Field Hockey Georgetown Drops to 0-2 Tribe Bests Hoyas in Tight Game
By Julie Wood Hoya Staff Writer
Despite an outstanding defensive effort against an NCAA tournament-caliber William & Mary team, Georgetown field hockey was unable to produce offensively and fell by a score of 1-0 on Saturday, bringing its season record to 0-2.
The Tribe has garnered a record of 4-1 behind a very strong offense, with convincing victories including a 5-1 win over New Hamphsire and a 4-1 win over Boston University. Their only loss was to Temple 4-3.
In light of William & Mary’s large goal production this season, Georgetown Head Coach Laurie Carroll was pleased that the Hoyas were able to hold them to one goal. “Our defense played phenomenal. Our corner defense was outstanding. Our defense in the circle was outstanding,” she said.
Along with junior goalkeeper Jessica Herring, sophomore defender Lauren Galbally had one defensive save for the Hoyas in an outstanding personal performance. Carroll also used sophomore Elena Elster to bolster the defense after starting her at center midfield. Senior defender Bridget McConnell also played well in the backfield.
Junior goalkeeper Jessica Herring had 12 saves.
“Shelby Samperton has been just playing outstanding, and she really pushed through a tough game and was a great midfielder,” Carroll said.
The Hoyas’ strong defensive efforts kept William & ary from scoring until sophomore forward Jordan Steele scored with two minutes to go in the first half. The Tribe took 30 shots and drew 11 penalty corners in the game.
The Hoyas, on the other hand, got only six shots off and had just two penalty corners. Because their efforts were so concentrated on defense, they were unable to get their offensive game going.
Elster took three shots, sophomore forward Leeanne Rizzo, who has the Hoyas’ only goal on the season, took two shots, and senior forward Aubrey Bruggeman and sophomore midfielder Samperton each shot once.
“We did have some corner opportunities that went well, but they’re a great team and they denied those,” Carroll said.
The Hoyas were pleased with the way they began the game. Unlike their loss to Davidson in the season opener, they immediately got off to a quick start against the Tribe and were attacking loose balls.
“We came out strong and pressed the ball; we really did a great job,” Head Coach Laurie Carroll said. “One of the things we’ve been working on is a quicker start, and we did have a quick start.”
The Hoyas’ start to the 2001 season has been the exact opposite of 2000, in which they won their first eight games and were the last remaining undefeated team in Division I field hockey. However, Carroll maintains that the team’s spirits are not down despite their lack of wins to date.
“We don’t focus on outcomes; we focus on performance. And they were proud of their performance. They know that losing to William & Mary in a tough-fought battle is going to be far more beneficial than beating a mediocre team, and so they’re looking at the big picture. We’re looking at their performance and feeling good about the changes we made.”
Carroll moved several players around in order to strengthen the defense on Saturday, including the moving of Elster from midfield to back.
Overall, the team was not disappointed by the loss as they look forward to matching up against Towson today. The Tigers are 1-4.
“I thought we played well. We really kind of raised the bar on our level of play. If we had played like that last week, and certainly if we play like that [against Towson], we’re going to be very successful. If we play at that level every day, we’ll be very successful,” Carroll said.
The Hoyas face off at Towson today at 4 p.m.
