WOMEN’S LAX Season Opens With Four Straight Wins By Derek Richmond Special to The Hoya
Charles Nailen/The Hoya Georgetown, pictured above facing Maryland in the National Championship last season, is now off to a 4-0 start.
In its first Big East contest of the season, the No. 2 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team defeated Virginia Tech, 11-9 on Sunday. The Hoyas took an early lead with a goal by senior midfielder Kate Ahearn less than three minutes in, but the Hokies returned and led 3-2 at one point. The Hoyas battled back and tied the score at 6 at the half.
Both teams scored early in the second half before Georgetown went on a 4-0 run to lead 11-7. Virginia Tech put a stop to the run by putting in two goals but the Hoyas were able to hold off the Hokies for the win. Sophomore midfielder Gloria Lozano led the Hoyas with two goals and two assists. Chandler Vicchio had only three saves in goal due in part to the fact that Hoyas outshot the Hokies 39-13.
Last Wednesday, Georgetown took on the No.11 Vanderbilt Commodores at home on Kehoe Field. The two teams exchanged goals in the first 10 minutes of a game that would become a blowout. Up 6-3 after a Vanderbilt goal, the Hoyas scored five consecutive tallies to finish the first period. Sophomore midfielder Michi Ellers had two goals in the first half.
The Hoyas began the second half in a similar manner, reeling off six straight goals to increase their lead to 17-3. Georgetown and Vanderbilt traded goals for the remainder of the game. Freshman attack Catherine Elbe scored the final goal and put the Hoyas up 19-5 with just eight ticks left. Ahearn recorded her first hat-trick of the season. Vicchio had five saves before relinquishing the net to freshman goalie Sarah Robinson who picked up two and allowed two to slip by.
Earlier in the break, then No.4 Georgetown traveled to Princeton to take on the second-ranked Tigers. The Hoyas struck first as Ahearn scored less than four minutes into the game before Princeton went on a 4-0 run. Not to be outdone, the Hoyas pulled off a 5-0 run to lead 6-4 at the break.
Georgetown opened the second half with another goal. The Tigers then countered with five straight goals of their own. Goals were traded for the next eight minutes and the Hoyas led 13-12 with less than two minutes remaining. Not easily defeated, Princeton scored to force overtime.
Georgetown scored twice in the extra periods to pull off the upset victory 15-13. The game marks Princeton’s first loss in a season-opener since being defeated by the Hoyas in 1997. All-American senior attack Erin Elbe scored six goals in the victory for the Hoyas.
On March 1 Georgetown opened its season with a 15-6 home victory over the University of Richmond Spiders. Junior attack Wick Stanwick led the effort with five goals and an assist.
The Hoyas scored their first goal less than a minute into the contest and continued to control the tempo. Down 4-1 with less than 10 minutes left in the half, the Spiders scored their second goal, but it was all Hoyas from there. They scored four straight and went up 8-2.
Richmond scored first in the second half but Lozano scored two straight to make the Hoya lead 10-3. The Spiders pulled to within six before Georgetown reeled off five straight. Richmond scored the last two goals but could not recover from the Hoya onslaught.
Georgetown is now ranked second behind Duke, who it plays on arch 24. It plays the No.7 Syracuse Orangewomen in New York today at 3:30.
