Georgetown women’s soccer dropped their final two games of the regular season, yet managed to sneak into the Big East tournament as the No. 5 seed in the conference’s B division. After losing 4-2 on the road against DePaul (5-8-4 overall, 3-5-3 BE) on Friday afternoon, the Hoyas traveled to South Bend and were shredded 6-1 by No. 7 Notre Dame (16-2-0 overall, 10-1-0 BE).
The Hoyas ended the season losing four straight, and six of their last seven, for a final tally of 11-7-1. In the Big East, this weekend’s matches pushed Georgetown below the .500 mark for the first time this season. They ended conference play with a record of 4-6-1, good for 13 points, narrowly besting DePaul’s 12 points and capturing the final B division slot in the post-season tournament.
The Hoyas’ final record pairs them with Syracuse, the A division’s No. 4 seeded team, and a squad that captured a 1-0 double-overtime victory over Georgetown on Oct. 10. Georgetown will meet with Syracuse tonight at 7:00 p.m. in Syracuse, New York.
On Friday, DePaul began their attack early, as first-year midfielder Alissa Vonderhaar headed a corner kick for a goal in the ninth minute of play. Although Georgetown out-shot the Blue Demons 7-4 in the first half, the score at the break remained 1-0.
Vonderhaar kicked off the second half in much the same way she started the first, netting her second goal of the game off another DePaul corner kick four minutes into the half, to put DePaul up 2-0. Georgetown was able to respond with goals coming in the 56th and 75th minutes.
First-year forward Brittany Berry brought the Hoyas within one, scoring her third goal of the season off a cross from senior forward Shara McNeill. The equalizer was an unassisted strike to the upper right corner from sophomore midfielder Sara Jordan. However, the Blue Demons kept up the pressure, finding the net twice more and putting away the Hoyas’ chances for good.
On Sunday, Georgetown was overpowered by Big East B Division champions Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish managed only one goal in the first half, although they out-shot the Hoyas 14-0. Minutes into the second stanza, the Hoyas found themselves in a 2-0 hole. In the 63rd minute, senior midfielder Alexandra Hardy brought the deficit to one, assisted by Sara Jordan.
The Irish responded with a three-goal flurry in under a minute, going up 5-1 and eliminating the Hoyas hopes for a comeback upset. Notre Dame added a sixth goal during the 87th minute.
Georgetown’s recent skid has damaged their Big East Championship placement, but it can be avenged with a deep run in the tournament. However, if the Hoyas manage to knock off the Orange tonight, they will head back to South Bend for a quarterfinal match-up with Notre Dame this weekend.
