After the push toward football caused the exit of several members of the former Big East, college basketball fans rejoiced at the creation of a new league that would have a significant focus on men’s basketball. Although the new composition of the Big East brings in new competition for Georgetown’s men’s basketball team, it is not the only major athletic program here on the Hilltop that will be greatly affected.

The program that will arguably be the most affected by the changing landscape of the Big East is the College Cup Runner-Up men’s soccer team. Both Creighton and Xavier were contenders in the National Championship tournament, with Xavier losing to the champion Indiana in the second round and Creighton losing to them as well in the semifinal.

The changes to the Big East have set up a soccer conference that contains five teams that competed in the tournament, meaning half of the teams in the new Big East qualified, more than any other conference.  The addition of Creighton is the most notable for men’s soccer, as this program has returned to the semi-final in three of the last five seasons.

“You’re adding teams that thrive in men’s soccer. The teams that remain—St. John’s, Marquette, ourselves, Villanova—have very strong men’s soccer programs. The Big East as a whole last year was the best conference in the country,” said men’s soccer Head Coach Brian Wiese. “The emphasis on our sport in the new conference is very exciting for us. The league and the schools that sponsor men’s soccer, which every single school does, and the emphasis on success.”

Women’s soccer will not receive the same high quality replacements as the men’s program, and will lose noteworthy competitors such as Notre Dame. Not one of the new schools joining the Big East next season qualified for the National Champion tournament. Both Creighton and Xavier’s programs finished with conference winning percentages lower than  .125. With a weaker conference schedule next season, women’s soccer will have to focus on building a more competitive out of conference lineup in order to prepare for postseason play.

“The overall strength of the conference is not as strong as the old Big East was … What we have to do now is, we have to do a much better job with our non-conference scheduling,”said women’s soccer Head Coach Dave Nolan. “We have to load up with tougher games at the start of the season to give us a greater strength of schedule and a greater RPI. Times have changed and we’ve had to make the best of the circumstances.”

The three new schools joining on July 1 will contribute to more than just soccer, though, with women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, and baseball all receiving fresh challenges for the coming season.

Creighton’s women’s basketball team not only made the tournament this past season, but also was second in the nation in three pointers. Xavier’s men’s and women’s tennis teams are both undefeated in the Atlantic-10 so far this spring. Standing at third currently in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 22-9 record, Creighton’s baseball team will provide the middling Hoyas with another solid weekend series.

The positives of the new additions to the Big East will come with losses, though, as schools with thoroughly developed athletic programs are dropped from the Hoyas’ schedules. Without major rival Syracuse and other schools that perennially compete for Big East titles in several sports, such as Louisville and UConn, the Big East is losing some of its luster both in and out of men’s basketball.

Non-conference matchups will become a much larger issue in wake of splitting off from many of Georgetown’s former competitors. A more concerted effort to schedule top-rated teams will have to be made in order to keep Hoya programs ready for a challenging postseason.

When the first contests get underway in the late summer, the new Big East will usher in a fresh start for an undeniably talented group of schools. Although it will take time for new rivalries and traditions in each sport to take form, the Big East is sure provide Hoyas with substantial competition and passion in the coming years.

Said Wiese,“We’ve got new rivalries we have to get in place. We got to start kicking each other a little bit to get used to each other and that takes time. Who’s going to be the new Syracuse? Somebody’s got to be that so we’ll see.”

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A few years ago, this story was the Michael Vick scandal, then it was “Is Brett Favre really retiring?” For a while it was Tim Tebow, the most talked-about backup in the history of the NFL. This year, the story has unquestionably been about the Lakers.

It’s relatively normal to hear about a big-name franchise like the Yankees or the Patriots during postseason runs or after big offseason signings. However, the recurring line during the current season has been “Shouldn’t the Lakers be winning?”

The season began with the signings of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, pieces that would complement a Lakers core that already included Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and the artist formerly known as Ron Artest. Many believed that this team, by filling its largest problem spot with the league’s best center and adding a veteran two-time MVP to run the offense, would rival Miami and make the race for the West a foregone conclusion.

