The No. 13 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team (4-4, 1-1 Big East) hopes to recover from a heartbreaking loss to No. 16 Loyola (5-3, 1-0 Big East) over the weekend when it takes on American (6-4, 2-1 Patriot League) at home this Tuesday. The Hoyas dropped Saturday’s contest on a Loyola goal scored in the last minute of overtime.
Before Saturday’s loss, the Blue and Gray had been playing their best lacrosse of the year, having knocked off two straight ranked opponents in then-No. 3 North Carolina and then-No. 8 Penn. While American might seem like a soft spot in the Hoyas’ schedule, the Eagles are still a quality team and should pose another challenge for Georgetown.
American also brings some sizable momentum to the table, having won three straight contests. The Eagles scored at least 19 goals in each game and most recently routed Bucknell by a score of 22-9.
The Eagles currently sit at second behind Navy in the Patriot League standings and boast a potent offensive attack, ranking second in the conference in both goals and points per game. They have outscored their opponents, 143-124, on the year.
American Head Coach Laura Campbell’s team is led by the junior duo of attack Kimberly Collins and midfielder Emily Burton. Collins is the team’s points leader with 41, while Burton leads the team in goals with 32. She also boasts a .681 shot percentage.
Senior Kaska Komosinski works between the pipes for the Eagles, tallying 69 saves on the year. She is aided on defense by sophomore Lauren Binstein and junior Laura Dawson.
Georgetown Head Coach Ricky Fried is aware of the talent on American’s team, and he sees Tuesday’s matchup as a potential trap game for his team. However, the Hoyas have proven they can run with the best.
The Blue and Gray have a explosive offense that averages 17.5 points per game, good for fourth in the conference. However, their shooting still has room for improvement; the Hoyas average the most shots taken in the Big East but possess the lowest shooting percentage.
Georgetown definitely has the offensive talent to improve on this statistic. Junior midfielder Sophia Thomas has been spectacular this year and was recently named Big East offensive player of the week.
While Thomas leads the team in goals (19) and points (23), her companions in the midfield have been integral to the Hoyas’ success as well. Senior Erin Lovett and junior Kelsi Bozel have 14 and 13 points on the year, respectively, and freshman attack Caroline Tarzian has made an immediate impact on the team with her 19 points.
But it will take a team effort for the Hoyas to earn a win Tuesday, as the team looks to get back on track with the bulk of its Big East schedule looming. The opening draw is scheduled for 7 p.m. at MultiSport Facility.
