With its postseason chances on the line, No. 18 Georgetown (7-6, 3-3 ECAC) saw 12 players score and 17 record points in a convincing 15-7 win over Rutgers (4-10, 2-4) on Saturday at MultiSport Facility. Junior midfielder Scott Kocis scored three goals for the second consecutive game to lead the Blue and Gray.
The Hoyas, habitually slow starters this season, jumped out to an early lead. They were spurred by strong play at the faceoff X and even better execution on the offensive end.
“Our backs are up against the wall and we realize that,” Kocis said. “We’re not taking anything for granted. We got to win every game. We’re just trying to focus on that and we’ll see what happens.”
After a back-and-forth start to the game, the Hoya offense responded. With the score tied at two early in the second quarter, senior attack Jake Samperton faked a shot in transition and found sophomore attack Ricky Mirabito wide open by the crease for an easy goal, giving the Hoyas the lead. Mirabito’s goal would be the first of eight straight for the Hoyas.
After Mirabito’s goal it became the Scott Kocis show with the junior scoring three of the next four goals for Georgetown. None was better than his third. Five minutes into the second quarter, Kocis took the ball from the left side of the crease, cutting through the Scarlet Knights’ defense before beating senior goaltender Peter Pantages to give the Hoyas a 7-2 advantage.
Kocis, who had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds of Georgetown’s 9-8 loss to Loyola-Maryland earlier this month, said that he’s used that game as motivation.
“I know I could’ve finished that shot against Loyola so that’s been motivation to come out here and make every shot count,” Kocis said.
While the offense was clicking, the Hoyas were helped by a strong effort by junior goaltender Jack Davis and the Georgetown defense. Davis, who was named ECAC defensive player of the week this past week, had 10 saves in 54 minutes in the cage for the Hoyas.
“I don’t know if he’s coming into his own right now, or if he’s playing with a little more confidence, whatever it is,” Head Coach Dave Urick said. “Last week against UMass[-Amherst] he was very impressive and today it was the same way. Hopefully he keeps building on that.”
Georgetown also got another big day at the faceoff X from senior midfielder Michael Shotwell, who went 10-for-15 on the day.
The Hoyas have now won two in a row and five of their last seven. Next up is a matchup with Penn State on Saturday at MultiSport Facility for senior day. The game will be the last of the regular season for the Hoyas, who hope to improve their postseason resume. Faceoff is set for noon.
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