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 | Squad Splits Home Matches

Georgetown field hockey went 1-1 in its games over the weekend against Rider University and Lock Haven University. On Friday, the Hoyas lost a hard-fought game 3-0 against the Rider Broncs, but were able to rebound against the Lock Haven Bald Eagles in the second game of the weekend, winning 2-0.
In the matchup last season between Georgetown (3-1, 0-0 Big East) and Rider (2-1, 0-0 Metro Atlantic), Georgetown lost 6-0 at Rider. Going into the weekend, the Hoyas were 6-5 all-time against the Broncs.
“We knew that they were going to come at us hard for 70 minutes, so how are we going to combat that?” Head Coach Shannon Soares said. “For us, it was having a front foot mentality and coming at them.”
Though they earned eight penalty corners in the first period, the Broncs only managed three in the second period as Georgetown wore them down. In the second half, sophomore midfielder Michaela Bruno and freshman midfielder Jax van der Veen broke through Rider’s defense.
Bruno and van der Veen contributed six and five shots, respectively.
“For us, we want to use our press as our best version of our attack, and that helped us,” Soares said. “We had 18 successful presses against Rider. We just had to finish.”
Despite having 16 shots against the Broncs’ 14, the Hoyas were ultimately unable to finish on top. Rider goalkeeper freshman Lena Vandam helped the Broncs keep their lead, denying the Hoyas during scrambles in front of the cage. Vandam finished the game with 10 saves.
“I don’t believe the score was indicative of our performance in that match. I was actually really proud of our kids’ ability to step to everything,” Soares said.
Georgetown junior goalkeeper Chloe Verwiel had an impressive game against a persistent Rider offense. Verwiel finished the game with seven saves.
Verwiel and her teammate, freshman midfielder Cami Osborne, were recently named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll for their efforts.
For the Broncs, senior forward Allison Baligian was a key player scoring the team’s first goal 10:31 into the game. Junior midfielder Jessica Randazzo scored off of a deflection from a penalty corner at 65:15. With 1:10 remaining, Baligian capitalized on a penalty shot, earning the Broncs their final goal of the game.
Going into their game against Lock Haven (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10) on Sept. 3, Georgetown took advantage of its opportunities and focused on finishing.
“For us, it’s having the ability to execute in front of the cage and finish, so that was what we were looking to accomplish today when we went into today’s match. And our kids were kind of  able to turn the page and make the adjustment,” Soares said.
The Hoyas beat the Bald Eagles 2-0, ending Georgetown’s losing streak against Lock Haven. Prior to this weekend, the Hoyas were 0-7 all time against the Bald Eagles.
The Hoyas put the pressure on early, keeping the ball in their offensive half. Georgetown got off nine shots in the first period while Lock Haven only had one.
As with the game against Rider, Georgetown had 16 shots. However, the Hoyas were able to finish in front of the cage. With 4:57 remaining in the first half, sophomore forward Lindsay Getz scored off of a pass from van der Veen.
“It was super important. I think it opened the floodgates for us,” Soares said. “It gave us a little bit more energy, it gave us a little bit more confidence in terms of when we were pressing, [and] it allowed our kids to put their foot on the gas pedal a little bit more in the second half.”
The Hoyas carried the momentum into the second period, earning five penalty corners with 11 for the game. Senior midfielder Megan Parsons slid the ball to Osborne for Georgetown’s second goal. Osborne put away the goal with 14:44 remaining, tying University of Connecticut’s Casey Umstead and Old Dominion Univeristy’s Alexa Ostoich for the Big East lead with four goals.
“That second goal, Megan Parsons stayed in the play and basically willed that ball to Cami Osborne,” Soares said. “At the end of the day, sometimes that is the difference between winning and losing.”
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