Sports

Candy, sports, slutty Randy Johnson

Across campus this week, Georgetown students were struck, often literally, by the falling leaves and frigid gusts of air that told us fall has arrived in full force. Gone are the carefree games of corn hole and volleyball on the lawn; here to stay are basketball and the dreaded hall sports. But even as students in layered clothing speedwalked between classes this week, anticipation of one sporting event kept everyone warm: Halloween.

By Jeff Bakkensen October 30, 2008

Sports

Men’s soccer falls to Irish

With the regular season drawing to a close and the Blue Division standings still largely unsettled, every point has great implications for Big East tournament seeding. The Georgetown men’s soccer team (9-4-3, 4-3-3 BE) let valuable points slip away yesterday afternoon, falling 2-1 to Notre Dame (10-5-2, 6-2-2 BE) in its penultimate conference match.

By Tim Shine October 30, 2008

Sports

Sports Sermon: MLS president discusses the league and the economy

I’ve used this space several times in the past to discuss the progress of soccer in the United States and, quite frankly, I’m embarrassed that until recently I didn’t know that one of American soccer’s key figures is a Georgetown alumnus. Mark Abbott (SFS `86), the most recently featured speaker of the Michael Jurist (SFS `07) Distinguished Alumni Roundtable Series, is the president of Major League Soccer and the principal author of the league’s original business plan.

By Anthony Francavilla October 23, 2008

Sports

Nasty turf burn

If you’ve played soccer or flag football on Kehoe Field lately, you know about the landmines. You’ll be in the midst of a great run down the left wing, or backpedaling toward the end zone to break up a game-winning touchdown pass, when one of them sneaks out of nowhere, grabs your leg, and twists. You’ll writhe on the ground for a minute, stand up, and try to walk the injury off. No such luck. Whether it’s a sprained ankle, pulled hammy, or twisted knee, you’ve been bested again by one of those tricky Kehoe specials—the bumpy irregularities that litter Georgetown’s only recreation field for student use.

By Walker Loetscher October 23, 2008

Sports

Umar, Hoyas aim for upset

A week after its 27-24 loss to a mediocre Bucknell squad, Georgetown’s football team will need a superhuman effort to compete with the championship subdivision’s ninth-ranked team, Richmond University.

By Tom Bosco October 23, 2008

Sports

Georgetown notches ninth shut-out of the season

Head coach Dave Nolan’s Hoyas (11-3-2, 6-3 BE) have prided themselves on getting big plays from many different players this season. After dropping two overtime heartbreakers over the weekend, Georgetown needed one of those plays on Tuesday against St. John’s (7-4-4, 3-3-3 BE). This time, they got it from sophomore defender Courtney Kent, whose first career goal gave the Hoyas an important 1-0 victory.

By Liz Kuebler October 23, 2008

Sports

Mountaineer net-minder offers stiff challenge

With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Georgetown men’s soccer team (8-3-3, 3-2-3 BE) is looking toward the playoffs. The Hoyas, currently third in the Big East’s Blue division, are in prime position to move up to the top two and earn an important first-round bye in the conference tournament.

By Tim Shine October 23, 2008

Sports

Wankers beware Georgetown soccer’s biggest fan

When senior Matt Hare shouts out, “How long’s it been?” the crowd knows how to respond. But when he begins to chant “Super Hoyas” or asks his mother “What should I be?” (see lyrics), the soccer fans gathered to watch the Georgetown men take on UConn are a bit quieter. That’s not a problem, because Hare and his small but raucous band of supporters will continue the cheer with plenty of volume. Standing at the front of the bleachers, leaning out over the Hoyas’ bench, they make sure that everyone in the stands and on the field hears their songs.

By Tim Shine October 16, 2008

Sports

UFL: The all-convict league

Adam Jones, we hardly knew ye. Just six weeks into his second chance with the Dallas Cowboys, the artist formerly known as Pacman has been suspended for at least four games after drunkenly brawling with a bodyguard inside a Dallas hotel on October 8. With twelve incidents of arrest or police questioning since being drafted 2005, it seems unlikely that Jones will be given a third chance. Team owners are, after all, businessmen, and no matter how good Jones is—although his performance this year has been mediocre at best in one of the league’s worst secondaries—his antics off the field are beginning to overshadow his actions on it.

