The Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (5-4) entered Tuesday’s game against Mount St. Mary’s attempting to do something the squad had not accomplished all season: win consecutive games.
Barney Ehrmann has provided a strong defensive presence in the midfield position. (Photo courtesy of Georgetown Sports Information)
“We told the guys it was about time we strung some wins together,” head coach Dave Urick said.
On an extremely cold and windy night, the Hoyas were able to get the crucial road victory, outlasting the Mountaineers 13-7.
The game began slowly, as the teams played 11 minutes of scoreless lacrosse after the opening draw. Sophomore Brian Casey opened the scoring, and senior captain Max Seligmann added another goal less than two minutes later to give the Hoyas a 2-0 lead.
Senior captain Rickey Mirabito got on the board early in the second quarter to put the Hoyas up 3-1. Along with his contributions on the scoreboard, Mirabito made it especially difficult for the Mountaineer defenseman to clear the ball.
“What I was most impressed with was how hard we rode them on attack,” Urick said. “It’s not a real glamorous part of the job, but it really pays off when you make it tough for teams to clear, leading to more chances for you to score.”
Mirabito and the Hoyas certainly took advantage of the offensive pressure. The senior scored his second goal of the night after the Hoyas batted down a clearing pass from the Mountaineer goalie. In addition to four goals for the night, Mirabito’s one assist brought his season total to 16, equaling his total assists for his first three seasons combined.
Trailing 10-5, the Mountaineers tried to turn up their intensity in the final quarter, but the Georgetown defense was too stifling and prevented the Mountaineers from gaining any momentum. In addition, the combination of Tyler Gnarr and Patrick Murray was stellar in face-offs, giving Georgetown much needed possessions.
Perhaps the player with the greatest impact on the game on both ends of the field was grad student midfielder Barney Ehrmann, who Urick described as playing the best he has in his entire career.
“He made an assist, where out of nowhere he threw it more than 60 yards to Davey Emala, who was sitting right next to the goal,” Urick said. “It was a heck of a play but I have no idea why or how he did it. I guess that’s just some great coaching right there.”
Ehrmann is valuable because of his ability to clear the ball from the defensive zone either by finding the right outlet or by taking the ball out of danger himself. This skill set will be extremely useful in the Hoyas’ next game against No. 2 Notre Dame, a squad that always puts pressure on defenses, making clearing the ball all the more important.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU, and facing an undefeated Irish on their home turf will give the Hoyas an opportunity to re-enter the discussion for an NCAA Tournament bid.
“It’s an opportunity for us to take a significant step forward, but I’m sure Notre Dame’s gonna have something to say about it,” Urick said. “There’s a lot of pride on the line, two great programs, two Catholic schools, two Big East rivals … it’s a challenge for us but it’s one our guys are looking forward to.”
