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 | Tarzian Notches 5 Goals in Home Loss to Louisville

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

After a rough nonconference schedule ended with four straight losses to ranked opponents, the No. 14 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team hoped the beginning of Big East play would mark a fresh start. Unfortunately for the Hoyas, it did not. The visiting Louisville (7-3, 1-0 Big East) team was able to hold onto a dwindling lead in the final minutes and left Georgetown (3-6, 0-1 Big East) with a 14-13 defeat, its fifth straight loss.

Despite outshooting the Cardinals, failure to control draws ultimately doomed the Hoyas, who won only 3-of-15 in the second half.

“[Louisville sophomore midfielder Kaylin Morissette] was consistently putting the ball in the same place, and we didn’t react very well,” Head Coach Ricky Fried said. “When we actually did get it in our stick, we stopped our feet and turned the ball over. Draw control is the biggest way to stop that momentum, and they were able to execute a lot better than we were on that particular level.”

The teams traded goals in the first half and neither side was able to open up a lead of more than two goals. Louisville jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead at the beginning of the game, but Georgetown came back to score two in a row with goals by sophomore attacker Corinne Etchison and junior attacker Caroline Tarzian. The Cardinals responded promptly with three goals in the next three minutes, making the score 4-2. The Hoyas rallied back to tie the game at four apiece before the teams traded goals to tie the game once again at five with 10:36 to go in the half.

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Then, for the first time all game, the play slowed and the Georgetown’s tough defense kept Louisville outside the arc for the next four minutes. However, a Cardinal goal off a free-position shot brought the score to 6-5, and in the next 30 seconds the Cardinals extended their lead to two with another goal with 5:38 remaining in the half.

The last five minutes of the half saw lots of action in the midfield, as possession of the ball continued to bounce between the two teams. Louisville would ultimately enter the locker room with a 7-6 advantage.

Halftime adjustments seemed to favor Lousiville, as the Cardinals scored two goals in the first two and a half minutes of the second half to stretch their lead to 9-6, their largest lead of the game. However, Georgetown returned fire with three consecutive goals, two from Freedman and one from Tarzian off a pass from senior attacker Meghan Farrell.

Both teams began to slow and became visibly tired as the half wore on, but the back-and-forth nature of the match continued. Fouls began to pile up and free-position shots became a major factor. The Cardinals who made 5-of-6 of their free position shots on the day while the Hoyas could only convert 2-of-8, much to the disappointment of Fried.

“The last three days, that’s one thing that we worked on very often, and it didn’t correlate on the field,” Fried said. “We just have to go back and continue to work on that aspect of the game, to make sure that when we get fouled that we’re taking advantage of those opportunities as opposed to giving them away.”

An advantage on free-position shots allowed Lousiville to open up a 14-11 lead with a little under 13 minutes to play. The Cardinals would not score for the rest of the game, and the Hoyas tallied two goals within two minutes of each other to pull within one with 2:38 remaining.

After a midfield battle for control of the ball, Louisville took hold and brought the ball to its side of the field. The Hoyas scrambled on defense, playing tightly and aggressively, but the buzzer sounded before they could regain possession.

“In this game, we did everything that we possibly could do,” Fried said. “A lot of it becomes desire and confidence, and I think they played with more desire and more confidence across the board. We had moments, but not enough of them to change that momentum.”

Saturday’s game offered a brief reprise from playing ranked opponents. The Hoyas will face No. 12 Pennsylvania (5-2, 2-0 Ivy) on Tuesday.

Pennsylvania is no easy task for the Hoyas. The Quakers, coming off of an 11-10 win over Vanderbilt, have only lost to No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Maryland. Senior midfielder Tory Bensen leads the Quakers this season with 17 goals and four assists.

Faceoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at McDonough School in Owings Mills, Md.

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