The Georgetown women’s soccer team (8-3-2, 2-2-1 Big East) entered the weekend looking to recover from its first rough patch of the year, and had to manage that recovery on a tough road trip.

Providence (6-5-2, 1-3-1 Big East) and the University of Connecticut (9-3-0, 4-1 Big East) were Georgetown’s formidable foes this weekend – and they did not disappoint.

The Hoyas nabbed three critical points with a 2-1 double-overtime victory over the Friars but came out on the wrong end of a 2-1 decision against the Huskies.

Despite coming up one point short of the stated goal of a four-point weekend, there was a lot of good that came out of the Hoyas’ weekend performance.

Friday saw Georgetown face off against a tough Providence squad that was still searching for its first conference win. The Hoyas came out firing and put constant pressure on the Friars’ backline, but they could not manage to finish a play. On the other side of the field, senior forward Jill Camburn converted Providence’s first opportunity into a goal and put Georgetown in an early hole.

“We actually started off very positive,” Head Coach Dave Nolan said. “The first 15 or 18 minutes, we were quite comfortable and then Providence scored a good goal [on] probably their first attack.”

That goal energized the Friars, who defended much better for the rest of the half and were able to keep the Hoyas at bay until the halftime whistle.

The Blue and Gray came out energetically in the second half but still could not find a way to convert their pressure into a goal. It looked like the Hoyas might slump to their second loss in three games until a long throw-in from sophomore forward Samantha Baker was poked in by graduate student forward [Sara Jordan](https://www.thehoya.com/sports/last-year-eligibility-jordan-aims-make-most-opportunity/) in the 75th minute. The score made Jordan Georgetown’s all-time leader in goals and points, but she could not have done it without Baker’s help.

“I thought Samantha Baker did well when she came on,” Nolan said. “Samantha definitely gave us a little bit more of a physical presence. . It was a real scrap – there’s no easy games in the Big East anymore.”

Even after the equalizer, the Blue and Gray kept pressing forward, desperately searching for the game-winning goal. Having suffered through a disappointing tie to Seton Hall the previous weekend in a similar situation, the Hoyas breathed a sigh of relief when sophomore midfielder Kelly D’Ambrisi headed in the game-winning goal with less than five minutes left in double overtime, off another long Baker throw-in.

“We did far more against Seton Hall last week and came up with a tie than we did against Providence today,” Nolan said. “Thankfully today we [won]. . Getting three points on the road is helpful.”

Although happy about the win at Providence, the Blue and Gray knew that an even tougher test awaited them on Sunday in Storrs, Conn.

“UConn is a very good team, and by the end of the season they’ll be a team that you see in the top-10, top-15,” Nolan said. “They’re certainly the best team we’ve played so far.”

After lackluster starts doomed the Hoyas last weekend, they came out strong for their second straight game. Like the match on Friday, first-half energy did not immediately translate into a goal, and it was the Huskies who drew first blood.

“They kind of caught us in a counter attack,” Nolan said. “Give them credit, they did what good teams do. . They got it in the right place at the foot of the right person, and she finished it.”

Far from being deflated by the goal, however, the Hoyas were as resilient as ever and kept searching for a chance to even the score. Halftime came and went without Georgetown finding its first goal, but the players kept fighting.

“I thought our game plan was pretty good,” Nolan said. “The kids were executing it pretty well – I knew that we would get chances. We just couldn’t afford to give up a second goal. We just kept plugging away and frustrating them.”

That game plan finally bore fruit in the 75th minute when Jordan scored her second goal of the weekend – and sixth of the season – off assists from D’Ambrisi and redshirt sophomore [Ingrid Wells](https://www.thehoya.com/sports/following-stint-national-team-wells-readjusts-collegiate-game/). The Hoyas’ momentum did not last long, however, as UConn pulled back ahead just a minute later off another effective counter-attack.

Nolan, although obviously disappointed at the concession of the game-winning goal, was quick to praise his team’s response to that goal.

“For the last 10 to 12 minutes we absolutely hammered them,” Nolan said. “If we had another three or four minutes, I think we would have gotten [another goal].”

If the Blue and Gray continue to play like they did against the Huskies, Nolan has great hope for the rest of the season.

“It’s probably the best we’ve played against a team of this caliber,” Nolan said. “We can definitely play with anybody. If we can put a run of form together over these next four games . then we’d be in good shape.”

The Hoyas return to North Kehoe Field this weekend to face Big East rivals Louisville and Cincinnati.”