Head Coach Laurie Carroll said that Georgetown’s 3-0 loss to Cornell Saturday “wasn’t any different than any other day, unfortunately. We were creating opportunities and not finishing.”

But for Georgetown field hockey, the story did not change in its season finale Monday on Kehoe Field. Against Vermont, the Hoyas dropped their eighth straight to finish the season with a 3-14 record.

“I didn’t see anything different,” Carroll said. “I’m still puzzled why we don’t shoot more.”

Georgetown had its opportunities on the field, earning a combined 14 corners on the two days of play, but the shots were scarce and the goals even rarer, as freshman forward Maggie Farrand was the only Hoya to find the net over the weekend.

The corners made the difference Sunday between a one-goal game and the three-goal shutout that took place when the Big Red defeated the Hoyas 3-0. Although Cornell garnered only half of the corner opportunities than Georgetown earned, it converted two of four chances, putting a win out of reach for the home team.

The Big Red victory marked a record 10th win of the season, bringing the team’s season record to 10-5 and earning the 2005 squad a spot in the program’s history.

Georgetown failed to capitalize on one of its first shots of the game, missing the deflection on a cross, and could not recreate a solid opportunity in the first half. The chances were scarce and the shots even scarcer on Georgetown’s offensive end, with the team posting only three shots and no offensive corners.

The same was not true for the Big Red, who, after a slow start, stepped up their speed and put Georgetown out of scoring reach, forcing the Hoyas back into their own defensive end.

Cornell notched the first corner of the game at the one-minute mark, getting the first shot off straight on goal, but Georgetown senior defender Caitlin Bump blocked the goal. The Big Red kept the pressure on, and soon after, junior forward Lindsay Moyer hit the backboard to give Cornell the early lead.

The Big Red continued attacking throughout the first half, dominating play but coming up with only six shots, remaining unproductive and leaving the score 1-0 at the half.

The second half saw the Hoyas step up with some aggressive play, pushing back the Big Red and earning eight offensive corners versus Cornell’s four on the day. Georgetown also held Cornell to four shots in the half, but it was the Big Red who broke through the deadlock to open up the score.

“Georgetown’s a tough team,” Cornell Head Coach Donna Hornibrook said. “It wasn’t until midway through the second half that [the game] opened up.”

The Big Red showed it could execute, and produced the finishes that the Hoyas were lacking.

The Cornell freshmen teamed up in the 55th minute, with defender Helena Haas connecting with forward Mandy Malzberg to find the back corner of the goal and give the Big Red a two goal lead. Then, with 90 seconds remaining, freshman defender Belen Martinez sealed the win for Cornell by hitting a straight shot to the net to put the final tally at 3-0.

Cornell recorded 10 shots on the day, one of the smallest totals that the Big Red has posted all season long, Hornibrook said.

“There was more fight [Sunday],” Georgetown sophomore defender Lauren Sheets said. “Some games we don’t have any fight in us.”

The Hoyas came out with the same fight Monday afternoon, earning an offensive corner within the first 30 seconds of the match against Vermont, but it was the Catamounts who produced the first goal, when sophomore forward Danielle Collins found her way around junior goalkeeper Abby Winer to knock the ball into the net in the sixth minute. Winer went on to allow three goals and post five saves on the day.

“Our first goal was the result of quick ball movement,” Vermont Head Coach Nicki Houghton said. “We worked very hard to transition the ball around, we focused on that coming into the game.”

With the help of some successful freshmen, the Hoyas finally found the attack that they had been lacking. Midfielder Katie Lachman broke up the field and into the Hoyas’ offensive end, and Farrand followed up, shooting from the top of the circle and evening the score at 1-1.

The rookie Farrand leads the team in every offensive category, with six goals, five assists and 17 points.

Though the Hoyas found enough spark to force four more offensive corners in the second half, the Catamounts dominated the half, notching three goals in 10 minutes.

Sophomore forward Kelly McClintock scored on a corner play in the 40th minute. The goal was followed two minutes later by Collins’ second of the day. The Catamounts finished the scoring at the 50-minute mark when freshman forward Kari Furlani knocked the ball in during a scramble around the goal to bring the final score to 4-1.

“They fought hard for 70 minutes,” Houghton said of Georgetown. “We were challenged to fight hard for 70 minutes.”

The loss finished a 3-14 season for the Hoyas, with one cancelled game. Last year, Georgetown had a 3-15 record.

“Although the record is similar to last year, there’s definitely no comparison,” Carroll said. “We got better; we competed harder.”

“We do the best we can,” senior captain Caitlin Bump said. “We try hard.”

The effort showed in the eight one-goal losses the Hoyas have had this season, which Carroll said were noticeably tighter than last year’s matches.

“We built a good foundation for the future,” she said. “They just need to have courage to shoot the ball and finish.”

The Hoyas will lose four seniors next season, including Bump, who has been a major presence on and off the field.

“We had tremendous leadership. I can’t say enough about the senior class,” Carroll said. “Caitlin is one of the best captains I’ve ever coached.”

Georgetown will return most of its team next year, including Sheets, Farrand, Lachman, sophomore midfielder Deirdre McShea and freshman goalie Deirdre Crovo.