The No. 9 Georgetown University men’s lacrosse team extended their dominant winning streak to 7 games with a 15-10 road victory against the Providence Friars March 30.
The win at Providence (4-6, 0-1 Big East) marked the beginning of the Hoyas’ Big East play, improving Georgetown’s record to 7-2 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.
The game began with a back-and-forth opening, as both teams matched each other play-for-play. The score remained in a 2-2 deadlock, with Patrick Crogan and Aidan Carroll scoring for Georgetown, until only 3:35 remained on the clock in the first quarter. Soon after, Providence scored 2 goals merely 15 seconds apart to take a 4-2 lead to the end of the quarter.
The Friars capitalized on this early offensive run by scoring another goal in the opening frame of the second quarter, extending their lead to 5-2.
Fortunately for Georgetown, the Hoyas’ offense surged in the second quarter, as the team strung together 9 unanswered goals coming from graduate midfielder Alexander Vardaro, senior attacker TJ Haley, senior midfielder Chase Llewellyn, senior attacker Aidan Carroll and graduate attacker Graham Bundy Jr.
The Hoyas took advantage of the Friars’ lapses in focus, initiating a strong defensive effort of their own to limit the Friars’ scoring opportunities. At the half, Georgetown led 11-5.
Coming out of the break, Georgetown and Providence each scored 2 goals, as the Hoyas maintained a dominant 13-7 lead by the end of the third.
An early Georgetown goal in the fourth quarter by senior defenseman Wallace Halpert extended the lead up to 7.
Providence, making a final effort to chip away at their deficit, scored 3 straight goals to make the score 14-10 with just 4:31 remaining in the fourth quarter.
However, the Friars, unable to further capitalize on their run, went scoreless for the remainder of the game. Georgetown’s Bundy Jr. put the cap on the game, scoring its final goal with 2:15 remaining to secure the 15-10 win.
Bundy Jr.’s goal capped off a hat trick in the game. Alongside an assist, his 4-point performance put him at 203 points in his career, making him just the fourth Hoya in program history to reach the 200-point mark.
Vardaro led the way for Georgetown, netting 4 goals, all of which he scored during the pivotal second-quarter run. Carroll and Crogan both added 2 goals, while Haley notched 3 assists, a team-high for the game.
Georgetown’s first-year goalie Anderson Moore saved 6 Providence shots on goal, all of which came in the third quarter.
Providence midfielder Michael Chabra and attacker Richie Joseph each scored 4 goals, and defenseman Gregg Dennison made some big plays, causing 1 turnover and winning 3 ground balls. Goalie James Corasaniti saved 12 Georgetown shots as well.
Beginning the Big East season with a victory, Georgetown’s winning streak is not only a testament to their stellar offensive firepower but also to a remarkably solid defensive identity. Including the win against the Friars, the Hoyas have held their last seven opponents to 10 goals or fewer.
The Hoyas will look to continue their dynastic stronghold on the Big East in a matchup at home against the Marquette Golden Eagles (4-6, 0-1 Big East) on April 6 at noon.