However, the season started slowly and Head Coach Mike Brown was fired. The Lakers continued to struggle, only clinching a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. The Clippers, traditionally the little brother, became the main attraction in Los Angeles. Bryant tore his Achilles tendon shortly before the conclusion of the regular season, and now the Lakers look to be helpless after losing Game 1 of their first round playoff series to the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in a game that never really resembled a contest.

Headlines everywhere praise extraordinary performers, and rightly so. Miami’s sensational streak was covered each and every day, but “What’s wrong with the Lakers?” occupied the same amount of attention for an even greater length of time. As the season went on, headlines became even more of a joke. Stories became more dramatic and speculative than sports-related news.

It’s common for hyped teams to fail to meet expectations (just look at the Nationals) but the extent to which the media covers the failings of teams like the Lakers and the Yankees, is too much. All year, a disgusting amount of time was given to stories like the “feud” between Howard and Bryant, how “Kobe is finally passing more!” or now, a headline on the front page of ESPN: “Kobe’s Tweets.”

Maybe some fans like to hear speculation about why their team is falling toward the bottom of the standings, but I certainly don’t. The Bucks, who sat at the bottom of Eastern Conference playoff picture, near where the Lakers were in the Western Conference, did not receive much media attention, showing that the brand of Laker basketball is driving the news rather than the actual relevance of the team itself.

It may bring more viewers to talk about certain teams regardless of what is being said, but as one of many who sees sports news regardless of its ridiculousness, I would appreciate hearing less about why a big-name team is underperforming and more about spectacular plays, interesting history, and intense competition.

After a certain length of time, it is no longer a story that a team has failed to live up to expectations, it is simply that this team is not elite, and thus, does not warrant hours of superfluous coverage.

There is plenty to talk about in the NBA. LeBron, personal opinions aside, is one of the greatest players in the history of the game and is dominating at the peak of his career. The show in Oklahoma City is playing the role of rival and seems poised to take on Miami in a Finals rematch. The Clip Show is relevant for the first time in my memory, and let’s not forget about Derrick Rose and the controversy that his potential return is stirring up.

With all these headlines available, it seems to be a waste to spend so much time on a team that struggled its way into the playoffs and is now hopelessly falling out of the postseason without its aging star. The face of the NBA is clearly not in Los Angeles. Now can we actually hear about some basketball?

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United kicked off their MLS campaign with an away loss to the Houston Dynamo. Newly signed James Riley scored an own goal in the 80th minute, exemplifying the team’s tendency to beat themselves.

United’s fortunes improved on March 9th during their first home match against Real Salt Lake of Utah. Neither side put in a particularly coordinated effort. The only difference between the two was a goal in the 60th minute off a header of Lionard Pajoy, which gave United the 1-0 win.

The Black and Red found further reason to remain optimistic as they managed to hold off the dynamic New York Red Bulls on the road at Red Bull Arena on March 16th. New York dominated possession, struck the woodwork, and had an appeal for a goal waved away by the referee. Despite the Red Bulls outshooting United 24-5, D.C. walked away with a point thanks in part to the remarkable performance of their goalkeeper Bill Hamid.

Hamid has come up huge for United so far this season, keeping  them in games they would otherwise lose by a wide margin. His stellar play has not gone unnoticed, as he was recently named MLS player of the week, as well as nominated for MLS Save of the Week. Thanks to Hamid’s heroics, initial fears of the United faithful have revolved around a weak offense that has struggled to convert.

Defensive frailties contributed greatly in losses to the Columbus Crew, Sporting Kansas City, the Red Bulls, and most recently with their  I-95 rivals the Philadelphia Union. Frustration concerning these errors and poor results has permeated the stands, the press box, and the locker room.

Captain Dwayne De Rosario expressed his disappointment with the result against the Union. “We started lumping the ball and we have guys that can play. I mean, there’s no need for that,” he said. “We started playing into our weaknesses instead of into our strengths and that’s a huge problem for us right now.”

