On September 14, Georgetown women’s soccer (4-2-2, BIG EAST) fell 2-0 to Saint Mary’s College of California (5-1-1, West Coast Conference). Currently No. 16 in the NCAA and coming off two 1-0 wins this week against South Carolina and Bucknell, the Hoyas failed to extend their winning streak on Sunday.
The beginning of the game was fast-paced and Georgetown’s attack looked strong. With several fierce attacks up the wings and about 80% of the possession time in the first twenty minutes, it didn’t look like it was a question of if Georgetown would score, but rather when.
However, despite minimal possession time on offense, the Saint Mary’s Gaels opened the scoring. Junior forward Sydney Middaugh initiated a strong attack down the wing that culminated in a cross directly in front of the goal. Georgetown senior defender Ellen Carter attempted to clear the ball out, but ended up finishing it in the back of the net for the Gaels to go up 1-0. This was a turning point for the Gaels’ offense as the possession time evened out significantly. Despite several good shots by Georgetown—including one that required a leaping save by the Gaels’ redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Kate Plachy—the half ended 1-0.
The Hoyas’ offense started the second half hungry, with several attacks on goal. The most promising of them came at the 56-minute mark when graduate forward Maja Lardner had a 1v1 with the Gaels’ keeper. Plachy’s diving save prevented the first attack, but the ball rebounded to the top of the penalty box where it was missed high by redshirt junior midfielder Mary Cochran. Despite several other promising attempts, Georgetown was not able to find the back of the net.
Unlike the Hoyas, the Gaels’ offense was able to find success in the second half with several shots on goal and 1v1 attacks on senior goalkeeper Cara Martin. At the 54th minute mark, Martin gave the Hoyas hope, making a diving save on the Gaels’ first attack of the half. However, with 16 minutes left in the game, Gaels’ forward Middaugh had a successful attack on goal after an unsuccessful charge by Martin, putting the Gaels up 2-0.
Unfortunately, this goal was the nail in the coffin, and the rest of the game was marked by desperation on Georgetown’s part. The Hoyas put together a few weak attempts on goal, but the Gaels held on and finished the game 2-0.
Overall, the game was not Georgetown’s strongest performance, but the Hoyas have a week to practice before their next match. Saturday, September 20, the Hoyas begin their conference play at Creighton (3-4-1, BIG EAST). The Hoyas will return to Shaw Field on Saturday, September 27 against UConn (4-2-1, BIG EAST) in a double header with men’s soccer (3-2-2, BIG EAST).
