Winners of five straight and seven of their last eight, the fourth-ranked Georgetown men’s lacrosse team is poised for a strong postseason run. The balanced team has young talent and experienced upperclassmen, and continues to find victory with its trademark consistency.
While the Hoyas have strong leadership from players like junior Brendan Cannon, the success of the team can be attributed in large part to one of the best freshman classes in the nation. Dowd Craig, one of the highly touted Georgetown freshmen, was named Eastern College Athletic Conference Rookie of the week for the second time this season after scoring two goals in the 8-7 win over the University of Massachusetts.
“We have relied on the freshmen a significant amount this season,” head coach Dave Urick said. “Barney Ehrmann, Andrew Brancaccio and Dowd Craig have all played significant minutes for us. I feel we are in a situation where I don’t consider them to be freshman any longer in terms of development.”
One reason Georgetown has been a mainstay in the rankings is the team’s ability to win tight matches. Eight of the Hoyas’ 11 games this season have been decided by two goals or fewer, with Georgetown coming out on top in seven of them.
“We certainly have had our share of close games,” Urick said. “It is certainly not by design. The league is just very competitive. The bright side is that being in close games helps us with poise down the stretch, which may give us an advantage.”
Georgetown has two more games to protect their unblemished ECAC record with home games against Rutgers and Penn State remaining.
“We have put ourselves in an outright position to win the league,” Urick said. “But our opponents have had their backs against the wall, so we know we will be getting their best shot.”
Georgetown (9-2, 5-0 ECAC) still lacks a marquee win. Losses against powerhouses Duke and Syracuse show that the Hoyas are still vulnerable, but the team has no intentions of ending the season early.
“For older players this is their last opportunity to take this thing as far as they can,” Urick said. “Our benchmark is the ultimate one—the championship—and it’s within our grasp.”
