No. 5 Hoyas Stay Strong

Dan Gelfand/The Hoya Wick Stanwick scored five goals against Penn State.

Going in to their game against Notre Dame, the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team was well aware of the Fighting Irish’s victory over No. 7 Yale the previous week. However, whatever fears the No. 5 Hoyas may have had prior to face-off were quelled as they opened the game with four straight goals, going on to win 17-7. The Hoyas are now in first place in the Big East with a 5-0 conference record (10-2 overall), while the Irish are tied with Syracuse for second with a 3-1 Big East record (8-4 overall).

Junior attack Kate Ahearn scored the first two goals, and All-American senior attack Sheehan Stanwick and senior midfielder Sarah Oglesby added one goal each before Notre Dame got on the board with a transition goal. Sophomore attack Wick Stanwick added another score to put the Hoyas up 5-1.

The Hoyas soon overpowered the Irish defense, going on an 8-0 run in 15 1/2 minutes and holding Notre Dame scoreless for almost 29 minutes. Junior midfielder Erin Elbe contributed three of the eight goals and Sheehan Stanwick had two.

Notre Dame ended the Hoya goal streak with one of its own at 16:44. The Hoyas had four more straight goals, and the Irish ended the game with three in a row.

The Hoyas took 30 shots in the game, while the Irish got off 19. The Hoyas also led the Irish in groundballs 23-19 and caused 15 of the Irish’s 23 turnovers.

Hoya senior goalkeeper Bowen Holden had nine saves, while Elbe led the Hoyas’ scoring for the with four goals.

On Friday, the Hoyas gained a solid victory over No. 12 Penn State, 23-11. The Lady Lions’ record dropped to 6-9. Elbe and Wick Stanwick had five goals each in the win, and Sheehan Stanwick and senior midfielder Sarah Oglesby had four each.

The Hoyas opened the game with energy, as Oglesby won the faceoff and dashed to the Penn State goal to score just 14 seconds into the game. Elbe scored again 15 seconds later, making it 2-0. The Lady Lions got on the board at the 28 minute mark before the Hoyas scored three goals straight, including two from Sheehan Stanwick, to make it 5-1.

The Hoyas and Lady Lions proceeded to trade goals until it was 7-3, at which point the Hoyas took off on an 8-0 run to make the score 14-3. Penn State answered with four straight goals, three to end the first half and one to open the second, bringing them within seven. Oglesby and Elbe added two for the Hoyas, and then Lady Lion Brooke Bailey got one on the board for Penn State.

The Hoyas scored six straight, including two goals each from Elbe and Sheehan Stanwick. The Lady Lions made a last effort with a three-goal run, but it wasn’t enough, as freshman midfielder Gloria Lonzano put one in the net to make the final score 23-11.

The Hoyas took 31 shots on the day, and Penn State got 16. Holden had five saves, while second-half junior goalie Chandler Vicchio had two goals. The Hoyas beat Penn State in groundballs, 17-14, in draws, 17-15 and in caused turnovers, 13-2.

The Hoyas will travel to face George Mason on Thursday at 4 p.m.