Going into their game against No. 18 Loyola (Md.) last Saturday, the eighth-ranked Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (7-3, 3-1 ECAC) needed a win to maintain their hold on first place in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. After a tough 11-9 loss, though, the Hoyas fell into a second-place tie with UMass, potentially jeopardizing their postseason hopes.
“It was a pretty highly-motivated Loyola team that played extremely well,” head coach Dave Urick said. “We weren’t playing nearly as well as I thought we were capable of.” Loyola now has sole possession of first place and is in line for its first-ever ECAC championship.
The Hoyas are in less comfortable territory. Unless Loyola loses one of its final games, Georgetown will need an at-large bid to get into the NCAA Tournament. Still, Urick didn’t sound too worried.
“I tell our guys every year: you play your way in, you play your way out. We are now in position to play our way in,” he said. Their upcoming game against UMass this Saturday is an opportunity to do just that.
“UMass hasn’t had the season they’re used to, but they are a very capable team,” Urick said. Relying on a stifling defense that leads the ECAC with a 7.48 goals against average, they’ve won three games in a row, all in conference play. With a win over the Hoyas, they would take sole possession of second place, relegating the Hoyas to third place and likely ending their postseason hopes.
A win against UMass won’t seal the deal, though; the Hoyas still face two tough road tests against Rutgers and Penn State. Still, Urick cautioned, “you don’t want to look too far ahead. Right now, we just need to worry about UMass.”
After Loyola’s menacing crowd gave them fits, the Hoyas are happy to be playing UMass at home on the Multi-Sport Field.
“Alumni will be here and parents will be here for senior day,” Urick said. “We need to take advantage of that. If we can play close to the way we’ve practiced, we will be in good shape.”
Game time is 1 P.M. this Saturday.
