The Georgetown women’s soccer team defeated Bucknell 4-1 on Tuesday on what turned out to be a cold and dreary afternoon. In her last home game, senior forward Karin Ostrander led the Hoyas to victory through the rain with two goals in the contest.
A downpour before the game left North Kehoe Field in a less than ideal condition, but the Hoyas were undeterred and began attacking the Bison net from the opening kickoff.
Georgetwon grabbed an early lead in the fifth minute off Ostrander’s first goal of the game. The play began when junior midfielder Courtney Shaub passed the ball to junior forward Jessie Beers-Altman at the right post of the Bucknell goal. Beers-Altman passed the ball through the crease to Ostrander, who was waiting on the other side of the goal to put it away for a 1-0 Hoya lead.
Conditions worsened as the half progressed; the rain slowed to a drizzle, only to be replaced by a biting cold. The field itself deteriorated into a mud patch that drastically slowed down play.
“The weather neutralized the field and made it hard for us to play our game,” said senior defender Liza Yanuzzi. “We tried to avoid short passes and play long balls because of our speed up front.”
Georgetown’s offensive attack was relentless, peppering the Bucknell goal with 16 shots in the first half. In the 19th minute, the Hoyas broke through with their second goal, again off the foot of Ostrander. Following junior defender Elizabeth Roberti’s pass to sophomore midfielder Nicole DePalma up the left side, DePalma played a cross into the box. Again, Ostrander was waiting and put the ball away for a commanding 2-0 lead.
“I wasn’t expecting to score two goals, but it was awesome,” said Ostrander.
The Hoyas continued to dominate play until the 36th minute, when the Bison made an offensive charge into the Hoyas’ end. A handball in the box resulted in a penalty kick for Bucknell that senior midfielder Lauren Schwartz put away for the lone Bison goal of the game.
Rather than sit on their one goal lead until the half, the Hoyas came right back three minutes later with a goal of their own. From just inside the midfield, Roberti played a long through ball into the box that was fumbled by Bucknell goalkeeper senior Laurie Purse. The loose ball was picked up by first-year midfielder Kyle Holsinger-Johnson, who netted a goal to give the Hoyas a 3-1 halftime lead.
The Hoyas picked up where they had left off in the second half, adapting well to the horrendous field conditions, and controlling the ball for most of the period. In the 70th minute Georgetown was finally able to score the game-sealing goal, when Shaub played a long through ball from midfield to first-year forward Shara McNeill. McNeill beat the Bucknell defender to the ball and was left alone with Purse. McNeill hit the five-hole as the hapless Bucknell goalie fell to the mud, taking Bucknell’s hopes of a comeback with her.
Following the contest, the seniors gathered together for a picture to commemorate their final home game. Joining captains Ostrander and Yanuzzi were fellow seniors Maureen McCartney and Casey Hoffman, both midfielders. For Hoffman, the game marked her 75th consecutive start in a career where she has never missed a game.
“I’m definitely a bit sad. I’m really going to miss playing with these girls and being part of a team,” said Yanuzzi. “My life here revolved around soccer and I wouldn’t have had it any different.”
Assistant Coach Dave Nolan had only glowing memories of the seniors, who have led the Georgetown women to a birth in the Big East tournament.
“This was a special crew,” said Nolan. “They’re all quality players, but they’re also quality people who have inspired the team.”
The squad now looks ahead to Saturday’s match with Connecticut in the first round of the Big East tournament. The Hoyas’ last appearance in the tournament was in 1999.
“The level of skill is the same,” said Ostrander. “This year everyone is on the same page and we’re all focused on the same goal.”
The Huskies, ranked No. 9 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, pose a significant challenge for the unranked Hoyas. A regular season game between the two teams, scheduled for Oct. 25, was cancelled.
“We need our good players to show up and play a great game,” said Ostrander. “If we play the way we’ve been playing, it’s a winnable game.”
