The No.10 Georgetown Hoyas (8-0-2,1-0 Big East) battled the St. John’s Red Storm (4-6-0, 0-1 Big East) in a 3-0 victory to open conference play on Sunday. Senior forward Caitlin Farrell was dominant, scoring in the 39th minute and again in the 80th minute. The Hoyas also scored in the 45th minute off of a penalty kick from junior midfielder Carson Nizialek. This win gives the Hoyas’ their eighth win of the season and their first win in conference play.
In the first half the Hoyas were outshot 5-3 and were forced to keep up with the high tempo of the Red Storm offense. Although the Hoyas were outshot, they were able to match the intensity of the Red Storm and capitalize on mistakes to score two goals late in the half. After a series of poor passes by the Red Storm, graduate forward Kyra Carusa came away with the ball and dribbled up the field to set up Farrell who scored the left footed shot. As the half was drawing to a close, freshman forward Boo Jackson dribbled the ball into the box, where she was fouled, leading to junior midfielder Carson Nizialek scoring on a penalty kick.
During the second half, the Hoyas used their momentum to dominate and pressure the St. John’s defensive line. The Hoyas pressed them hard early on and dominated possession. Georgetown outshot the Red Storm 13-4, and looked sharp as they began to take control of the game. Carusa and Farrell controlled much of the half, combining for 11 shots which forced the Red Storm defense to make a series of tough plays and saves. In the 62nd minute the Red Storm subbed out redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Meredith Reinhardt for backup redshirt sophomore Jordan Kamp. Kamp immediately faced a shot from sophomore midfielder Grace Nguyen and then another moments later from Farrell, but saved both. The Hoyas continued to pressure Kamp, and in the 80th minute, Farrell scored an unassisted goal for her second of the match.
Senior goalkeeper Arielle Schechtman continued her dominance with another shutout, the 38th of her career. She was supported by the anchors of her defensive line, junior Meaghan Nally and senior Jenna Staudt ,whooth forced the Red Storm into tough situations and bad shots.
The Hoyas will look to maintain this dominance throughout the rest of the season, as they look to make a postseason run. The Hoyas next return to conference play with a home matchup against DePaul (5-3-2, 1-0 Big East) on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. For live updates and breaking news follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter. The game can also be streamed on the Big East Digital Network or tracked at www.guhoyas.com.
