In their home opener, the Georgetown Hoyas men’s lacrosse team (2-0, 2-0 Big East) overwhelmed the St. John’s Red Storm (1-3, 0-2 Big East) by a score of 19-1. Coming off a 16-1 victory against Villanova, the Hoyas managed to one up themselves and deliver a knockout effort. Graduate transfer Nicky Petkevich led the home squad with 4 goals and 1 assist, while star fifth year attackman Jake Carraway continued his fast start to the season with 6 total points (3 goals, 3 assists). (Alprazolam) Fifth year senior Mike Madsen recorded the Red Storm’s sole tally on the day.
The game featured a significant lineup change, as Hoyas’ senior defenseman Gibson Smith was sidelined. In his place, highly recruited freshman Will Tominovich got the start on defense, joining the regulars – senior Joe LiCalzi and sophomore James Donalds, with senior Owen McElroy in goal.
It took all of 6 seconds for the Hoyas to open the scoring, with junior faceoff man James Reilly quickly winning the draw and able to get to the goal. That opened the floodgates for a decisive first quarter and a banner day for Reilly (who won 9 of 10 faceoffs). The Hoyas steadily built a lead, including the first ever collegiate goal for freshman TJ Haley and junior Peter Thompson’s first goal of the season. By the time Carraway got on the board with 6:38 remaining in the first quarter, the Hoyas were already ahead 5-0.
St. John’s quickly responded to Carraway’s tally with a goal from Madsen, but the Red Storm were unable to build any momentum in the face of Georgetown’s defense and possession advantage. St. John’s was only 4-7 on clears in the first quarter, and the Hoyas’ active defense created problems all game (13 caused turnovers). Behind the lockdown effort was McElroy, whose steady presence and sterling performance (saved 10 of 11) helped keep the Big East foe off the board.
After Georgetown jumped out to a 7-1 first quarter lead, the pace slowed in the second quarter. While St. John’s struggled to gain any traction, the Hoyas showcased some undisciplined early season play. In the second quarter alone, Georgetown had 10 turnovers and only 5 shots on goal. Meanwhile, LiCalzi was called for a 3 minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, headlining a day where the Hoyas’ fouling potential was on full display with a total of 7 penalties. While their talented defense prevented St. John’s from capitalizing, those mistakes could prove costly as the season unfolds.
Coming out of halftime with a 9-1 lead, the Hoyas pulled away for good in the third quarter as Carraway shrugged off a slow start. With 2 goals and two assists, he helped drive the offense as they sealed off the game. Sophomore Graham Bundy Jr. also shone in the quarter, putting the finishing touches on his first hat trick of the year, finishing with 3 goals and 1 assist. Head Coach Kevin Warne also experimented at the faceoff dot, testing his depth by giving opportunities to graduate Alex Bean (won 1 of 3), senior Cade Heverly (won 2 of 4), and sophomore Carson Milburn (won 4 of 5).
With the contest firmly in control, Georgetown trotted out their depth in the fourth quarter, taking the opportunity to rest key starters on both ends. Sophomore goalie Noah Klein finished the Hoya’s shutdown effort by saving all 3 shots on goal he faced, while senior attackman Niko Gekas took advantage of the playing time to record both of the Hoyas’ fourth quarter goals.
All told, Georgetown’s new additions continue to settle into their new system nicely. Petkevich was again a key contributor after a 1 goal, 2 assist outing against Villanova, while the Hoyas’ starting freshmen showcased their promise. Haley’s talent as a passer is apparent, adding 3 assists after recording two in the season opener, while freshman midfielder Dylan Hess added a tally of his own as he shapes into a dynamic running mate for Bundy and the rest of the midfield.
Looking forward, the Hoyas will play their first non-conference game against Mount St. Mary’s (1-3, 0-0 NEC) on Tuesday before hosting Big East rival Marquette (0-2, 0-2 Big East) next Saturday in a potentially key conference test. Start time is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. EST in Emmitsburg, Maryland. For coverage of men’s lacrosse and all Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