By Jeff Bakkensen October 16, 2008

Sports

Fast Break: Men’s soccer routed by crosstown rivals

The No. RV/25 Hoyas (7-3-3, 2-2-3 BE) suffered an unexpected setback on Tuesday afternoon, falling to American University (5-5-2) 4-1.

By Anthony Francavilla October 16, 2008

Sports

Hudson scores two in victory, ties team record

The Georgetown women’s soccer team (10-1-2, 5-1-1 BE) needed a two-goal performance from junior forward Toni Marie Hudson on Tuesday afternoon to turn a sluggish start against Syracuse (4-8-2, 1-5-1 BE) into a big 3-1 win.

By Liz Kuebler October 16, 2008

Sports

Bison back for rematch

Start spreading the news. The Georgetown Hoyas and the Bucknell Bison, the Patriot League’s traditional cellar dwellers, will meet this Saturday for a game which could decide who is at the bottom of the league’s standings at the end of the season.

By Tom Bosco October 16, 2008

Sports

The Sports Sermon: New look Hoyas

When asked at last Tuesday’s Media Day about the most important thing he learned from former Hoya guard Jon Wallace during his freshman year at Georgetown, Chris Wright responded humorously.

By Anthony Francavilla October 16, 2008

Sports

Fast Break: Women’s soccer takes on top-ranked Notre Dame

After an unexpected weekend off due to the norovirus outbreak on campus, the Georgetown women’s soccer team (8-0-2) spent the week regrouping in preparation for their biggest challenge of the season: the top-ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

By Liz Kuebler October 9, 2008

Sports

The Sports Sermon: Washington International Horse Show

The first words of the equestrian feature on the opposite page are easily the first I’d ever written about horse shows. But now that I’m in the equine spirit, I may as well take it a little further—that’s what happens when someone who has never been within 20 feet of a horse finds himself surrounded by dozens on a Sunday afternoon. Besides, Greg Monroe won’t take his first official shot for over a month, but in just a few weeks the Verizon Center will play host to the 50th Annual Washington International Horse Show.

By Anthony Francavilla October 9, 2008

Sports

Hot in the saddle: Georgetown’s newest club sport

If there’s an epicenter of equine activity in the United States, it’s probably not far from here.

“Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania—these are historically the hotspots in the United States,” trainer Jeff Becker said. “It’s probably the largest concentration of horses in the country, literally thousands of stables and every week new ones open.”

Becker runs one such stable, Lakeside, which he calls “the best office in the world.” This “office,” located on 200 acres at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain in Clarksburg, Maryland, is home to some 50 horses, a donkey named Jacob, and one of Georgetown’s newest club sports: the GU Equestrian Team.

By Anthony Francavilla October 9, 2008

Sports

It’s not so bad

Trojans, Gators, Buckeyes, and Bulldogs, fear not: Although your teams have already marred their records with the dreaded “one loss” that has plagued national championship hopefuls in recent years, your title hopes are still alive and kicking. Gone are the days when undefeated teams could be left out of the BCS title game, as was the case with Auburn in 2004. Not long ago, BCS detractors pointed out that the greatest flaw in the now ten-year-old system was its inability to accommodate more than two unbeaten teams. But after 11-2 LSU took home the trophy last year, more complicated problems have surfaced: what does the committee do when three teams, even four, are tied atop the rankings with one or two losses?

By Walker Loetscher October 9, 2008

Sports

Men’s soccer can’t find winner against Seton Hall

With eleven teams within two games of first place, the Big East is as muddled a field as it has been in recent memory. True to form, 120 minutes couldn’t decide a winner between Georgetown (7-2-2, 2-2-2 BE) and Seton Hall (6-5-1, 2-3-1 BE). The two teams settled for a 1-1 tie yesterday evening on North Kehoe Field.

By Anthony Francavilla October 9, 2008

Sports

Hoyas fresh for Penn

The Georgetown Plague made its way onto the gridiron last week, forcing the Hoyas (1-4) to cancel their scheduled game against Colgate, a match-up which will not be made up this season. While no one likes to miss a game, head coach Kevin Kelly’s players made good use of the break.

By Tom Bosco October 9, 2008