Georgetown beat No. 20 Denver (3-3) on Sunday for its second victory over a ranked team this season and improved to 3-0. The match was an extremely competitive one, with the teams going into the locker rooms at halftime tied at four goals apiece. However, the Hoyas stepped up their game in the second half, outscoring the Pioneers 8-4 to clinch a 12-8 victory.

The two teams exchanged possession several times throughout the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the match until junior midfielder Ashby Kaestner was able to break the cold streak by giving the Hoyas their first goal off a pass from sophomore attacker Jacqueline Giles. The early lead did not last for long, however, with Denver tying the match just three minutes later.

Then, sophomore attacker Jordy Kirr battled for possession of the ball in front of the Pioneer goal and managed to find Kaestner who fired it in to give the Hoyas a 2-1 advantage. Two minutes later, Denver attacker Megan Carver worked alone, scoring an unassisted goal to tie the match.

The teams were not even for very long, though, thanks to junior attacker Molly Ford finishing a give-and-go with Kaestner a minute later to put the Hoyas on top once again. Denver came back with two goals to get its only lead of the match at 4-3. With just three seconds left to play in the half, Kirr scored off of a free-position shot to tie the score going into halftime.

Having seized the momentum at the end of a back-and-forth first half, Georgetown came out roaring in the second half, scoring 50 seconds in. Three minutes later, Kaestner teamed up with Kirr to put the Hoyas on top by two.

Despite the Hoyas’ momentum, Denver would not let Georgetown run away with the match. The Pioneers fought back, taking advantage of a Hoya turnover to get on the second-half scoreboard and put themselves back within one at 6-5.

In the next three minutes, Georgetown and Denver exchanged goals, resulting in a 7-6 Hoya lead. That was the closest Denver would come to regaining the lead.

After five minutes of scoreless play, the Hoyas went up 8-6 on a goal from Ford. The Blue and Gray extended its lead to 11-6 in the following three minutes, prompting a Denver time-out. However, with only 8:30 left to play, it was too little, too late for the Pioneers. They scored two more times, but could not build any sort of comeback.

Six Georgetown players scored in the match, and three – Kirr, Ford and Kaestner – turned in hat tricks. Kaestner also had three assists and five draw controls. Senior defender Jordan Trautman displayed her strong offensive – as well as defensive – skills, ending the match with a goal and four caused turnovers. In goal, junior Caitlin Formby recorded six saves. Georgetown outshot its opponent 28-17 and finished with eight more ground-ball pickups and two more draw controls. The Hoyas executed 14 successful clears in 17 attempts, for an 82 percent clearing percentage.

Georgetown has a big test at home next weekend, taking on top-ranked Northwestern (5-0) at 3 p.m. The Wildcats have thrashed each of their opponents thus far, including Denver, who they crushed 24-6. There will be a $10 admission fee, with proceeds going to Friends of Jaclyn, a charity with which both teams are involved.

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