After dropping its first two games of the season on the road, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team looks to use its home field advantage to notch a first win against rival No. 12 Towson (1-0) this weekend.
Georgetown (0-2) had a short opening week, bookending only a few days of practice between its season debut against High Point in High Point, N.C., on Tuesday and its loss to No. 5 Notre Dame in Frisco, Texas on Saturday.
In its Saturday appearance against Notre Dame, Georgetown fought back from an early 3-0 first-quarter deficit to close the scoring margin in the second quarter, trailing 6-5 heading into the locker room. But an unanswered Fighting Irish seven-goal run that started in the third quarter proved insurmountable, and the Hoyas’ second-half comeback attempt fell short in the 16-10 decision.
Head Coach Kevin Warne said capitalizing on missed opportunities, such as contested ground balls and faceoffs, could have made a difference in the game’s outcome
“We just have to find a way to stop other teams’ momentum when they go on a run,” Warne said. “The first thing you’ve got to do is just worry about the fundamentals — just take care of the ball. We made stops, and [with] something as simple and fundamental
as a ground ball, we actually could have stopped their possession.”
Redshirt junior attack and co-captain Peter Conley was instrumental in Georgetown’s efforts to close the gap in the second half. Conley scored three of his five goals between the late third and early fourth quarters to stop the bleeding after Notre Dame’s scoring run.
Conley’s five goals and one assist earned him a Big East Weekly Honor Roll recognition. With his additional goal against High Point, Conley currently leads Georgetown in scoring with six goals.
Now back to full strength after two seasons plagued with injuries, Conley said he feels confident returning to the field.
“Before the injuries my sophomore year, I was starting to play some of the best lacrosse I’ve ever played, and it kind of set me back and I never really felt comfortable last year when I was playing. … Now I feel fully back to how I was my sophomore year, and I feel like I can play again to the best of my ability. Just from a personal standpoint, that feels amazing,” Conley said.
Including Conley, six different Hoyas scored against the Fighting Irish and five recorded assists. Though the final score did not tilt in Georgetown’s favor, Warne said he was happy with the team’s efforts on offense.
“The output we had offensively was good — any time you can score double digits, that gives you an opportunity to win a game,” Warne said.
Georgetown now turns its focus to Towson, a perennial rival that has consistently ranked in the top 25 the past several seasons. In the teams’ meeting last season, an early scoring run allowed Towson to gradually pull away throughout the first half of the contest, which ultimately ended 10-7 in its favor. The Hoyas are 1-5 all-time against the Tigers and have dropped the past three games in the series.
Georgetown will be challenged at the faceoff X, as Towson transfer sophomore midfielder Alex Woodall poses as a significant threat. Woodall finished his freshman season at High Point with a .528 faceoff win percentage and won 13-of-16 faceoffs in Towson’s win last weekend over Mt. Saint Mary’s (0-3). The Tigers boast an experienced offensive unit, bringing back starters and scoring leaders Joe Seider and Ryan Drenner, both senior attackmen.
Though the Tigers have a young defense, Conley said the Hoyas’ offense expects a challenge.
“They like to play really slow, so we have to be very conscious as an offense of not trying to push the ball in transition if our defense plays an extended period of time,” Conley said.
In its first full week of practice before a game, Warne said Georgetown needs to prepare for the difficult task ahead.
“They play unbelievably hard, and if we don’t come ready to play at the opening whistle and throughout the 60 minutes, then it’ll be a battle,” Warne said.
Opening faceoff is scheduled for noon this Saturday at Cooper Field.
