Yesterday afternoon, after an early two-goal deficit, the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team surged past the Delaware Blue Hens to a decisive 16-7 victory. The game was the season opener for the Hoyas but the fourth game for Delaware. The Hoyas overcame their jitters, closing out Delaware on a 6-0 run in the last seven minutes of play.
After overcoming the early deficit, Georgetown held Delaware goalless for the remainder of the first half, while they scored seven of their own goals. Junior Dina Jackson led the first-half effort, scoring a hat trick.
“Dina is our offensive leader,” veteran Head coach Ricky Fried said. “We rely on her to step up, and not only call the offense but still play at a high level.”
Pre-season All-American Sophia Thomas was relatively quiet in the first half, due primarily to nerves.
“Probably the biggest thing is being indecisive,” Fried said. “You know, getting into the game and seeing different looks. That’s one of the things we want to make sure we focus on – being decisive with the ball.”
She did just that in the second half of play, coming out to nab her own hat trick and help spur the Hoyas on. Thomas also caused four turnovers and controlled three ground balls, all which point to her offensive prowess. “You can see she was very decisive in the second half,” Fried said, impressed with the turn-around. “[She] played at speed, and she’s pretty darn good when she does that.”
Despite the late run by the Hoyas, they were stumped early in the second half. The women were held scoreless for the first 13 minutes, and the ball was controlled by the Delaware offense.
But Fried was not disheartened. “The players did a really nice job of not reacting to [Delaware’s] momentum, and just continued to plug away,” he said. “Even when things weren’t going particularly great for us, they stayed true to the game plan.”
Fried said that they did struggle with their offense last night. “While their goalie played well, I thought we could’ve stuck a few more of those shots.”
Still, the team was able to get its groove back. This was especially evidenced by the Hoyas’ dominance in time of possession toward the end of play. The ball motion was better, as the Hoya front-line looked to involve teammates and attack the goal.
The Hoya defense was also a key contributor to the team’s effort, led by sophomore goalie Barb Black. She saved 10 goals, making some gutsy defensive moves. One of them was costly for the Hoyas, as Black came out and fouled Delaware attacker Abbie Hartman when she was in the crease, causing her to sit out the next play. With the open shot at the empty net, Hartman was able to score easily. She snagged another goal within a minute, but after that she and the Blue Hens were shut out, while the Hoyas went on a six-goal streak.
Going forward, the Hoyas will be able to experiment with their lineups even more. With a deep, athletic bench, the mid-line can be flexible in bringing in fresh legs. Seniors Kelly Barnes and Carly Napora are strong defenders, which could bolster the lineup even more.
The Hoyas face Villanova in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The Blue Hens have already beat the Wildcats, but the conference game is nonetheless very important for the squad. The opening draw is set for noon at Multi-Sport Field.
Nice win for Georgetown. Go team!
A decisive win indeed. Congratulations!