MEN’S LAX GU Upends UMBC Georgetown Still Undefeated By Tom Kenny Hoya Staff Writer

Charles Nailen/The Hoya Georgetown got its fourth win of the season over UMBC Saturday.

It was not always pretty, but the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team got the job done once again. Despite struggling at times against ECAC conference rival University of aryland-Baltimore County, the Hoyas responded when challenged and dominated the majority of the second half to cruise to an 18-10 victory at Harbin Field Saturday. It was the best offensive showing of the season for the Hoyas, currently ranked No. 7 in the USILA Coaches Poll.

Senior midfielder/attack Steve Dusseau led the Hoyas with five goals and was on the field for virtually the entire game playing both the midfielder and attack positions. “I’m not sure what I’m playing,” Dusseau said jokingly after the game.

Junior attack Mike Hammer contributed four goals for the second straight game to equal his career high. With the win, Georgetown improved to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in the ECAC. UMBC fell to 1-3.

When UMBC senior midfielder/attack Gavin Stringer scored to cut the Hoya lead to 9-8 with 12:28 remaining in the third quarter, it looked as if the Retrievers had captured the momentum and would be able to keep the game within striking distance down the stretch. They had scored six of the last eight goals up that point to nearly erase a five-goal Georgetown lead.

“They were getting breaks,” senior goalie Scott Schroeder said. “We needed to pick up the intensity a little more.”

And the Hoyas did. From that point on, they did what they have done all season. Whenever they have faced a serious threat thus far in the 2002 season, they have struck back rapidly. Less than two minutes after Stringer’s goal, senior midfielder Phil Vincenti rifled a shot just under the cross bar from 15 yards away to give the Hoyas a two-goal lead again.

UMBC won the ensuing face-off and broke down the field but was unable to take advantage of the opportunity. Schroeder made one of his 15 saves on the day.

“Scott made big saves again for us,” Head Coach Dave Urick said.

From then on, the Hoyas would dominate possession for the majority of the quarter. Georgetown consistently applied pressure in the offensive zone and was limited only by several outstanding saves by UMBC junior goalie Tim Flanagan, who recorded 23 stops in the game.

“We knew they were going to die at some point,” Dusseau said.

With 7:16 remaining in the third, Dusseau was proved correct. The gas began to run out for the Retrievers. Freshman midfielder Brice Queener drilled home a one-timer off a pass from Dusseau to extend the Hoyas lead to 11-8. The Georgetown defense then stifled UMBC on one of their few extended offensive possessions. Junior long stick midfielder Kyle Sweeney scored after the defensive stop with just over two minutes remaining.

“They played awfully hard,” Urick said of the Retrievers. “They just aren’t as deep as we are.”

Dusseau and junior midfielder P.J. Paolisso added goals in the final minute of the third quarter, and Vincenti, Dusseau, junior midfielder Trevor Walker and Hammer tallied scores in the fourth to round out the offense for the Hoyas.

It was the first goal of the season for Paolisso who battled an injury in the preseason. “P.J. played his best game of the year,” Urick said.

The Retrievers would manage two more goals. However, one came at the end of the third quarter when it appeared time had already expired and Schroeder was already walking toward the sideline. The second goal was scored with less than a minute to go in the game when the Hoyas’ victory was well in hand.

“In the fourth quarter the defense really stepped up and eliminated the scrappy goals [UMBC was] getting,” Dusseau said.

In the first half, Georgetown weathered the frenetic early pace to build-up a 7-2 lead early in the first 16 minutes. Queener scored the game’s first goal and the first of his Georgetown career two minutes into the game.

“Brice did a lot of little things for us today,” Urick said.

Dusseau scored a pair early and Hammer netted three in the opening quarter to give the Hoyas a lead in the early going.

UMBC would control the most of the second quarter. They were able to hold Georgetown to just one goal over the final 14:32 of the quarter before the Hoyas answered with their decisive second half run.

“Give them credit,” Dusseau said. “They were up and down the field the entire game.”

On the game, the Hoyas outshot the Retrievers 52-33. Georgetown won 16 of 28 face-offs and picked up 55 of the 95 groundballs.

With this game behind them, the Hoyas can turn their full attention to next Sunday’s trip to Durham, N.C. to face the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils. Last year, Georgetown beat Duke 14-7 at home, as Dusseau and junior midfielder Trevor Walker scored three goals apiece and Schroeder made 17 saves. The teams have a history of close contests that have led to somewhat of a rivalry.

“Duke is one game that as a team we treat a little bit differently,” Urick said.

After losing to Duke in the 1999 and 2000 regular season by scores of 10-8 and 13-12 respectively, the tide seemed to turn in Georgetown’s favor last season, as the Hoyas won the home matchup 14-7. Georgetown was also victorious over Duke in the quarterfinals of the 1999 NCAA Tournament, winning 17-14.

The Blue Devils are 3-1 thus far this season with their only loss coming at No. 3 Loyola, 11-9.

“At times this game we weren’t getting that [offensive] push,” Schroeder said. “But that’s not going to happen next week.”

Georgetown faces off against Duke at 2:30 p.m. on March 24.