FIELD HOCKEY | Hoyas Welcome Providence in Home, Big East Opener

After splitting a pair of games during last weekend’s trip to Missouri, Georgetown’s field hockey team (2-4) will play its home opener Friday against Providence.

The Hoyas outshot Missouri State last Saturday but, in a three-minute period at the end of the game, allowed two goals that let the Bears seal a 2-0 win.

Despite the tough loss, Head Coach Tiffany Marsh was pleased with how her squad bounced back for the following day’s game, a 4-1 victory over St. Louis.

“[The loss] gave the girls a lot of motivation, I think, going into Sunday,” Marsh said. “Sunday is, hands down, the best we’ve played all season.”

To beat the Friars (3-2) on Friday, Georgetown will have to dig deep and find the same resilience they showed against Missouri State.

“We have to keep our energy high [and] our confidence even higher and kind of ride what we did on Sunday into Friday,” Marsh said. “We beat Providence last year in our last game of the season in overtime, so I think we could be in a good position. But we are expecting it to be a hard game, as it always is.”

The Friars, the Hoyas’ first Big East opponent, present a critical test for a team whose goal is a top-four finish in the league.

“The Big East is such a strong conference, so we always expect them to come and be good competitors,” Marsh said. “It makes everything feel real, once the Big East games start.”

The Blue and Gray know that finishing in the top four requires beating the Friars, the only Big East team they defeated last season.

“Providence is one of the teams that we identified from the start that we have a strong chance against,” Marsh said. “We don’t want to waste an opportunity.”

After resting Saturday, Georgetown will be back in action against Lehigh (1-5) on Sunday.

“I think we match up very well with Lehigh,” Marsh said. “It will be a really competitive game, but also one that we feel is winnable if we play our game. As easy as it can be won, it can be lost.”

For games that turn on a dime, the Hoyas hope to rely on their mix of senior leadership and stellar freshmen to come through in the clutch.

“There’s [seniors] Catherine [Shugrue], Annie [Wilson] and Kimmy [Keating], and our starting lineup of seniors really leads that forward line,” Marsh said. “The freshmen are really surprising me with how well they are doing. [Freshman Louise] Chakejian is doing so well for us in the back.”

With both classes competing for playing time, Marsh is also pleased with the team ethos that her squad has developed.

“I don’t think we really have a star player,” Marsh said. “Everyone is kind of rising at the same quick rate right now, so we’ll see a lot of good things out of a lot of people.”

Without an on-campus field, Georgetown has played at American University’s field in Tenleytown the last three years. This season, however, the Blue and Gray will play home games at the University of Maryland’s Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.

The weekend’s action kicks off when the Hoyas play host to Providence Friday at 4 p.m. On Sunday, Georgetown will take on Lehigh, also at 4 p.m. Both games are in College Park, Md.