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

FIELD HOCKEY | GU Optimistic After Wins

CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA
CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA

After notching its second win of the season last weekend with an exciting overtime victory against St. Louis (1-9, 0-0 Atlantic 10), the Georgetown field hockey team (2-8, 0-2 Big East) has another challenging weekend ahead. TheHoyas face St. Francis (3-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10) on Friday and Old Dominion (4-6, 1-1 Big East) on Sunday.

Despite a rough start to the season, the Hoyas are beginning to work well as a team and are coming together defensively to more effectively limit opponents’ chances.

“We’re developing … getting these two wins under our belts has definitely shown progression in my eyes. This last month is when the character of our team will really come out,” Head Coach Tiffany Hubbard said.

As for the offensive side of things, sophomore forward Sarah Butterfield was named to the Big East Honor Roll for the second time this season. The accolade came after Butterfield’s efforts against St. Louis, in which she scored both the first goal of the game as well as the game winner in overtime. Butterfield continues to improve, and with each game, her stats continue to rise. With help from the 10 other point earners on the team, Butterfield is looking to help the team earn more wins, starting with St. Francis on Friday in College Park, Md.

The Red Flash are coming off a 3-2 victory over Kent State (4-7, 0-0 Mid-American). St. Francis’ leading scorer, sophomore midfielder Selena Adamshick, has nine goals on the season and recently earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors. Her teammate junior forward Autumn Pellman is not far behind with seven goals.

While Adamshick and Pellman are the most productive on offense, senior goalkeeper Jill DiCola is holding up her end, posting an impressive .670 save percentage. Though the Red Flash hasvebeen outscored 18-15 this season, DiCola has come up strong in several games, including her shutout against Pacific (3-7, 1-1 NorPac). Georgetown’s biggest challenge will be playing up to its potential.

“Even though we were able to pull out the win over St. Louis, we definitely didn’t play up to our level. Maintaining that level of play no matter who the opponent is has been a big focus for us in preparing for St. Francis,” Hubbard said.

On Sunday, Georgetown will venture to Norfolk, V.a., to play Old Dominion. Though the Lady Monarch’s winning percentage is just under .500, its competition has been some of the toughest in the nation. Earlier this season, Old Dominion took on a whopping six nationally ranked teams. The Lady Monarchs dropped all six games to these teams, but several of them were tight affairs.
This week, two Old Dominion players were named to the Big East Honor Roll: leading scorer sophomore midfielder Sarah Breen and junior forward Rosario Villagra. This is Breen’s second consecutive week on the honor roll, and she has scored eight goals this season. Villagra, who has been on the honor roll two times as well, scored three goals this past weekend and racked up three assists. Villagra follows Breen in total goals with four.

With an opportunity to make noise in the conference this weekend, Georgetown must be ready to play up to Old Dominion’s level. A slow start or lapse in focus could very well determine the outcome of the game. An allaround superb effort will be needed in order to top the Lady Monarchs.

“It’s really important to pick up a win in the Big East,” Hubbard said.

Although Georgetown has had its highs and lows of the season, talent and speed just might be able to make up for the slow start. As the Hoyas still look for their first conference win, they remain optimistic and confident that it will come sooner rather than later.

“We play Villanova for our last game of the season for senior night, and the girls always get really pumped for that, as well as the two other Big East games. I think there’s a lot of opportunity there,” Hubbard said.

With four conference honor roll players active in this weekend’s games, the quality of play will be high, but Georgetown is confident that it can play any opponent, no matter the ranking or record, and do well. As the Hoyas enter the weekend with high expectations, it is evident that the stakes are high. Now, the only thing standing between the Hoyas and Friday’s highly anticipated face-off is time.

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