Coming off back-to-back games without a win, the No. 13 Georgetown women’s soccer team (2-1-1, Big East) was aggressive from the opening kickoff Sunday afternoon, defeating Bucknell (1-3-0, Patriot) 2-0 at Shaw Field. The Hoyas attacked freshman goalkeeper Kaylee Donnelly’s net all afternoon, getting off 27 total shots compared to just three from the Bison.
By the fourth minute of the game, senior forward Paula Germino-Watnick was already off the mark, notching her first goal of the season from from the top of the box. Germino- Watnick’s strike sailed left of Donnelly’s outstretched hand and into the back of the net to put Georgetown up 1-0.
The Hoyas kept up their attack, taking four consecutive corners before the 10-minute mark. Senior midfielder Carson Nizialek and senior forward Casey Richards led the way, firing the majority of Georgetown’s shots early in the game. In the 31st minute, a corner kick from freshman midfielder Julia Leas found Germino-Watnick’s head and she was able to direct the ball towards the net, but Donnelly was right there to make a confident save.
The Bison were able to carve out a small portion of possession later in the first half, but still could only manage a single shot. In the 43rd minute, Germino-Watnick had another chance off a Bucknell foul, but missed her shot just wide. A minute later though, Georgetown doubled its lead off a combination from freshman forward Gia Vicari and sophomore forward Caitlin Moon. From the left flank, Vicari fired a low ball in towards the box and Moon was able to get on the end of it, controlling and finishing calmly past Donnelly.
Early in the second half, the Bison were able to get a shot on the board. Following an offside call on Georgetown, junior forward Jenna Marek found an opening and forced a save out of junior goalkeeper Alyssa Navarette. The Hoyas remained the dominant force though, with a pair of near misses off of corners just past the hour mark.
After those close chances, Bucknell head coach Kelly Cook made a series of substitutions, but they made little impact on the course of the game. Georgetown head coach Dave Nolan emptied his bench a 10 minutes later with the victory secured. After a final chance from the Bisons in the 90th minute, the match finished at 2-0, Georgetown.
The Hoyas will hope to build some momentum off this win with another non-conference battle against Virginia (4-0-0, ACC) on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET with live stats and a stream available at guhoyas.com. For updates and continued coverage of all Georgetown fall sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
