With eight minutes remaining in a Big East matchup between the Georgetown women’s soccer team and the Providence Friars at Shaw Field on Sunday afternoon, junior midfielder Paula Germino-Watnick fired a shot that rebounded off a Providence defender and landed at the feet of senior forward Caitlin Farrell.
Farrell scored off the pass from Germino-Watnick, propelling Georgetown to a 1-0 victory. The goal marked Farrell’s 14th of the season and earned her recognition on the Big East Weekly Honor Roll for the fifth consecutive week. Farrell has recorded goals in each of the Hoyas’ last nine games.
Providence (8-5-2, 2-3-1 Big East) held Georgetown (13-0-2, 6-0 Big East) scoreless for 82 minutes in the game. The Hoyas created multiple scoring chances, recording 20 shots on the day to the Friars’ six. Georgetown added 10 corner kicks to Providence’s four.
Head coach Dave Nolan said that Georgetown’s attack remained dangerous throughout the match against Providence’s strong defense .
“[Providence doesn’t] give up a lot of goals, and we knew we would have to be patient,” Nolan said in an interview with GU Hoyas. “Our front four were very dynamic and really put Providence under pressure the whole game, and we were a little unlucky not to have scored a few more.”
Thirty seconds into the first half, Georgetown’s senior goalkeeper Arielle Schechtman made a save off an effort from Providence junior defender Alessandra Arace.
The Hoyas countered with a pair of chances in the following minutes.
In the seventh minute, Germino-Watnick powered an effort wide of the goal. Sophomore midfielder Grace Nguyen had a chance to score in the eighth minute, but Providence’s sophomore goalkeeper Shelby Hogan made the save.
In the remainder of the first half, the Hoyas recorded eight more shots. Both Hogan and Schechtman recorded four saves in the half.
The Blue and Gray generated several scoring chances at the start of the second half, including a pair of chances by Farrell and Germino-Watnick in the opening two minutes. Hogan recorded four more saves before Farrell broke through with the game-winning goal.
The Georgetown defense remained strong against Providence’s offensive pressure in the second half and limited the Friars to one shot, which came in the 78th minute from Providence sophomore midfielder Christina Rodgers and went wide of the net.
The defense, backed by Schechtman, secured Georgetown’s 10th shutout of the season.
Senior defender Jenna Staudt was recognized as the Big East Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for her play in the Providence game.
Nolan commented on the importance of the defense to the victory and how the team is looking forward to more difficult upcoming matches.
“[Providence was] always dangerous on the counter attack and on set pieces and I thought our back line did a great job of limiting them to a few moments. We now head into a tough week with two big games, away to Marquette on Thursday and then at home to Butler next Sunday,” Nolan said.
The Hoyas will next travel to Valley Fields in Milwaukee to face Marquette on Oct. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
