The Georgetown University field hockey team (2-5, 0-1 Big East) fell to the Temple University Owls (7-1, 1-0 Big East) 2-1 in a hard-fought Big East opener Friday afternoon, Sept. 19, on Kehoe Field. Despite outshooting Temple 12-11 — 9-6 on goal — the Hoyas struggled to find the net, ultimately failing to secure a victory.
Friday’s home opener marked the Hoyas’ first game on campus since 2022 and their first game on Kehoe Field since 2007.
Head Coach Christy Banks said she felt enthusiastic about the team being able to play where they practice daily.
“It’s nice being able because this is the field we practice on every single day, to be able to come out here and be able to play a full game on here,” Banks told The Hoya. “Being able to have our friends, families, professors be able to come to the game and I just think it’s a great home atmosphere for the team.”
Coming into the match, the Hoyas’ momentum was high. Family and friends filled out the sideline, braving the unusual heat and high afternoon sun. Temple took a hold of possession for the first 4 minutes of play, though Georgetown was quick on the defensive uptake. The Owls generated 3 penalty corners in those first 4 minutes and sent up 2 shot attempts — junior goalkeeper Ella Fahey saved the single shot on goal.
The Hoyas quickly responded with their own set of penalty corners. Senior midfielder Lily Jamison sent in a shot off a penalty corner in the 5th minute, which was blocked by Temple goalkeeper Alex Lepore. In the 8th minute, sophomore forward Nina Mayro stole the ball from Lepore, allowing junior midfielder Izzy Lee to force another penalty corner. Senior midfielder/forward Sydney Yodh sent in a shot off the penalty corner, which Lepore blocked, before Lee swept in and nudged the ball into the net, securing the first goal of the match.
The rest of the first quarter continued without much of note. Temple forced 2 more penalty corners, though they were unable to capitalize off either one. Lee was shown a green card in the 14th minute, but the Owls were unable to profit from their two-minute advantage.
The second quarter transpired similarly to the first but with far fewer penalty corners. Georgetown recorded the only penalty corner of the second quarter in the 17th minute of play but, despite a close shot, failed to find the goal again. In the 18th minute, Temple took the ball to Georgetown’s side of the pitch and sunk it in the goal, securing the early equalizer 1-1. Despite a couple solid breakaway opportunities, the rest of the second quarter only recorded one shot not on goal from Temple.
The score and stats from the first half showed an even match-up between the Hoyas and Owls. Temple put up 6 shots in the first half; Georgetown put up 5. Temple recorded 5 corners; Georgetown recorded 3.
That all changed quickly in the third quarter. With a pair of corners, Temple was able to secure a goal in the 32nd minute of play, putting them up 2-1 over Georgetown. For the rest of the quarter, Temple controlled possession. The Owls secured 5 penalty corners throughout the third quarter and managed to put up 4 shots. The Hoyas had zero of either, quickly losing any chances they got to the opposing defense.
The fourth quarter, however, was a different story. The Hoyas dominated the Owls, securing 6 penalty corners to Temple’s 1 and sending up 7 shots — 5 on goal — compared to the Owls’ 1. With each corner, the anticipation built, and by the Hoyas’ final corner with 50 seconds remaining in the match, the pitch fell silent. Despite numerous chances, the Hoyas ultimately failed to convert, and the match ended in a 2-1 loss for Georgetown.
Banks said the team performed well overall but faltered on some fronts more than others.
“I think today our forwards really went after,” Banks told the Hoya. “I think we struggled a bit in the midfield and defense to get organized. That’s kind of what hurt us and led to the two goals, but our forwards went after it.”
“We out shot them,” Banks added. “They out cornered us by two so we were right in this game, even though it wasn’t our best game which is unfortunate. But I do think we put up a good attack showing, so I was proud of that.”
The Hoyas will next travel to Providence, R.I., to take on the Providence Friars (4-3, 0-1 Big East) in their second Big East matchup of the season on Friday, Sept. 26. Georgetown will be looking to secure their first conference win of the season.