Sister Act: Stanwicks Lead With Nine Goals

Ruthie Braunstein/The Hoya Sarah Oglesby, shown here last year, has scored 10 goals this year.

For a while it looked like another ACC foe had the Hoyas’ number in women’s lacrosse, but a 9-0 run propelled No. 5 Georgetown to a 15-9 victory over No. 6 North Carolina on Saturday. Led by 12 goals and four assists from the sibling attack duo of senior Sheehan and sophomore Wick Stanwick, the Hoyas pulled away in the second half for their third straight victory.

Georgetown got off to a slow start and faced a 7-6 deficit with time running out in the first half after trading goals throughout much of the opening period. The Hoya attack saw some early success against the Tar Heels defense, but great goaltending from senior Bowen Holden was the only thing that kept North Carolina from running up the score.

“I don’t think we started off real well, which has been a constant theme for us,” Head Coach Kim Simons said. “Defensively we really weren’t stepping up.”

Sheehan Stanwick’s fourth goal on the day tied the score at 6-6 with 6 minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the first half. After a Carolina score, a pair of goals from Wick Stanwick gave Georgetown an 8-7 lead going into the half. Despite the lead, both the team and coaching staff were less than pleased with the Hoyas’ first-half performance.

“Halftime was very emotional both for the coaching staff and some of the seniors,” Simons said. “We came out of the halftime realizing we can’t keep letting teams just play with us. We really turned things around and our attack really started to open up. I’m pleased with how we made adjustments and changed, something we didn’t do against Duke.”

Whatever was said at the half worked, as Georgetown (8-1, 3-0 Big East) dominated North Carolina (7-4) for the next 20 minutes, continuing on a 9-0 run to take an insurmountable 15-7 lead with 10 minutes left in the game.

“The North Carolina defense decided to go with the strategy of trying to guard [Erin] Elbe, and we took advantage of that, putting Sheehan in situations where she could go one on one,” Simons said.

Both Sheehan and Wick Stanwick anchored the Georgetown run, taking smart shots and repeatedly converting. By the end of the game, Sheehan had found the back of the net seven times and handed out three assists while Wick scored five goals and notched an assist. Remarkably, the 12 goals from the duo came on just 16 shots, an impressive .750 shooting percentage.

“Sheehan realizes she’s a senior and her time as a Hoya is limited, and she’s got some goals for herself and for the team,” Simons said in explaining Sheehan’s dominating play as of late. “She’s just playing at a different level right now. She was basically doing what she wanted to do on Saturday.”

Equally impressive was the way the Stanwick sisters teamed up to accelerate play at the offensive end.

“The game on Saturday was like they were just in the backyard playing by themselves,” Simons said. “It’s one of the reasons I recruit sisters. If they play together that long, they have an advantage.”

While the Stanwick-led Hoya attack was blowing past the Tar Heel defense, All-American goalie Bowen Holden was continuing her solid play in net since injuring her knee earlier this season. Holden turned away 17 North Carolina shots while allowing nine goals, two of which came in the closing minutes, long after the game had been decided.

“She really shines when the game is tough,” Simons said concerning Bowen’s performance. “She looks great out there. She’s playing better now than before the injury, and that’s all we can ask for.”

Holden and the rest of the squad will have to bring their `A’ game for Georgetown’s next contest, as six-time national champion Maryland visits the Hilltop on Thursday at 4 p.m. on Kehoe Field.