The Georgetown field hockey team fell to its conference rivals Providence in a 2-0 loss on the road in Providence, R.I., last Friday.
The loss puts the Hoyas at 5-12 on the season and just 1-5 in the Big East conference. The Providence Friars, on the other hand, were propelled to 11-5 overall and 4-2 in the conference. The game qualified Providence for the Big East Field Hockey Championship, which will be held in Hamden, Conn. from Nov. 8 to 10. Georgetown now sits at seventh in the Big East, putting it well out of reach of contention for the top four spots. Those four teams advance to the tournament, as the Hoyas will all but certainly end their season before then.
The Hoyas managed to get off a decent total of seven shots, five of which were on target. Friar graduate student goalkeeper Lydia Rice, however, was able to keep all of these attempts out of the cage. In this effort, Rice earned her fifth shutout victory of the season.
Providence outshot Georgetown with 12 shots, seven of which were on target. Georgetown sophomore goalkeeper Ciara Weets managed to stop five of these shots, but two shots managed to escape her. Despite not capturing the victory, this game brings her season total up to an impressive 77 saves.
The game started out rather slowly in a scoreless first quarter, despite Georgetown freshman forward Ellie Maransky having a shot at goal a short ten minutes into the game. The drought was broken by Providence senior Mary O’Reilly as the forward netted a goal in the 25th minute directly off a rebound following a save by Weets. Extending their lead, the Friars’ second goal was scored in the 53rd minute by Friar sophomore forward Amanda Collins off of a crossed assist from graduate student defense Corinne Kenney.
The most successful part of the game for the Hoyas was the third quarter. The Georgetown defense prevented any goals from being scored, while the offense also outshot Providence 4-3. This momentum never materialized into a much-needed goal for the Hoyas, however, and Providence maintained its two-goal lead.
The biggest imbalance of the game came in the penalty corner count. Providence was able to win six corners, whereas Georgetown only won two. These totals speak to the offensive pressure Providence was able to impose upon Georgetown, and the number of infractions the Friars were able to force the Hoyas into committing, with the Friars’ advantage when it comes to experience taking form in a reduced penalty total by the better disciplined team throughout the game.
Georgetown currently finds itself in the middle of a nine-game losing streak, the conference’s longest, which they will look to snap Friday, Nov. 1, in an away game against UConn. This game will be a significant undertaking for the Hoyas, as the Huskies sit at the top of the conference with a perfect 6-0 Big East record and an imposing 14-3 overall record amid strong opposition throughout the season.
Two days after their game against UConn, Georgetown will travel to play Sacred Heart on Sunday, Nov. 3. This road battle will be their last game of the season as all momentum has run out for the Hoyas.
