Despite ample opportunities, the 18th-ranked Georgetown University Hoyas (8-2-4, 4-1-1 Big East) failed to secure a win against a DePaul team (4-5-5, 2-1-3 Big East) seeking its first conference win of the season. A costly mistake on the defensive end allowed the Blue Demons to score in the 56th minute of the game, and DePaul’s defensive prowess kept the Hoyas scoreless to close out a windy Chicago Sunday.
Georgetown led the game in attempts, securing 13 shots, 7 of which were on goal, against DePaul’s 2 shots and singular on-target shot. Though the Hoyas had numerous offensive opportunities, the Blue Demons’ strong defense and the Hoyas’ unfamiliarity with the tight sidelines at DePaul’s Wish Field ultimately led to a scoreless Georgetown showing. An offensive mistake in the 56th minute provided the opportunity for DePaul to take a shot, and the Hoya defense was unable to recover, allowing the Blue Demons to score the game’s only goal.
The beginning of the match appeared promising for the Hoyas, with senior forward Maja Lardner putting up two shots on goal in the opening 12 minutes. She took the first shot about 9 minutes into the game, nailing the ball at an angle with her left foot and sending it flying towards DePaul goalkeeper Elena Milam, who narrowly saved the ball from rolling into the net. Her second shot was on target as well, but unfortunately found its way straight into the arms of the Blue Demons’ goalkeeper.
An on-goal shot by junior forward Natalie Means late in the 15th minute from the right corner of the 18-yard box continued the Hoyas’ streak of unfortunate misses. The ball once again found its way directly into the hands of Milam.
In the 27th minute, it once again looked like Georgetown had an opportunity for a goal, thanks to some strong offensive work. Junior forward Henley Tippins deftly and quickly maneuvered around the DePaul defense, then took a shot with her left foot that hit the right goalpost and nearly ricocheted into the goal. However, the attempt was once again saved by the Blue Demons goalkeeper.
The 1st half also included three more shots on the Georgetown side, two from Lardner and one from junior midfielder Mary Cochran, none of which were on target. A single, weak kick on the DePaul side rounded out the goal attempts for the 1st half: Georgetown had 7 total, 3 on goal, and DePaul had only 1, which was not on goal.
Serious gusts of wind picked up during the start of the 2nd half, followed by pouring rain. The weather, in conjunction with the narrow sidelines and all-around tightness of the field, made the game against DePaul much more trying than it might have been elsewhere. At one point during the game, a DePaul player managed to kick a ball out of bounds onto the train tracks, highlighting the restrictions of the stadium. Given the defensive-minded DePaul team and their potential to feed off offensive momentum, Georgetown’s goal throughout the game was to score first. Heading into the second half, this was still the Hoyas’ intention, though a costly mistake in the 56th minute led to a DePaul goal.
The Hoyas offense had brought the ball back towards the goal to get set up for the next play, but a misguided pass found its way into the footpath of the Blue Demons offense. A quick pass to an unguarded DePaul midfielder Beth Smyth found two Georgetown backs running towards her and ultimately colliding. Hoyas graduate goalkeeper Anna Karpenko dove for the ball, missing, and allowing the Blue Demons to score the only goal of the game.
Tippins managed two more shots on goal in the ensuing 10 minutes, but Milam was there again each time for the save. In the 69th minute, an attempt by junior midfielder Shay Montgomery kept the Hoyas on their feet, though Milam’s save once again let Hoya hopes fall flat. An on-target attempt by senior defender Erika Harwood sunk right into the DePaul goalkeeper’s hands and ended Georgetown’s hopes for a win in the 2nd half.
The Hoyas allowed the Blue Demons to gain their first win in over a month and their first conference win of the season. Prior to this game, Georgetown had not lost to DePaul since 2019, also at Wish Field.
Georgetown gears up for two more Big East matches this week, taking on the Providence Friars in Providence, R.I. on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 6pm EST and the Marquette Golden Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 1pm at Shaw Field. The Hoyas will be looking to improve their league record heading into postseason play, which starts next month.
