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

WOMEN’S LACROSSE | 2nd-Half Scoring Drought Seals Loss

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

After opening the season winning three of its first four games, the No. 19 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team has dropped six straight. The latest loss came Tuesday as the No. 12 University of Pennsylvania Quakers (6-2, 2-0 Ivy) defeated the Hoyas (3-7, 0-1 Big East) by a final score of 8-6. Though Georgetown led at halftime, a strong second-half run by the Quakers proved to be the deciding factor in the otherwise evenly matched game. It was the fourth straight game the Hoyas have lost by three goals or less.

Georgetown set the tone early as senior midfielder Kelyn Freedman scored her first goal of the day just a minute and 45 seconds into the game. Penn then tied the game 10 minutes later and scored again after another eight minutes to take a 2-1 lead. The second of the two came from sophomore midfielder Lely DeSimone, who went on to notch two more for the Quakers.

The Hoyas dominated play for the last seven minutes of the first half. It was senior attack Meghan Farrell who struck first for the Blue and Gray on a shot well outside the cage for her 14th goal of the season, tying the game at two apiece. Next, senior defender Maggie Brown recovered a turnover which led to a goal by freshman attack Colleen Lovett to give the Hoyas the 3-2 lead.

With less than three minutes remaining in the half, DeSimone scored another goal for Penn on a play the Quakers controlled from start to finish. It looked as though the teams would enter the locker room tied at three apiece, but Freedman found the back of the net with five seconds left in the period. Her 18th goal of the season gave Georgetown the 4-3 lead at halftime.

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

“We had a little change in tactics [in the first half], packing it in a little bit more and trying to protect the middle, and we were successful,” Head Coach Ricky Fried said. “I think it took a while for [Penn] to get used to what we were doing because it was probably a little different from what they’ve seen, and so when we didn’t give up shots, we were able to get the saves that we wanted.”

Penn, however, made halftime adjustments and began the second period by scoring five consecutive goals within the first 15 minutes of the game. Although the half began with Georgetown receiving two free-position shots, it was unable to convert on either opportunity.

“On our first possession, I thought we had four or five quality shots, one hit the pipe and three were saved by the goalie,” Fried said.

The Quakers’ third clear was successful and resulted in a shot on goal. Though Georgetown freshman goalkeeper Maddy Fisher saved the initial shot, the rebound was recovered by the Quakers and deposited in the back of the net, tying the game at four apiece.

Less than a minute later, Penn notched another point off a quick play after the draw to make it 5-4. The Quakers then scored their next two goals in the next four minutes. They secured both draw controls and connected fast passes to make their way down the field. An unusual turnover by Fisher resulted in Penn’s fifth consecutive goal, and although the run stopped there, the four-goal deficit proved to be too large for the Hoyas to overcome.

“On their first four shots [of the second half], they made three of them,” Fried said. “That became the big difference in the game.”

With the clock ticking down, the Hoyas looked to their offense to provide the spark that the team desperately needed. A draw control from senior attack Reilly Woodman started the play that ended in Farrell’s second goal, which was assisted by sophomore attack Corinne Etchison. Georgetown’s next goal came on an impressive individual effort from Freedman in which she won the draw, caused a turnover and finally scored on a free-position shot to make it 8-6. That score would serve as the final.

Georgetown once again won the majority of stats, including total shots, ground balls and free-position shots. Fisher had four saves and took the loss in goal for the Hoyas. Despite allowing eight goals, the freshman successfully cleared the ball 9-of-10 times out of the cage.

It was Georgetown’s last nonconference game of the season, and although the season has not gone the way the Hoyas had hoped, the team must now turn its attention to Big East play, starting with Saturday’s matchup against Marquette (5-5, 1-0 Big East).

The Golden Eagles have several players who are capable of causing trouble, most notably sophomore attack Claire Costanza. The sophomore was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Week after her efforts in the team’s first-ever conference win over Cincinnati last week. Costanza had four goals in the game and three assists for a total of seven points.

 

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