The Georgetown field hockey team (4-3) will play Towson (1-7) and Siena (1-6) this Friday and Sunday, respectively. Although the Hoyas’ three-game winning streak was snapped in a loss to Lock Haven (7-2, 0-2 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference), they have strong momentum after a 1-0 victory over Lehigh (1-6, 0-1 Patriot League).

Last season, the Blue and Gray notched six victories on the season – its most since 2010 – but it has already impressed opponents this season and hopes to maintain its winning record after this weekend.

Junior defender Devin Holmes is leading the Hoyas in goals this season with two, but six of her teammates have scored one goal each.

Holmes gives a lot of credit to her offense, which has been working extremely hard during practice and games to set up scoring opportunities.

“The offense has done all the work for all my goals. They earned all the fouls so I have the opportunity to shoot. … They’ve been working a lot on their movement in the circle and their different leads to the corners of the field when we’re out letting the ball up from our defensive end. They have been working really hard on ripping shots on the circle and getting in the right position for tips into the cage. I expect a stellar performance from them this weekend,” Holmes said.

Although Georgetown has only scored eight goals this season, junior goalkeeper Rachel Skonecki has held opponents to only eight goals as well. Skonecki has recorded 55 saves this season, while the Hoyas’ offense has totaled 49 shots on goal thus far.

Though Towson has lost its past five games, it defeated Lehigh 4-2 at the beginning of the season. Although the Tigers’ record is not outstanding, they have several notable players to look out for, including senior forward Heather Jenny and junior defender Morgan Skavdahl, who have each scored two goals on the season. Junior goalkeeper Megan Boyle and sophomore goalkeeper Emilee Woodall both have solid save percentages, with .688 and .622, respectively. Boyle recorded 11 saves in Towson’s loss against Saint Joseph’s (3-5, 1-1 Atlantic 10) Aug. 28. Holmes acknowledged the strength of the Hoyas’ opposition, and the team has been focusing all week on coming out strong during practice.

“We’re still putting a lot of focus on our press, which is forwards setting up correctly, midfields being in the right position and defense stepping up to intercept balls because we know coming up, Siena and Towson are going to give us our best game. We played Towson in preseason and in spring season and we’re very familiar with them in their field, but they’re coming out with blood in the water and are going to give us their very best,” Holmes said.

Siena has lost its last four games, but had a big win against Colgate (0-8, 0-1 Patriot League) by a score of 2-0 at the beginning of the season. Senior forward Sage Stebbins has two goals so far on the season, and freshman Marie Aloi, junior Ashley Dona and freshman Nicole Miller are all strong offensive players who have all scored one goal each. Siena has 58 shots on goal, but has only been able to convert five for points.

After this weekend, the Blue and Gray will play its first Big East matchup against the Providence Friars (1-7) Oct. 2, followed by a game against Old Dominion (5-2). The Hoyas need to win at least two Big East games to get into the Big East Tournament, which many players have stated is their overall goal.

Holmes said the team is focusing on each game individually but is excited for the upcoming October season and the matchup against Connecticut (7-0), its main rival, at the end of the month.

“We’re only as good as our next game, so we’re very much taking it one game at a time,” Holmes said. “However, we also know that the harder part of our season is coming up, and we want to treat every team like they are UConn, like they’re the best. Every time I go up against a forward, I pretend like it is UConn’s best, All American, Big East forward and can’t underestimate anyone.”