Thankfully, the general atmosphere of RFK stadium isn’t totally determined by wins and losses. Fan sections, such as the Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles, cheer for the Black and Red right up until the final whistle of any game. With affordable ticket prices and a metro stop two minutes away from the stadium, United boasts one of the most festive and affordable sporting experiences in the city.

It’s not all doom and gloom in the United locker room either. Dwayne De Rosario and his fellow players refuse to let this loss, or any loss for that matter, dictate how they play the rest of the season.

“We still have a lot to play for. We still have a long season. I’m not going to give up. I’m still going to play and fight,” De Rosario said. “We have the fans support, we have the support of the group, and we’re going to fight right to the last game.”

United are back in action, away from home, on May 27 when they take on the Columbus Crew. Their next home game is against the Houston Dynamo on May 8 at RFK Stadium.

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At this point, the expectations can’t really get much higher for Los Angeles Angels’ right fielder Josh Hamilton, who has been feeling the heat recently for his .221 batting average and 23 strikeouts so far this season. There is more than just the $25 million going into his pocket at the end of each season that should be pushing him to contribute offensively.

After leaving the Rangers to play for their division rival, Hamilton has been subjected to constant scrutiny and so far his play has not responded well. That needs to change though, if the Angels want to be a contender for the playoffs this season, because he will be the factor that helps the team to surpass the A’s and Rangers. With Mike Trout and Albert Pujols looking to continue their solid starts, it will be Hamilton’s plate appearances that, if improved, will make the Angel’s lineup the most feared in the AL West.

The Angels have an opportunity this season that is relatively new to them. They both have experienced and young talent in their lineup, despite being plagued with signing aging and underperforming has-beens during past seasons in an attempt to bring some star-power to Anaheim. But this year, with the blooming of Trout last season and the continued efforts from Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjos, the Angels possess a lineup that could do some real damage for years to come. This year the team has promising youth and real power on the offensive half, but now must worry about their men on the mound.

The team’s ace Jered Weaver is currently on the DL and the rest of the pitching staff is struggling to keep their ERAs under 4.00. In ten of their eleven losses so far this season, the team’s pitching has allowed five or more runs. Although the blame for these losses can easily be placed on the pitchers, the responsibility falls upon the batters. Knowing that it will take a near miracle to keep their opposition under four runs in most of their outings, the hitters must bear the burden of racking up runs.

This is where Josh Hamilton comes in. The pitching won’t make any sweeping improvements over the next few weeks (although that would be preferable), so Hamilton needs to feel the pressure not just from his critics, but from what he sees up there on the mound.

It’s not that his lack of offensive production has caused the Angels to have a losing record after the first month of play, because there are a lot more things going wrong than just his bat, but almost half of the teams losses have been by only one or two runs. The clean-up hitter needs to be a game-changer, getting hits in key situations with runners in scoring position, and Hamilton has been absent from that role so far.

Manager Mike Scioscia was right in dropping Hamilton down to the fifth slot for that brief period of time with the hope of sparking some kind of determination in him to get going. The Rangers and A’s have proven that they are not pushovers anymore and if something doesn’t shape up for the Angels, they will very well see themselves entering the summer stuck behind two tough ball clubs.

The most obvious answer to the problem is driving in runs from the four spot and if Hamilton can fill that role, the Angels will be very difficult to beat. The bats that surround Hamilton when he hits clean-up are as good as any in the whole league and that just leaves him to carry his weight. A Hamilton who drives in runs creates a one through five in the lineup that will win ball games on its own, despite the woes of the pitching staff.

The former MVP has the opportunity to make his club a playoff and possible World Series contender, but without him the odds are highly stacked against them. Scioscia can move Hamilton up and down all he wants but regardless of where he ends up, he’s going to need to hit.

The beginning of summer play is a vital point in the season where teams can no longer use the excuse that they’re still figuring things out. Hamilton needs to turn things in the right direction in the coming weeks if the Angels want to seriously contend for the AL West title. If not, it’s going to be a long, hot summer of sneering Texans and the all too familiar August panic for the Angels.

