Following a tight loss to conference juggernaut University of Denver (8-3, 2-0 Big East), the Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team rebounded with a loud win over Xavier University on April 3.

The 16-5 victory over the Musketeers (3-8, 0-2 Big East) marked the Hoyas’ (4-9, 2-1 Big East) second win in three games. After an eight-game cold spell in nonconference play, Georgetown is building positive momentum as it aims to secure a top-four seed in the Big East.

“I was really pleased with how we showed up for this midweek game,” Head Coach Ricky Fried told Georgetown Athletics. “We were able to give everyone an opportunity to compete.”

Junior midfielder Maley Starr scored the first goal just 35 seconds into the matchup after recovering an errant pass in transition play, slotting the ball just above the goalkeeper. Georgetown continued to dominate possession in the early going, going up 3-0 behind goals by junior attacker Emma Gebhardt and Starr with 10:57 left in the quarter.

Xavier managed to find a few quality looks in hopes of shrinking the deficit, but Georgetown’s defense held strong. Junior goalkeeper Leah Warehime picked up 4 saves in the period, including a particularly impressive stop against a Musketeer fast break, while graduate defender Maggie O’Brien was key in shutting down passing lanes.

A goal by senior midfielder Tatum Geist with four minutes left in the first quarter opened the scoring floodgates. Xavier responded quickly with a goal on an inside cut, but Georgetown returned the favor via a quick transition goal by first-year attacker Anne McGovern and a free position shot by sophomore attacker Gracie Driggs.

While the two teams exchanged goals once more behind Musketeer star attacker Lola Mancuso and Driggs, the Hoyas had a formidable 7-2 lead at the period’s close.

Although both teams continued to find offensive chances in the second quarter, the scoring slowed down considerably. Georgetown defended well in transition and on free position chances but failed to capitalize on two free position opportunities and two man-up situations of their own.

Just before the end of the first half, the Hoyas finally broke through with two goals. Geist converted a close-range shot on a possession started by a McGovern groundball pickup, while Driggs earned her 6th career hat trick off a heads-up Starr ground ball and assist, putting Georgetown up 9-2.

Georgetown’s excellent ball movement and transition play helped fuel a 29-8 shot disparity between the two teams in the first half, and the Hoya offense wasted no time coming out of halftime.

Geist picked up her third goal with a high shot, Starr and Driggs converted consecutive free position chances and senior attacker Lauren Lisauskas capitalized on a beautiful transition passing sequence to widen the gap to 13-2 with 8:45 left in the quarter.

Xavier struggled to find any breathing room, earning yet another green card and turning the ball over in the attacking third. The Musketeers finally found a break following a Hoya yellow card, but despite the man-up advantage, they conceded yet another goal to graduate defender Johanna Kingsfield.

With the lead insurmountable at this point, Xavier managed to claw back with another goal to close the quarter. Georgetown used the fourth quarter as an opportunity to rotate in its second unit, keeping even in scoring with goals from Gebhardt and Kingsfield.

The Hoyas simply dominated the Musketeers on offensive opportunities, leading 43 to 13 in shots and 23 to 12 in shots on goal. Georgetown also played a cleaner game as a whole, conceding 3 fewer free position opportunities than Xavier, while also largely staying out of man-down situations.

Driggs continued her strong form as Georgetown’s leading goalscorer, converting a team-best 4-of-5 shots for 30 total goals on the season, while Starr also had 4 points on 3 goals and 1 assist. O’Brien was particularly impactful on defense with 6 draw controls and 1 caused turnover, while Driggs added 2 draw controls and 2 caused turnovers of her own.

The Hoyas will next travel to Indianapolis to face the Butler Bulldogs (2-9, 1-2 Big East) on April 6 looking to maintain their winning form.