FIELD HOCKEY Spiders Catch Hoyas in Web By Julie Wood Hoya Staff Writer

Hoya File Photo Richmond, like American earlier this season (shown above), managed to get past junior goalie Jessica Herring.

The Hoyas fell to Richmond 1-0 Wednesday, dropping their record to 10-5 overall. The loss was the final chapter in a season in which it seemed as if the Georgetown field hockey team played well consistently but didn’t get the breaks that would have allowed them to win as many games as they could have.

“I think we did everything but put the ball in the net. It was a really even game. We had chances, but we just couldn’t finish,” Head Coach Laurie Carroll said.

The first half of the game, which was rescheduled from Sept. 14 due to the events of Sept. 11, saw even play from both teams, ending in a scoreless tie. The Hoyas took five shots on goal, while the Spiders had two. The corner unit, which usually provides the Hoyas with a large percentage of their scoring, was unable to convert on any of their three corner opportunities. Richmond had one penalty corner in the first half.

After the scoreless first period, it took the Spiders less than five minutes to get on the board as senior forward Heather Rice put one past Hoya junior goalie Jessica Herring. Rice’s goal made her first on Richmond’s all-time career points leader list with 133. She is also the Spiders’ all-time career leader in goals scored with 61, a milestone she achieved earlier this season.

After the goal, the Hoyas had four more shots on goal but still could not score. They had only one corner opportunity in the half, something that hindered their chances of scoring.

“We really needed to earn more corners, and I think that would have made the difference,” Carroll said.

The Hoyas did manage to prevent the Spiders from scoring for the remainder of the game, despite allowing five shots on goal, including three penalty corners. Herring had three saves on the day.

“Our defense played really well. They have some young players that we handled well,” Caroll said. “Jess didn’t have a lot of saves, but she played well like she always does.”

The final game of the Hoyas’ season was the last for seniors and co-captains Aubrey Bruggeman and Bridget McConnell, as well as senior Cecilia Kline.

“They’re leaders in every aspect of the game,” Carroll said. “You can’t replace them. You really can’t. Every year you have to start fresh, and you just hope and trust that the next leaders are like them.”

Bruggeman has been a productive midfielder for the Hoyas over her four years on the Hilltop. Many of her assists this season came on penalty corners, as she is in chare of stopping the corner feeds before sophomore midfielder Elena Elster shoots. She also contributes on the defensive corner unit, being first to the 16-yard line to break up the opponent’s corner shot.

“Aubrey is just an athlete that can run forever. She’s just the perfect midfielder. She’s so consistent with 100 percent effort every time,” Caroll said.

McConnell is the defensive leader on the team, organizing her fellow backs and preventing the ball from getting to Herring. She is on the Georgetown all-time leaders list for defensive saves.

“Bridget just has such strong, deliberate tackles. We’re just so confident with her and Jess back there. And she really is the key to our transition between offense and defense,” Carroll said.

The Hoyas have placed a bid for selection to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament, in which they were chosen to compete for the first time in program history after the 2000 season. The Hoyas lost to Columbia in the first round. Announcement of the tournament selection is expected Tuesday evening.

2001 Field Hockey Team Page Schedule