The Liberty Flames (5-6, 3-1 Big East) defeated the Georgetown field hockey team (7-6, 1-3 Big East) 3-0 on Friday afternoon. Freshman forward Victoria O’Keefe, Sophomore midfielder Agueda Moroni, and Sophomore defender Mallory Fortenbaugh led the Flames with one goal each.
The scoring began as early as the 5th minute for the Flames, when O’Keefe scored on a shot that rebounded from Georgetown junior goalkeeper Chloe Verwiel’s pads. In the 12th minute, Moroni, who leads Liberty with 12 goals and 27 points, avoided a multitude of Georgetown defenders to send a shot into the right corner of the cage, doubling the Flames’ lead. In the final three minutes of the half, Fortenbaugh was able to net a pass from freshman defender Jill Bolton on a penalty corner, bringing the score to 3-0.
Liberty dominated the play in the first half, outshooting the Hoyas 17 to 5, and recording four corners to Georgetown’s one.
“I thought we did a poor job of combatting,” Head Coach Shannon Soares said. “We came out in the first five minutes and set a great tone for the match and let a goal in, and then, we deflated.”
The second half was far more even, and Georgetown was able to create opportunities but couldn’t convert. The Hoyas were awarded seven corners in the second half, but were unable to capitalize. A few botched passes and missed stops prevented the Hoyas from taking advantage in the circle while four men up.
“We didn’t capitalize,” Soares said. “Some days that happens, but we gotta do a better job of having a front front mentality and making the most of the moments that we have.”
With this loss, the Hoyas fall to 1-3 in the BIg East, with only three conference games left in the regular season. They will travel to Providence (8-4, 3-1 Big East) on Friday to begin a two week road stint before returning to Cooper Field on October 27 to take on Big East rival Villanova (3-8, 1-3 Big East).
