This past weekend the Women’s Lacrosse team proved again that they have what it takes. On a hot afternoon the Hoyas beat the undefeated Fighting Irish, winning the Big East Conference for the fourth time. Unfortunately, their conference glory was soon darkened by a disappointing loss at Penn State.
Saturday’s game, however, was not all cake. The last time Georgetown faced Notre Dame, they won 16-15 in overtime. This time, Georgetown opened strong, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year. After a foul, Senior Co-captain Midfielder Anouk Peters chipped the ball past the Irish defense at 22:46. Barely two minutes later, Junior Attacker Catherine Elbe, with an assist from First-year Attack Coco Stanwick, was able put home the ball again. Unlike past contests, the game was beginning to look too easy. After a save by Goalie Sarah Robinson, another attempt proved successful as the Irish responded. Still, luck was not on the Irish’s side as the goal was invalidated because the Irish were in the crease.
The Hoyas rallied and after an amazing flick in the air, Junior Midfielder Lauryn Bernier slammed the ball in it’s descent for another goal. Robinson proved her worth with two saves in a row. The Hoyas went on the offense again, only to be stopped dead by the Irish who were ready to fight. After a long volley, with many attempts in vain to find an open shot, the Irish scored. The crowd, made up of far too many Irish fans for a Georgetown home game, cheered.
After another draw controlled by Notre Dame, Robinson was again called on for a string of saves. But after one save, Robinson flinched. At first she let only a single shot by. Then on an assist, there was another quick goal. After Bernier fouled an Irish, Notre Dame sent home a third quick goal, quickly putting the Hoyas’ at a sudden deficit. As the first half was winding down, Senior Midfielder Gloria Lozano brought Georgetown back tying the game at four. This was turning out to be a tough match.
The second half was even more exciting than the first. Elbe came out quick and scored on the unprepared Irish. Notre Dame tried to retaliate, but Robinson’s practicing paid off. She made two saves, but eventually, after a tricky flick off the ground, Notre Dame scored. And they quickly did it again. And again. The Hoyas were down 7-5. and things were looking bad as the crowd came to a full-throated uproar.
The tide turned suddenly as Georgetown put it in high gear and romped past the Fighting Irish. Junior Midfielder Allison Chambers scored. Robinson had another save.
Junior Attack Sarah Oliphant started a spree of her own, single-handedly taking over the game. Oliphant scored, and then, with 7:27 left, she scored again, giving Georgetown the lead and returning hope for the team.
In the lead, Georgetown took time to regain strength. The Hoyas killed three minutes while the Nittany Lions desperately pressured to steal the ball. Notre Dame finally stole the ball and streaked for the Hoyas goal with time winding down. Thanks to a questionable foul call, Georgetown took back the ball, and with 50 seconds to go, the Hoyas knew they had the game in the bag. They passed the ball all over the field like they were in practice drills, even working the ball back to Robinson.
With nine seconds left, Peters scored, capping the emotionally charged win. The chanting of “Hoyas” could be heard in the background, as there was only time enough for the draw, which the Hoyas took victorious, 9-7.
“We were able to come back from behind … at the end of the game we were playing great lacrosse,” Chambers said.
Robinson, was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week for the second time for her role in the game. She blocked 13 goals during the game while allowing only seven. Team assistant Benita Sinnarajah said the team would have been in a lot more trouble if not for Robinson.
This was a big win for the no. 5 ranked Hoyas. “This was a huge game for us … it allows us to dominate the Big East,” Chambers said. The Hoyas destroyed no. 2 Notre Dame’s 14 game winning streak and finished Big East competition 5-0 with a strong with a 9-2 overall record.
Sadly for the Hoyas, Wednesday afternoon the no. 19 ranked Penn State women’s lacrosse team crushed no. 3 Georgetown, 10-7. The Hoyas fell to 9-3.
Georgetown scored quickly with Gloria Lozano just 1:20 in the game. But more than 12 minutes passed before the Hoyas scored again. At 13:51 Alison Chambers, the identical twin sister of Penn State’s Emily Chambers, slipped one past Robinson. The Nittany Lions responded back with three goals at14:28, 18:17 and 27:25 to put Penn State up at halftime, 3-2.
The Nittany Lions scored on a free possession just 50 seconds in the second half. Another goal by Penn State just 18 seconds later put Penn State ahead 5-2. Peters scored her first of five goals in the half at 31:36, and another Peters goal at 34:10, to cut the Lions lead to 6-4. An assisted score at 41:10 left the Hoyas down three. Peters again brought the Hoyas to within two at 7-5, but an unassisted goal less than 20 seconds later put Penn State up 8-5 and another goal at 45:46 made the score 9-5. The Hoyas tried to rally, with Peters scoring two free position goals to cut the Hoyas deficit to two. But with only six minutes remaining, time was quickly running out on Georgetown and their late season rebound. A final shot by Penn State with 24 seconds left gave Penn State a 3 goals win, 10-7.
The Hoyas are currently on the road for the next two games, facing off against Connecticut and James Madison. Their next home game is set for Saturday, May 1 at 1p.m. on North Kehoe Field against Stanford.
