The No. 14 Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (6-3, 1-0 Big East) seems to have hit its stride just in time for the most important part of its season.
On Saturday, the Hoyas opened their conference schedule with a 10-9 win against No. 9/11 ranked Marquette (7-1, 0-1 Big East). The Golden Eagles had been one of only three remaining undefeated teams in Division I men’s lacrosse, but the Hoyas ended their unbeaten run over the weekend. The game before, the Hoyas traveled to Baltimore and beat the No. 14 ranked Loyola (5-4, 3-1 Patriot League) 13-12.
The win over Loyola was not just important for this season, but it also marks the continued improvement of Georgetown’s lacrosse program. It was the first time since beating No. 10 St. John’s in 2013 that the Hoyas beat a ranked opponent, and the first time since 2007 that the Hoyas prevailed against the Greyhounds.
The two wins should provide crucial momentum for the Hoyas as they jump into the most difficult part of their Big East schedule, with games away against No. 4 Denver (6-2, 0-0 Big East) and Villanova (5-3, 0-0 Big East) looming on the horizon after Marquette.
Before the year, Head Coach Kevin Warne emphasized the importance of playing against top competition. The Hoyas’ schedule features tough non-conference opponents like Duke (7-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), Loyola, Notre Dame (5-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) and Virginia (7-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), all of whom have been ranked inside the top ten at some point during this season.
Their scheduling has paid off, as the Hoyas have risen to the challenge of their competition. After enduring two losses against No. 2 Notre Dame and Towson, the Hoyas bounced back to win their next four games before falling to Duke. Now, with the back-to-back victories over ranked opponents, Georgetown finds itself placed at No. 14 in both major polls, the highest ranking the school has reached since 2009.
Sophomore attack Peter Conley has led the team on offense, earning Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors twice early in March. He has scored a team-leading 19 goals this season, an impressive sequel to what was a promising freshman campaign. His 2.71 goals per game average is good for the 18th-best mark in the country.
“Peter was a key player in our offense during his freshman season and has worked hard to continue to develop,” Warne said. “He has the potential to be one of the best players in our league.”
While Conley is the team’s most prolific scorer, senior attack Bo Stafford is not far behind, having scored 18 goals this season, good for second on the team. Stafford, who leads the team with 32 points, has also assisted his teammates 14 times, again the second-best mark on the team behind only senior attack Reilly O’Connor. After the Hoyas’ strong performance against Marquette, Stafford earned recognition as the Big East Offensive Player of the Week, keeping that award on campus after Conley’s two-week run.
Against Denver, the Hoyas look to continue to build on their already-strong season against a team with several impressive wins of its own, including over Notre Dame and Duke. The game will take place Saturday as the team travels to face their Big East rival in Colorado.
