Finishing their four-game road trip, the Georgetown field hockey team (3-3, Big East) traveled to Rider (3-2, NEC) on Friday and Lehigh (3-1, Patriot League) on Sunday, winning 1-0 and losing 3-0, respectively. The Hoyas battled all game against Rider, with their impressive defensive performance proving to be the difference, but were outshined by Lehigh’s attacking threat two days later.
Georgetown went into the game against Rider, looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to James Madison (2-4, CAA) last weekend. Rider started the game off strong with an early opportunity in the first minute. Sophomore midfielder/forward Julia Divorra played the ball in off a penalty, setting senior midfielder/forward Tess Coorens up for a shot that flew wide of the cage. Five minutes later, sophomore goalkeeper Ciara Weets saved Divorra’s shot, which was the only shot on target in the first quarter.
The second quarter started with a card being issued to both teams: a yellow card going to Hoyas senior forward Cami Osborne followed by a green card to Rider’s junior midfield/forward Kaitlyn Flemming. Georgetown subbed players continuously throughout the quarter, keeping the team as fresh as possible. Those fresh legs led to a penalty corner in the 29th minute for the Hoyas. The Hoyas capitalized off junior back Ali Cronin’s corner, which was tipped in by junior midfielder Kylee Cunningham, following a shot from Osborne. This gave GU a one-goal lead going into halftime.
The Broncos failed to capitalize off a pair of penalty corners in what turned out to be a quiet third quarter. Weets and GU’s defense stayed strong as they fended off three more shots from Rider.
With one quarter to go, the Broncos were in search of an equalizer. However, GU’s defense and Weets proved impenetrable. Three of Rider’s penalty corners came in the last 15 minutes of the game but they could only find the target twice. Both teams made the referees work for their money in the 4th quarter, with Rider and GU receiving three cards combined.
The Hoyas were outshot by the Broncos 10-6 but their clinical finishing gave the game its only goal. This 1-0 win was Georgetown’s first shutout of the season and snapped their five-game losing streak to the Broncos, giving them 7-6 edge over Rider all-time.
On Sunday, Georgetown faced the Mountain Hawks who were coming off their first loss of the season against Richmond (3-3, Atlantic-10). The Hoyas won this fixture last fall at home but were unable to continue their winning streak against Lehigh this time around.
GU managed to get two shots on target in the first quarter but couldn’t find the back of the net. Similarly, Lehigh’s four penalty corners in the quarter were unsuccessful.
Sophomore midfielder Halle Gill opened up the second quarter with a green card in the 19th minute. Shortly afterwards, Lehigh took the lead, as junior back/midfielder Lenke Havas dribbled down the field, passing to junior forward Drew Pecora, who evaded Weets as she rushed out from the goal. After the opening goal, the Mountain Hawks attacked GU’s defense in waves, taking four shots before they found the net again in the 26th minute through junior back/midfielder Maddie Monohan’s shot off a rebound. Lehigh took a two-goal lead into halftime.
Georgetown hoped to rebound in the second half but Pecora came out firing. In the 34th minute, she had two shots on target before putting in her own rebound; her second goal of the game and fourth of the season gave Lehigh a 3-0 lead. Two minutes later, Pecora received the first yellow card of the game. The Hoyas dominated the rest of the quarter offensively but none of their efforts outsmarted freshman goalkeeper Maddie Kahn.
In the fourth quarter, Georgetown continued to attack Lehigh’s defense but the Mountain Hawks stayed strong defensively, fending off six shots and three penalty corners. The 3-0 deficit in the final quarter proved to be too much for the Hoyas.
Georgetown returns home this weekend to begin Big East play against Villanova (3-1, Big East) on Friday. Two days later, Georgetown will take on La Salle (3-2, Atlantic-10), another team from the Philadelphia area.
The games are set to begin at noon and 1 p.m. ET on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Live stats and a stream are available on guhoyas.com. Follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter for coverage and continuing coverage of fall sports at Georgetown.
