Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

JMU Upsets Sluggish Georgetown

If Saturday’s game was any indication, the Hoyas haven’t quite shaken their off-season rust. Despite leading the game in every significant statistical category, No. 3 Georgetown dropped its first home opener in 14 years Saturday with a 14-10 loss to No. 12 James Madison. The defeat marked the second straight season in which the Dukes defeated the Hoyas. Last year, JMU pulled out a 7-6 win in Harrisonburg, Va. Senior attacker Coco Stanwick led the Georgetown offense with a game-high five goals, followed by sophomore attacker Bunny O’Reilly, who posted two goals and two assists. “Coco played the kind of game we ask her to have every time out,” Head Coach Ricky Fried said. Though the Hoyas lost by four, the score was tied for more than 16 minutes of the game, and with 13:51 remaining on the clock. Georgetown outshot the Dukes 31-19, turned the ball over just 16 times to the Dukes’ 20, and committed a mere 13 fouls to James Madison’s 17. The game came down to the fundamentals. James Madison seized the win with 74 percent shooting to the Hoyas’ 33 percent. “The offense had a lot of scoring opportunities but we just did not shoot it very well,” Fried said. Junior center Julie Stone started the game quickly for the Dukes, winning the draw and driving down the field for an unassisted goal six seconds into play. Stanwick answered with the first Georgetown goal, 3:12 later, on an assist from O’Reilly. Senior attacker Schuyler Sutton assisted sophomore midfielder Katie Burton with a shot from 10 feet out to give the Hoyas the lead. But just after Georgetown found momentum on offense, James Madison stepped up its own game. The Dukes’ defense got tighter, holding the Hoyas scoreless until Stanwick scored her second goal, assisted by junior attacker Zan Morley, with 12:07 remaining in the half. At the same time, the Hoyas’ defense began to crumble, allowing three straight goals to bring the JMU lead to 4-2. Within two minutes, Stanwick and senior attacker Brittany Baschuk combined to score three goals to retake the lead at 5-4. But 18 seconds before halftime, senior midfielder Kelly Berger scored for the Dukes, tying the game at intermission. O’Reilly opened the second half with a goal on a free-position shot, but after successful shots by Berger and junior attacker Annie Wagner within two and a half minutes in the third quarter, the Dukes gained a 7-6 lead. With Baschuk’s assistance, Stanwick retaliated with two back-to-back goals for the Blue and Gray. Shortly thereafter, O’Reilly scored on a free-position shot to give the Hoyas their first two-goal lead of the game with 18:29 remaining. But Georgetown would only maintain the lead for another four and a half minutes before the defense allowed six Duke goals. “We have to do a much better job of playing team defense,” Fried said. “We just had too many mistakes.” The Dukes’ 13-9 lead was unchallenged until junior midfielder Patty Piotrowicz scored one for the Hoyas with 1:36 on the clock, but there would be no last-second heroics for Georgetown. “We played like it was our first game of the season,” Fried said of the sloppy performance. “I think today’s game showed us exactly what we needed to work on.” Georgetown will get a chance to improve its play this Friday when the women play host to Oregon at 3:30 p.m. on the ulti-Sport Facility. Last year, the Hoyas defeated the Ducks 16-6 on the road.

More to Discover