Georgetown Beats Out No. 11 JMU

Charles Nailen/The Hoya Freshman midfielder Anouk Peters contributed to the Hoyas’ 13-7 victory over James Madison on Sunday.

It was all James Madison for six minutes against Georgetown on Sunday, but unfortunately for the Dukes, lacrosse is a 60-minute game and the Hoyas dominated the remaining time. In the end, No. 3 Georgetown simply had too much firepower for No. 11 James Madison and prevailed with a 13-7 victory.

Unlike the Hoyas’ recent games, this one got off to a slow start as neither team got on the scoreboard until the Dukes took a 1-0 lead 10 minutes into the game. Georgetown didn’t wait too long to respond, as junior All-American Erin Elbe took it straight to the net to tie the game at one with 17:53 remaining in the first half.

Elbe’s goal opened the floodgates for the Hoyas, who went on a 7-1 run over the course of the next 15 minutes to build a 7-2 lead. A James Madison goal with 13.9 seconds left in the first half narrowed the margin to four; however Georgetown remained firmly in control of the contest.

Four different Hoyas scored during the run against the Dukes, whose defense was overwhelmed by the Hoya attackers. The Georgetown offense was aggressive in charging the net and less reliant on the individual skills of the All-American tandem of Elbe and senior attack Sheehan Stanwick.

“It was more than just the Sheehan and Erin show, which is what we need to have if we want to be the best team we can be,” Head Coach Kim Simons said. “We have worked on changing our attitude offensively to be more aggressive. I think they’re thriving under that mentality.”

Thriving indeed, with Georgetown averaging 17.5 goals per game since losing to Maryland 13-9 on April 12 in what was the Hoyas’ second lowest goal output of the season. The scoring has come from a number of different sources, however Georgetown’s stars are still getting it done. Stanwick scored three goals during the Hoyas’ barrage, tying the previous Georgetown record for points in a season of 77 that she herself set in 1999.

It took her a total of 17 minutes to break the record, netting the fourth of her five goals on the afternoon eight minutes after the half to widen Georgetown’s lead to 10-3. Another Hoya goal made it 11-3, however the Dukes had one rally left in them.

James Madison again lit up the scoreboard with 15:25 left in the game, then proceeded to score three more in a row to bring themselves within four, 11-7. The scoring run was enough to jumpstart Georgetown’s offense back into gear; however with less than 10 minutes remaining and the Dukes still facing a four-goal deficit, it was simply too little, too late for James adison.

“They made some adjustments after the half, but I never felt the game was in jeopardy,” senior goalie Bowen Holden said.

Holden led the way in shutting the Dukes down at the offensive end of the field, saving seven shots while allowing seven goals, with four in one stretch. The only time James Madison got good looks at the net was for a short period of time with GU senior midfielder Caitlin McLean sitting on the sideline. The defense softened up just enough so the Duke attackers with nothing to lose were able to break loose and get off quality shots.

“Caitlin McLean, I think, is the best defender in the country. What she does against opponents is extraordinary,” Simons said about her star midfielder, who was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Week for her play.

“Any team is going to be able to put the ball in the cage if they get that many opportunities,” Simons added, putting the onus of the scoring barrage not on stopping the shots but preventing them.

Despite the missteps along the way, Sunday saw Georgetown break down for a short stretch yet nonetheless dominate the No. 11 team in the country, a good sign as postseason play rapidly approaches.

“We’ve come a long way in the past couple weeks and have taken some huge steps,” Holden said. “I think this team is ready to take on the NCAA tournament.”

Georgetown plays host to Connecticut this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in a game that could clinch the Big East title for the Hoyas. Saturday’s regular-season finale against No. 5 Princeton, Simons’ alma mater, follows.

The goal for the team at this point is crystal clear: “Being on Kehoe for two more games is definitely our goal. Having home field is really nice because you don’t have to travel and [deal with] all those other distractions,” Simons said. “Our seven seniors want to go from here to the Final Four.”