In a tough back-and-forth battle on Wednesday, the fourth-ranked Georgetown women’s lacrosse team topped sixth-ranked Princeton, 9-7. Recovering from a close loss to Duke last weekend, the Hoyas improved to 5-1 on the season, matching their second-best start in school history.
“I feel very good about where our team is,” senior midfielder Lucy Poole said after the game. “Obviously we have things to work on, and we’re not going to play our best until the end of the season. But we’re doing a good job.”
Poole put the Hoyas on the board with a goal 10 minutes into the game, but that was only the start of her day. The Tigers took control over the next eight minutes as freshman midfielder Kristin Schwab and junior attacker Kathleen Miller scored a goal each, but Poole answered by notching two more in less than two minutes to put the Hoyas ahead again. The teams headed into halftime with Georgetown leading 4-2 after a goal from senior midfielder Paige Andrews.
The constant shifting of momentum between the Hoyas and Tigers continued in the second half. Schwab started the scoring with her second goal, but Poole answered with her fourth seven minutes later.
“Lucy’s clearly been progressing this year,” Head Coach Ricky Fried said. “She had more opportunities today and made the most of those opportunities.”
Junior attacker Sara Zorzi, who finished the day with a career-high three assists, chipped in a goal as the Hoyas showed signs of distancing themselves from the Tigers.
But if the second half was anything like the first, Princeton expectedly had an answer. Thanks to a goal each from Holly McGarvie and Kate Lewis-Lamonica, the Tigers closed the gap to one, making it anyone’s game.
Junior captain and preseason Tewaaraton Trophy candidate Coco Stanwick then came on to give Georgetown a boost, as the junior attacker scored to make it 7-5 in favor of the Hoyas. Just when it seemed like Georgetown was ready to pull away, though, Princeton’s junior midfielder Alex Gangler responded with a score of her own five minutes later.
After fending off the Tigers for the entire match, Georgetown used two more goals from Stanwick in less than a minute span and a strong defensive stand to cement their fifth win. Junior goalie Maggie Koch had eight saves for Georgetown, none bigger than one with two minutes left that denied the Tigers and kept the clock running.
Princeton’s Kristin Schwab did score shortly after for Princeton, but it was too little too late. The Hoyas hung on to win 9-7.
“It’s really disappointing,” Princeton Head Coach Chris Sailer said after the loss. “We’re coming off of a really good win and some good performances, and we took a step backward today.”
The Hoyas look to continue their strong season this Saturday against Rutgers on the Multi-Sport Field.
