 win.

“I wish we could have maintained that momentum through the second half, but ,even at the end of the game, the girls seemed to want more and feel that we are making progress,” Marsh said, noting that Louisville had blown Georgetown out by double digits in the past.

Credit for helping to keep the margin of defeat reasonable Friday can be pinned on senior goalie Briana Pereira, who notched 12 saves against Louisville.

“Briana is doing really well. I think she is having her best season by far,” Marsh said. “For her to be making 12 saves, as an individual effort, that’s great.”

However, Marsh was concerned that Pereira’s heroics stemmed in part from a lack of support on defense.

“As a team defensive effort, we shouldn’t be putting her in that position,” she added.

After falling to their conference foe, Georgetown had little time to regroup before taking on Miami of Ohio (5-6, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) Saturday.

The Hoyas did not get off to a good start against the RedHawks, with a flat-footed effort leaving them in a 4-1 hole at halftime.

“While we were getting shots off, I don’t know how [high] quality they were,” Marsh said. “Our decision-making in the attacking third was poor in the first half.”

Things got even worse in the second half, when Miami outshot Georgetown, 14-1, and took 11 penalty corners. Three goals in the half secured a comfortable 7-1 RedHawks win.

One positive sign for the Hoyas, however, was the play of freshman midfielder Emily Weinberg, who scored their lone goal Saturday.

“Both Emily Weinberg and [midfielder] Louise Chakejian have been pretty solid freshmen who have been getting a lot of minutes this season,” Marsh said. “I think it speaks volumes to the kind of talent we’re attracting here and the direction our program is going.”

Even as Marsh looks to the future amid this floundering season, Georgetown’s focus remains on the here and now, with chances for home wins against nonconference opponents Monmouth (1-9, 0-0 Northeast Conference) Saturday and Lock Haven (7-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10) Sunday.