Having made ten straight NCAA tournaments, Georgetown’s men’s lacrosse team is accustomed to regular season success. This season has been no different; after a 1-2 start, the Hoyas won five straight, including Saturday’s 11-10 overtime win over no. 10 Navy. They’re now ranked fifth in the country heading into their game this Saturday at Fairfield.
After a grueling, back-and-forth battle, the Hoyas beat Navy on sophomore Ricky Mirabito’s third goal of the game in the extra period. Two days later, they crushed Mount St. Mary’s 14-7 behind senior Andrew Baird’s six points. But Head Coach Dave Urick cautioned against getting too comfortable.
“I think there’s always an element of good fortune in overtime,” he said. “That’s what happened with Navy. They had good looks and good shots but we were fortunate enough to score first.”
According to Urick, much of the team’s recent success can be attributed to the hard work of senior Dan Vinson. A former walk-on, Vinson has shown remarkable resiliency in taking over on face-offs for the Hoyas.
“I cut him freshman year,” Urick joked. “But he came out again he’s got the heart of a lion.” Against Mount St. Mary’s, he won 11 of 13 face-offs. “It’s great. There’s not a kid on the team who has a better attitude; he’d drive the bus if you wanted him to.”
Having won two of their three overtime games, the Hoyas could just as easily be 3-4 as 5-2. “Where we are is not a bad place to be,” Urick said. “But we could easily be talking about a different season so far.”
“We like to think we haven’t peaked,” he said. “Everyone on our schedule now is going to circle our names on the schedule, and playing us is going to be big for them.”
Fairfield will be the next team to circle the Hoyas’ name. The Stags have lost five straight after winning their first three, and will be looking to get back on track behind high-scorer Travis Nelson. The game will be Georgetown’s first on grass this season, which may force the team to make some adjustments.
Because Fairfield is in the ECAC with Georgetown, the game will have important consequences in the race for the league title, whose winner gains an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
“Every year, the ultimate goal is to play in the postseason and to go as deep as we can, and ultimately try to play on Memorial Day,” Urick said. “That’s been the goal here for some time and it won’t change for a long time.”
Game time is Saturday at 2 p.m.
