On Friday, the Georgetown field hockey team (3-3, Big East) returns home from a four-game road trip to begin conference play against Villanova (3-1, Big East). After another 1-1 weekend, the Hoyas are looking to bounce back with big wins against the Wildcats and La Salle (3-2, Atlantic-10) on Sunday.
Last weekend, Georgetown narrowly defeated Rider (3-2, NEC) 1-0 on Friday before falling to Lehigh (3-1, Patriot League) 3-0 Sunday afternoon. The Hoyas scored a first-half goal against the Broncos, which turned out to be the game-winner, thanks to a stellar performance by GU’s defense. Sunday proved to be a different story for the Hoyas. With Lehigh taking an early two-goal lead, the Mountain Hawks made it difficult for Georgetown to find their attacking form until it was too late for a comeback. The 1-0 win against Rider was their first shutout of the season, and sophomore goalkeeper Ciara Weets’ strong performances brought her save total up to thirty-nine this season.
The Wildcats are coming off two wins last weekend, where they easily pushed aside Wagner (1-2, NEC) 8-3 and edged out Penn (0-4, Ivy League) by a score of 3-2.
The Wagner game was one-sided in the first half, with senior forward Lydia Sydnor scoring Villanova’s first four goals and freshman midfielder Margaret Mick scoring her first collegiate goal. Two early goals in the second half helped the Seahawks cut the Wildcats’ lead to three but they could not sustain that momentum and were scored on three more times before the final whistle.
After scoring a program-best eight goals in a game for the first time since 2009, they headed to Penn for their first away game of the season. The Quakers put up a fight, scoring first, but the Wildcats clawed their way back shortly later. At halftime, the game was tied at 1-1 and there was not much separating the teams. The tie was broken by the Quakers’ second goal from sophomore forward Madison Jiranek. Sydnor stepped on the gas in the second half and scored two goals in three minutes, her fifth and sixth in two games, to give Villanova a one-goal lead. A strong performance by the Wildcat defense down the stretch helped them snap a three-game losing streak to Penn.
Georgetown’s all-time record is lopsided in Villanova’s favor, 13-1. However, the Hoyas have improved in recent years, so the Wildcats will need to work hard for a three-game winning streak. This will be the first Big East matchup for both sides so it will likely be a cagey affair.
On Sunday, Georgetown will take on La Salle, another team from the Philadelphia area. Last Sunday, the Explorers edged out Long Island (0-4, NEC) 3-2 in a penalty-shootout thriller.
The Explorers opened the game with a goal in the 11th minute on freshman midfielder/forward Samie Hackman’s first collegiate goal. In the 22nd minute, the Sharks equalized with a goal of their own. The third quarter started with a bang, as La Salle found the back of the cage, but their celebrations were short-lived. LIU equalized once again a minute later. The end of regulation and overtime was not enough to separate both teams, so the game headed to a shootout, where La Salle was able to secure the win.
Georgetown has a two-game winning streak against La Salle. Both of their last two matchups were decided by one goal, with the two contests combining for fourteen goals. Before the Explorers head to the Hilltop, they will take on Towson (0-5, CAA) Friday in Maryland.
The games are set to begin at 1:00 p.m. and 12:00 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.
