The women’s lacrosse team kicked off the preseason with a bang on Tuesday, beating Big East foe Virginia Tech 17-5 at the University of Maryland’s Artificial Turf Facility.
Junior midfielder Anouk Peters and sophomore midfielder Ali Chambers finished with four goals each to lead all scorers. Eight Hoyas scored goals in the victory.
“Both Anouck and Ali played outstanding, especially considering the limited playing time they had,” Head Coach Kim Simons said. “They provided the balanced attack we needed.”
The game was moved from Harbin Field to the Maryland facility because of inclement weather and field conditions.
“It’s been really cold compared to last preseason, when we were out in shorts in January,” said senior attack Tracy Weikel. “Your hands freeze and it’s hard to catch the ball. We didn’t get out on the field to practice at all the week before the game.”
Nasty weather and limited practice time didn’t stop the Hoyas from trampling the Hokies, as Georgetown scored four unanswered goals to begin the match. Peters and Chambers both completed hat tricks in the first thirty minutes of play, leading the Hoyas to a 10-3 halftime advantage.
“There were so many opportunities and we were so open that I think anyone could have scored that many goals,” said Chambers. “We really put together everything we focused on in the preseason.”
The Hoyas ripped open the second half with two goals in the first 49 seconds, off the sticks of Preseason All-Big East selectees senior attack Wick Stanwick and junior midfielder Gloria Lozano.
According to senior defender Bethany Feil, the team’s focus was attacking and getting open for each other.
“We did well for what we were concentrating on,” Feil said.
Georgetown’s lead hovered around the double-digit mark for the remainder of the game, as sophomore goalie Sarah Robinson recorded six saves in the half and eight overall. Senior midfielder Liz Ryan added two goals and two assists, as did Stanwick. Sophomore attack Sarah Oliphant also had two goals.
“It makes it tough for other teams to play us because we have so many strong players that they don’t know who to focus on,” Simons said. “The players are very unselfish, which makes the team difficult to stop.”
Lead by six seniors, including All-Americans Stanwick, Lazano, and senior defender Melissa Biles, the Hoyas are ranked in No. 4 in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association’s preseason poll. The IWLCA also picked them to win the Big East title, and Biles was picked as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
“There are no easy games in the Big East,” said Simons. “It’s a very competitive conference, especially with Syracuse and Notre Dame. But we expect the pressure with being chosen to win the Big East, so we just have to do well to prove people right.”
