Heading into the season, Georgetown’s field hockey team knew it might tread a rocky path in its first season in the Big East. With just two seniors and nine freshmen, the inexperienced team seemed destined for a hard lesson in the competitive Big East.

But the team surprised its critics and improved during the season, even if it continued to lose. The team’s improvement was evident during its final games of the season, a 2-0 loss to No. 18 Villanova (13-7, 4-2 Big East) on Friday, followed by a 4-2 loss to Holy Cross (13-5, 4-1 Patriot League) two days later.

Friday’s fall was arguably the team’s best game all season. Facing a ranked opponent for the fourth time this year, the Hoyas (5-12, 0-6 Big East) kept up with the Wildcats all game and found many scoring opportunities in the second half. The Wildcats scored both of their goals in the first half, as junior midfielder Catherine Somits and senior forward Megan Foster each scored within the first 20 minutes.

After allowing the two first-half goals, Georgetown played a solid game and came close to connecting on each of its three shots. Freshman midfielder Chelsea Aiken had two good looks that were saved by Villanova senior goalkeeper Alex Whalen. Aiken has been one of several freshmen the Hoyas have called on to start this season.

“I didn’t expect to start at center mid at all coming in, but I was placed there and it’s a position of great responsibility,” Aiken said of her inaugural campaign on the Hilltop. “I’m pleased with the improvement the team made throughout the season.”

Following the tough loss to Villanova, the Hoyas came back on short rest for their final game of the season. It was an emotional game, as the Hoyas honored the four-year careers of two exceptional players on Senior Day. Senior co-captains Megan Cellucci and Abby Winer both started their final game as Hoyas.

“I won’t realize the significance of it or how sad it is for a little bit. It’s going to take awhile for it to sink in,” Winer said of her career at Georgetown.

It was deja vu all over again for the Hoyas, who surrendered two quick goals in the first 13 minutes. Georgetown answered in an impressive fashion two minutes after the Crusaders took the 2-0 lead. The face of the future of Georgetown field hockey shined brightly, as sophomore midfielder Maggie Farrand carried the ball through two Holy Cross defenders and passed up the right side to freshman Kristen Volpe. The first-year forward delivered a perfect pass to Wijsman, who set up fellow freshman midfielder Alice Murnen for her third goal of the season.

The wealth of young talent on this year’s squad has not gone unnoticed by the two seniors.

“I expect great things from the team [in the future]. It doesn’t need to take time; it doesn’t need to be a process,” Winer said of the outlook for 2007. “The talent that we have here, they could make a major impact in the conference next year.”

Cellucci was a bit more direct when asked of her expectations.

“They can win the Big East Championship,” Celluci said. “Hopefully next year.”

This year, however, the goal was to ensure that the younger players learned how to function as a team.

“We really just wanted to make sure that everybody worked hard and reached their potential. It was a little difficult with just two seniors, the majority of the team looking up to you to set the right example,” Celluci said. “We just wanted to make sure that everybody on the team was equal and that we became a true team.”

Winer echoed Cellucci’s sentiments.

“It’s been a transition time for the team which was kind of tough to go through as a senior,” Winer said. “But the growth of all the young players was evident throughout.” The Hoyas played a strong second half against Holy Cross (13-5), which received top-20 votes in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll after an impressive season in the Patriot League. After giving up an early goal in the second half, Georgetown dominated possession of the ball and out shot the Crusaders 5-2.

“At halftime, we realized that we were down, it was the last game, and definitely brought the energy level up,” Head Coach Laurie Carroll said. “The defense really stepped up in the second half and didn’t give up anything, and that really gave us the opportunity to get back in the game.”