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First-year Head Coach Kevin Warne decided to start the game with six men on the field, instead of 10, which resulted in a penalty on the Hoyas, and the Orange starting the game with the ball. Warne wanted to send a message to his team due to team policy violations committed by multiple players. Despite the decision, the Hoyas responded with a stop on defense.

At halftime, the Hoyas led 5-4 thanks to two early goals from senior attack Travis Comeau. Comeau’s fourteenth and fifteenth goals were a game high for the Hoyas. Syracuse opened the second half with Derek Maltz scoring his 24th goal of the season 4 minutes and 26 seconds in. The Hoyas responded quickly with junior long pole face–off specialist Tyler Knarr winning the faceoff, who raced down the field and scored his first goal of the season. Georgetown led 6-5 after the goal.

In the second half, the Hoyas hot play simmered due to poor offensive possessions and Syracuse’s imposing team defense. The Orange took advantage by scoring four unanswered goals and led by a score of 9-6 with 12:56 remaining.

However, senior midfielder Dan McKinney’s unassisted goal with 2 minutes left broke the Hoyas’ scoreless streak, which lasted for 23 minutes and 29 seconds, and made it 9-7 Syracuse. Soon after, sophomore midfielder Charles McCormick scored a goal making it a 9-8 game. Following a wild scramble for the ball after  the face-off, Georgetown gained possession and called a time-out.

After the timeout, with 40 seconds to go, fans were on their feet to see a potential game-tying goal. Georgetown’s sophomore attack Reilly O’Connor went one-on-one with Syracuse senior midfielder Steve Ianzito, when Ianzito’s stick broke. As a result, Ianzito dropped his stick and sprinted to the sideline. Due to the chaos that ensued, the Hoyas  panicked and turned the ball over off a bad pass, which allowed Syracuse to hold on for the victory.

“We got a little frazzled only because Ianzito broke his stick, and all of a sudden there was a scramble situation,” said Coach Warne. “We overthought the situation rather than playing, but these things happen.”

The Hoyas will have a chance for some postseason magic as they enter their final regular season game against Rutgers (2-12, 0-5 Big East) with the opportunity  to clinch a berth for the Big East conference tournament with a win in New Brunswick, NJ this Saturday.

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The Georgetown boxing program was founded in 2007 in an attempt to resurrect the illustrious (yet mostly unknown) boxing history found within the annals of the Hilltop. Since its creation, the club’s membership has grown rapidly. Where five fighters once stood, 40 active members now attend practice regularly, and condition with a group or with a partner Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“We have practice five or six times a week, and we have 40 active members, so yeah, normally we’ll have 25 people show up to work,” smiled junior co-captain Blair Vorsatz (COL ‘14), radiating pride.

As the club has grown larger, it has also become one of the most diverse groups on campus.

“The boxing club supports so many different cultures and ideologies,” said sophomore boxing co-captain Adan Gonzalez (COL ‘15).

“All the students on the boxing team are so different in an interesting and unique way. No two boxers are the same!” Vorsatz added. He isn’t exaggerating. The boxing club boasts members of Bajan, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, and Jamaican descent.

Beyond growing in numbers, the team has quickly expanded its reach outside of D.C. In just two years they’ve gone from practicing semi-regularly at a gym 40 minutes away from campus to competing internationally, sending fighters to the collegiate boxing nationals, and hosting the first boxing showcase Georgetown has seen in fifty years.

“We hope that after this event the program will be more recognizable,” said Gonzalez.

On Saturday, April 20, the Georgetown Boxing Club will be hosting a group of fighters from the U.K. in the first real boxing event this campus has seen in half a century. But, the showcase isn’t all about throwing fists.

“At the end of the day we are Georgetown,” Gonzalez said. “We’re promoting that the campus is diverse. There’s the opportunity for different clubs around campus to work together as one and represent what the school has to offer.”

Aside from the Saturday night fights, the event will feature clubs and organizations of all purposes. A capella group Achordance will sing the national anthem and perform, while groups like Ballet Folklórico will also contribute to the festive atmosphere.

