Georgetown women’s soccer (13-1-7, 6-0-4 BIG EAST) defeated No.17 Xavier (14-4-4, 6-0-4 BIG EAST) 2-0 on Sunday, November 5 to win the BIG EAST Championship for the fourth season in a row. Xavier came into the game on a twelve-game unbeaten streak, and had not conceded a goal since their game against Seton Hall on Nov 1. However, the Hoyas scored early and withstood a lot of pressure from the Musketeers, who recorded fifteen shots without a score. Graduate forward Allie Winstanley had a goal and an assist, and the Hoya defense recorded their thirteenth shutout of the season.
The scoring started in the thirteenth minute, when Georgetown graduate midfielder Emma Davis found Winstanley, who turned past her defender and buried a left-footed shot right in the bottom corner to put the Hoyas up 1-0. Xavier graduate defender Madison Ayson had a chance to equalize minutes later, but her shot from close range sailed just over the crossbar. Xavier had another opportunity in the 39th minute, when Georgetown graduate goalkeeper Allie Augur dropped a loose ball right in front of Xavier junior forward Shelby Sallee. Her shot went directly at Augur, though, giving Georgetown their fourth save of the half. The first half ended 1-0 in the Hoyas’ favor, but the Musketeers were on the front foot for much of the half, recording nine shots to Georgetown’s two.
Winstanley was involved again on Georgetown’s second goal of the game. In the 62nd minute, she found some space on the right sideline and floated the ball up to the back post, where junior forward Maja Lardner settled the ball and blasted it into the top corner to double the Hoyas’ lead. Some say a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous lead in soccer, but the Hoya defense held strong for the rest of the match. Augur came up big with two saves on close range shots, and Georgetown held Xavier to only five shots to preserve their shutout and secure another conference championship.
Sunday marked a huge win for Georgetown in a matchup of two of the most consistent teams in the BIG EAST. The Hoyas secured the school’s seventh BIG EAST Championship in the last eight years, and showed that Georgetown is still the team to beat. There were also a lot of individual success stories from the game. Graduate midfielder Julia Leas set a program record Sunday with the 98th appearance of her career. Additionally, Augur recorded her 33rd career shutout, the second most of any Georgetown goalkeeper.
With the win, the Hoyas earned the BIG EAST’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Hoyas then defeated Old Dominion at home in overtime in their first round matchup on Saturday, Nov. 11. In the Second Round of the Tournament, Georgetown will play Saint Louis University on Friday, Nov. 17 at 3:00 pm EST in State College, PA. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. For continued coverage and updates on Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on X (formerly known as Twitter).
