The Hoyas may still rescue a plummeting end to their season, as the team came off back-to-back losses to beat Big East rival Connecticut on the road Sunday, 16-7.
Just last Wednesday, the Hoyas suffered a tough 14-7 defeat at the hands of Maryland, and besides that, the Hoyas had lost three of their last four. Just four days later, however, Georgetown made it clear that their season wasn’t over just yet.
The Hoyas performed like the team that started the season 5-0 as they beat the Huskies, 16-7. The offense rocketed in shot after shot and tied its highest goal tally of the season with a four-goal haul from sophomore midfielder and top-scorer Ashby Kaestner, along with a hat trick each from the attack trio of senior Zan Morley, sophomore Molly Ford and freshman Jordy Kirr. Kirr put in a valuable performance as she scored eight points, a personal best, grabbing five assists alongside her three goals.
Kaestner scored a solo goal just 11 seconds after the starting whistle to throw the Huskies an early blow. Two minutes later, Kaestner was again unstoppable off a free-position shot, giving Georgetown a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The Huskies broke through the Hoya defense halfway into the first period, but that was the home team’s lone goal of the half. Meanwhile, Georgetown’s offense cashed in four more times before the end of the half, with Kaestner completing an early hat trick and Kirr, Morley and Ford beginning theirs.
Resumption of play saw UConn pose a serious threat, as they scored six quick goals within the opening 10 minutes of play. The Hoyas, meanwhile, managed to score just twice to bring the score to 8-6, in favor of the Hoyas, with 19:47 remaining on the clock.
Soon, the Hoya attack got greedy, however, grabbing eight goals in a row, five unassisted and the rest off assists by Kirr. With just a minute left in play and the score at 16-6, the Huskies got past the Hoya defense to score a consolation goal; it barely created a ripple, however, as the Hoyas held on until the final whistle and posted the win.
Connecticut committed significantly more turnovers than Georgetown (22-14), and Georgetown’s attack recorded 34 shots on goal compared to the Huskies’ 19. The Hoyas’ offense was visibly more aggressive this match, a welcome change after relatively timid performances in the last few losses. Both teams’ goalkeepers were solid in the cage, as the Huskies’ sophomore Jenna Moulton recorded 12 saves, while the Hoyas’ sophomore Caitlin Formby and freshman Lauren Thomas shared 10.
The Hoyas will have to be cautious for their upcoming Big East match in the first round of the conference tournament. They will face Notre Dame on in South Bend, Ind., this Friday. The Fighting Irish paid Georgetown an unwelcome visit just two weeks ago, when they defeated the hosts 10-8. The Hoyas will have to return the favor if they want to advance to the championship game next Sunday.
Last season, Georgetown defeated Notre Dame 12-10 in the first round of the inaugural Big East tournament before falling to Syracuse in the championship game. If the Hoyas beat the Fighting Irish this year, they will play the winner of the Syracuse-Rutgers game.
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