Besides getting the green light to host their own boxing showcase, the club has also found success nationally, as five Hoya fighters travelled to the U.S. Intercollegiate Boxing Association’s national championships in San Diego this semester, including Gonzalez himself.

“Being in the ring knowing that I’m not only representing myself, but my family, my community at home, and Georgetown University was difficult! Being one of the captains and the more experienced fighters here on campus, I felt that pressure a lot. If I failed, I would have felt the program had failed, “ said Gonzalez.

Thankfully for Gonzalez and the program, he won his final fight against Sebastian Doehr from San Francisco University and now holds the USIBA national light welterweight boxing title.

Said Gonzalez, “Hearing that I won, the first thing that came to my mind was my parents wishing me luck before coming to Georgetown. I didn’t know what I was going to encounter [on the Hilltop] but I’m thankful I found the boxing team and was able to grow.”

Both captains hope that their recent success in nationals, and their upcoming events will attract more attention to a program they feel is worthy of the notice of the Georgetown community.

“My goal is to have this event become a sort of SAC fair,” laughed Gonzalez. Vorsatz quickly followed up, “And to have it be annual! The flyers [for the event] say annual!”

Despite their aspirations for recognition here on campus, the members of the program remain grounded in humility.

“We got a lot of compliments from every school,” said Gonzalez. “Our team really showed those Jesuit ideals of being one of helping each other through everything. Once fans from the other schools started chanting Hoya Saxa, at that moment, we knew what we did as a team.”

The Georgetown Boxing Club will host their boxing showcase on Saturday, April 20. The event begins at 3 p.m. in Yates Field House.

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The Washington Judo Club was founded just after the end of World War II by James Takemori and Don Draeger with the Pentagon as their home for practices and training. As Draeger moved on from the club, Takemori took the reins and eventually merged his group with the Georgetown University Judo Club, led by Michael “Tad” Nalls, in 1985, building the program that exists today.

Nalls had taken over as the head of the Georgetown University Judo Club in 1969 and ever since had maintained close relations with Takemori and his club. Under the leadership of Takemori and Nalls, Washington Judo has flourished, becoming one of the premier organizations for the sport of judo in the U.S.

Finding a more respected and accomplished member of the judo community than Takemori would be a daunting challenge, as the 87-year old 9th degree black belt ranks as one of the highest in the U.S. He has used his seasoned method of tough love accentuated by a peaceful demeanor to train competitors since his return from fighting in World War II as a member of the storied 442nd Infantry Regiment. Takemori is joined by Nalls, a 6th degree black belt and international referee, in teaching everyone from us novices to the more than 30 black belts.

With the expertise of additional instructors ranging from 4th to 8th degree black belts, Washington Judo Club lays claim to instruction that can be matched by few other organizations in the U.S.

“We are the biggest club in the area and one of the highest levels because in most states you might not have 31 black belts. We have 31 plus very high ranking black belts, so our level of coaching and our expertise is exceptionally high,” said Nalls. “People who were running other judo clubs used to come here to train, and we taught them, so when we hold clinics we’re usually the clinicians or the head instructors.”

This congregation of judo talent and experience does not disappoint in molding quality competitors. This past week Virginia Beach hosted the Judo Senior Nationals, where our club made a strong showing.  Three members won a total of four gold medals and eight other members finished in the top ten. Washington’s competitors participated in an array of divisions, with Ojito Ernest winning gold in the Male 55 Kg, Angela Moran placing first in both the Visually Impaired and Female 48 Kg, and Dimitri Nazeri taking the top spot in the Masters division.

From the list of gold medalists alone, it is clear that Washington’s judo is not limited to a specific demographic as our practices include an array of faces and personalities. The accommodation of differences in the club is representative of the sport at large, giving it a substantial international appeal in Europe and Asia. The sport underwent numerous changes in recent years to make it more accessible and attractive to countries without a large judo presence. These changes will hopefully make judo a mainstay in martial arts.

