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

Men’s Lacrosse | Nova Stifles GU in Shutout Second Half

FILE PHOTO: CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA Freshman goalkeeper Nick Marrocco made 13 saves in the first half of Georgetown’s 16-4 loss to Villanova on Saturday. Marrocco tallied a season-high 17 goals overall.
FILE PHOTO: CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA
Freshman goalkeeper Nick Marrocco made 13 saves in the first half of Georgetown’s 16-4 loss to Villanova on Saturday. Marrocco tallied a season-high 17 goals overall.

The Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (2-10, 1-3 Big East) imploded in the second half of its contest against Villanova (7-4, 1-2 Big East), falling 16-4 after finding itself shut out in the second half. Georgetown started strong, taking a 4-4 tie game into halftime, but Villanova’s high-powered offense blitzed Georgetown’s defense, putting in seven goals in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

The Wildcats opened the game with a goal from freshman midfielder Joey Froccaro in the first minute of the game, but the Hoyas responded and held their ground through the first quarter, scoring three goals to end the quarter with a 3-2 advantage. The Hoyas spread out the scoring responsibility in the initial game play, with goals scored by multiple players; sophomore attack Craig Berge, freshman attack Stephen Quinzi and senior midfielder Corey Parke all found the back of the net in the first quarter.

After a Villanova goal tied the game at 3-3, Georgetown answered at the 11-minute mark in the second quarter, when freshman attack Daniel Bucaro scored on a man-up opportunity to give Georgetown a 4-3 lead. Bucaro’s goal would end up being Georgetown’s last of the game. Villanova junior attack Devin McNamara followed with four minutes left in the period to put the game at 4-4 heading into the half.

While the Hoyas kept pace with the Wildcats in the first half of the game, Head Coach Kevin Warne noted the difference in pace when the teams came back out of the locker rooms.

“This game was a tale of two halves,” Warne said. “We played really well in the first half, we executed our game plan, we controlled the tempo a little bit, but we knew that Villanova was very capable of going on a run, and obviously they did. I think the pressure they put on us in the second half was something we couldn’t crawl out from under. They’re a talented, skilled team.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Nick Marrocco was strong in the cage throughout the loss, tallying 13 saves by halftime. But Villanova’s prolific offense, which currently ranks fourth nationally and averages 13.55 goals per game, exploded in the third quarter, racing out to a 11-4 lead to end the period. The onslaught was led by Villanova senior midfielder Jack Curran, who played a role in the first five Villanova goals out of the gate. He scored two goals and assisted the three that followed in the third quarter. Curran finished with three goals and four assists on the day, earning the Big East Player of the Week recognition Monday.

Georgetown’s lack of possession in the second half, particularly during the third quarter, put a strain on its defense.

“We just didn’t have possession of the ball enough in the second half, and we were forced to play too much on the defensive side of the field in the second half,” Warne said.

The fourth quarter saw more Villanova players getting in on the scoring, with five different players recording over two goals or two assists by the final buzzer to finish the game on a 12-0 run.

Georgetown moves on from the loss to take on the University of Virginia Cavaliers (6-7, 0-4 ACC) in a nonconference home matchup at Cooper Field this Saturday. The Hoyas will honor its seniors in its last home game of the season.

Warne said he is confident that the team can learn from its recent loss and readjust against Virginia.

“We can take away some of the positives of what we did in the first half [against Villanova],” Warne said. “We’ll take the positives from the first half and learn from the second half and get back to work to play against a talented Virginia team on Senior Night.”

Opening faceoff against Virginia is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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