Despite losing a two-point lead in the final 61 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team quickly reversed the momentum by scoring on the first overtime possession to maintain an undefeated conference record.
The No. 9 Georgetown Hoyas (8-3, 3-0 Big East) snuck out of Milwaukee after securing a 15-14 overtime win against the Marquette Golden Eagles (6-6, 1-2 Big East). After going 0-3 to start their season, Georgetown has become the front-runner for its third consecutive regular season Big East title after winning its last eight games in a row.
Marquette shocked the Hoyas with a quick goal within the first minute by attacker Devon Cowan, Marquette’s all-Big East second teamer. However, graduate midfielder Jacob Kelly turned it around for Georgetown, scoring two goals and assisting on a third to give the Hoyas a two-goal lead with nine minutes left after a series of commanding offensive possessions.
The remainder of the first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team appearing dominant. Marquette picked up three more goals, but graduate attacker Tucker Dordevic, a nominee for the Tewaaraton Award, which is given to the best player in the country, ensured the score remained even, scoring two more in the first after quick passes by the Hoya offense.
While a rocket of a goal by Georgetown standout senior midfielder and former U.S. U21 National Team captain Graham Bundy Jr. seemed to open up the second half, the game remained extremely tight despite an overpowering Hoya offense that had a 6-3 disparity in shots on goal. Marquette’s 5-1 faceoff advantage and 3-1 save advantage ensured that even though Georgetown dominated possession time, the Hoyas were only up 8-7 by halftime.
The third quarter began in a similar fashion to the first, with Marquette securing a goal to tie it up after 66 seconds — but instead of a Hoya comeback, the Golden Eagles took their first lead since the first three minutes of the game and kept a 10-9 lead going into the final minute after holding the Hoyas scoreless for 10 minutes.
During a man-up situation, Dordevic scored off another assist by Kelly with 47 seconds left, and then with only 38 seconds left, graduate faceoff specialist James Reilly transformed his own faceoff win into a transition goal to reclaim the lead.
Reilly is now the first Hoya to collect at least 100 ground balls in three different seasons, and is just one more ground ball away from becoming the ninth Division I player to reach 500 over their career.
The final quarter was defined by Georgetown’s defense, with two bursts of Marquette scoring. The first came with two quick goals in the fifth minute of play, capped by Cowan’s fourth goal, which placed him as the second-highest scorer in Marquette history.
The Hoyas answered with three quick goals by graduate midfielder Nicky Solomon, Bundy Jr. and Dordevic, while graduate goalminder Danny Hincks had four saves to keep the game in check despite an even shots on goal at eight.
Marquette failed to capitalize on a man-up situation due to a stellar save by Hincks, but was able to notch a goal with 61 seconds left. They won the next draw and made a diving goal with 15 seconds left behind Jackson Rose, tying the game and forcing sudden death overtime after a Golden Eagles save.
Georgetown secured the ball off the faceoff, and after a 13-pass offensive possession, Dordevic hit a spin move on his defender before sinking his fifth goal of the night to secure the 15-14 win over Marquette, the Hoyas’ fifth consecutive victory over the Golden Eagles.
The Hoyas extended their winning streak to eight after trouncing the No. 20 Loyola Greyhounds 23-7 in their last nonconference game of the season April 18. Georgetown looks to continue its perfect Big East run against the St. John’s Red Storm (0-12, 0-3 Big East) in Queens, N.Y., on April 22 at 1 p.m.