For me personally, judo has been a lot more than a sport; it’s taught me a new understanding of respect that can really only be learned from the challenges judo presents. Takemori’s reinforcing presence and the welcoming community of players provides an optimal forum to build upon the discipline that is necessary to successfully compete.

Even though judo lacks a significant commercial presence in the U.S., the Northeast’s premier judo club has swelled with talented athletes as well as with beginners with a sparked interest. Takemori and Nalls have effectively constructed a competitive atmosphere that is able to foster improvements for black belts and newcomers, such as myself, alike.

The old gym at the top of the hill may not seem like the most appropriate residence for a world-class judo program, but nonetheless, the humble attitude instilled in judo athletes has allowed them to thrive on the Hilltop. Such a mixture of expertise and experience as our group has is hard to come by, even for Hoyas, making the presence of this legendary program all the more unique of an opportunity for Georgetowners.

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With both teams entering the third quarter tied at 4, the Fighting Irish scored four unanswered goals to claim an 8-4 lead early in the quarter. The Hoyas replied with four unanswered goals of their own to tie the game at 8. Notre Dame, however, took control in the fourth quarter as they grabbed a 13-8 lead that the Hoyas couldn’t overcome.

Georgetown has struggled recently in matchups with Notre Dame; the loss marks their fourth loss in a row to the Fighting Irish, as well as the second consecutive game between the two teams with a 1-goal margin.

Head Coach Ricky Fried simply believed his team didn’t take advantage of its opportunities throughout the game.

“I don’t think it’s too much about Notre Dame,” Fried said.  “One-goal games the last [two] years. I think it’s about what we’ve been doing this year. Frankly, I thought we outplayed them. If we outshoot them by 15 shots, we shouldn’t lose the game by a goal. It’s more discipline on our part and how we are finishing our plays across the board.”

Fried took some positives and negatives from the loss, which drops the Hoyas to fourth place in the Big East standings.

“I guess the biggest thing we are looking for is to be disciplined and hit the target,” he said. “I think we are doing a good job in aspects of our game but there’s other aspects that we aren’t doing enough and those are the things that are letting us down at the end of the day.”

When asked about how his team could improve on the Notre Dame game, Fried responded, “Shooting and turnovers.” The Hoyas struggled to find the back of the net despite outshooting the Fighting Irish 37-22 and went only 3-for-10 on free-position shots. What’s more, they also racked up 15 turnovers.

Because these frustrating stats prevented the Hoyas from taking advantage of a winnable game, Fried is emphasizing reducing turnovers and improving shot-selection in practice this week.

“We are tracking things a little bit better in practice about who’s turning the ball over and trying to make that a little more public to the team so that they are aware of it,” he said. “I don’t think in practice you are always aware of when you turn the ball over. For shooting we are emphasizing as much as we possibly can about what a quality shot is, and what we are expecting [them] to shoot.”

Georgetown will look to rebound from their most recent loss when they travel later this week up to Piscataway, N.J. on Friday to take on Rutgers (9-4, 1-3 Big East), and then travel south Radnor, Penn. to play Villanova (5-7, 0-4 Big East) on Sunday afternoon.

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I was 10 years old. I lived 20 minutes away and continually marveled at the World Trade Center whenever we so much as approached the George Washington Bridge. All of a sudden, it was gone—but my Mets were still there, providing solace to everyone in mourning, even if it was just for nine innings.

And so, when the bombs struck in Boston, marring one of the greatest traditions in sports—the Boston Marathon—I took my time to reflect on the immediacy of the attacks and the death and injury toll.

But then I thought back to 2001 and the simplistic comfort I drew from that small window of distraction. In that sense, on Monday, those two worlds collided. What once provided almost 40,000 people in Shea Stadium a temporary reprieve—a sporting event—was now the target of someone else’s vitriol.

The Boston Marathon represents everything that is right about sports. It brings people together, shuts down an entire city, and affords thousands of participants who have been training for months, years, or their whole lives a venue to achieve greatness.

Aside from all that, marathon runners are the opposite of the spoiled athletes we glorify on television. It is something I only realized a few weeks ago, when I had to make a list of 50 life goals for my entrepreneurship class. Creating the list itself was a rewarding experience, especially because I conjured all kinds of aspirations. I happened to throw in “finish one marathon in each of the next three decades” near the end of the list without giving it much of a second thought.

Monday forced my hand. There is something special about a marathon runner, someone willing to endure the rigors of training tirelessly for a grueling, 26-mile run. I struggle enough to recover from a bit of soreness after my slow-and-steady runs that typically equal a quarter of that distance. But if they want to succeed, they go at it again, and again, and again.

Running is sport in its simplest sense. It brings together every class, race, creed, with no regard. It’s not an expensive endeavor where an athlete needs to go out and buy a pair of Air Jordans and a basketball or a leather glove and a bat.

In and of itself, that is part of why this attack hurts so much. The bombs devastated an international sporting event. The marathon is not just for Bostonians or even Americans. An Ethiopian or Kenyan man has won the race 24 of the past 25 years. Even handicapped participants in wheelchairs go through the course.

By attacking the Boston Marathon, the very fiber of an open, tolerant society that is capable of accepting greatness from anywhere—be it a poor African country or a native Bostonian—was threatened.

Still, I hesitate to say the attack cements the Boston Marathon as an even more important race now, as a place where people triumphed over adversity and the world came together. Frankly, that acknowledges the attackers in a light that I am not too comfortable with.

Regardless, next year’s race takes on a new level of publicity. This year’s winners do not matter more than any other year, nor will next year’s matter all that much. That is the underlying point of sorts, as the winner is crowded out by the eclectic group of athletes that are able to cross that finish line.

That joy does not have to come from a sporting event. Patriot Monday would roll on just fine in Boston without the marathon by its side. It just makes it all the more special. In the same manner, New Yorkers did not need the Mets to pick themselves up after September 11.

But it helped. All of America was tuned in on that day, just as they will be on Patriot Monday one year from now for the marathon. On a national level, perhaps a heightened interest level is a bit contrived. It’s not my team, it’s not my city. But that doesn’t matter all that much in the face of national tragedy like this—I know come next year, I’ll be watching.

The post Double-Teamed: Sport in its simplest sense appeared first on The Georgetown Voice.

The Hoyas burst right out of the gate at the first whistle. Sophomore midfielder Charles McCormick took advantage of an early man-up situation to notch the Blue and Gray’s first goal from 15 feet out off an assist by sophomore attacker Reilly O’Connor. O’Connor tallied his second assist of the night just a few minutes later when sophomore midfielder Joseph Bucci doubled the Hoyas lead. Goals from O’Connor himself and senior attacker Travis Comeau gave Georgetown a 4-0 lead with 7 minutes to go in the first quarter.

Two Fighting Irish goals from Sean Rodgers and Tyler Kimball went unanswered until Comeau scored his second goal of the game to close the first quarter with the Hoyas leading 5-2.

“We put in a new system recently … so it was just a matter of going out there, doing what we’re told, and also being lacrosse players and just working off the situations that we were in,” Comeau said of their offensive performance.

Turnovers haunted the Hoyas as Notre Dame scored twice as a direct consequence of Georgetown errors. The Blue and Gray wasted chances in the opponent’s half and saw their lead cut to 5-4 heading into the interval.

Notre Dame scored two quick goals in the first minute after the break to take the lead. Georgetown battled back, as Comeau and Bucci combined for another goal, but couldn’t stop the Irish onslaught as Notre Dame scored two more bringing the score to 8-6.

McCormick continued to work and was rewarded when he scored his second goal of the game, but his effort was cancelled out when the Irish put another goal on the board just before the beginning of the fourth period. Both teams scored once more to bring the final tally to 10-8.

“You should be exposed to whatever a defense or an offense does at this point in the season—somebody’s done it already,” said Head Coach Kevin Warne. “So we do a lot less teaching and a lot more focusing on yourself, more focusing on the fundamentals that we harped on in January to get us ready.”

The Blue and Gray are back in action for their final home game against Syracuse at the Multi-Sport Field on April 20 at 1 p.m.

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