Coming off a two-game losing streak, the Hoyas women’s lacrosse team hoped to improve their record with an away win last weekend. However, an undefeated team stood in their way and snuffed out any chance for a win.

Georgetown University women’s lacrosse (6-10, 1-4 Big East) hit the road on April 22 to play No. 3 University of Denver (16-0, 5-0 Big East) at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in Denver, Colo. The Hoyas were massively outmatched on offense and simply could not keep up with the pace and aggressiveness of the Pioneers’ elite squad as they lost 15-2.

Denver came out strong, scoring a goal within the first 11 seconds of the first quarter. The Pioneers proceeded to score two more unanswered goals until graduate midfielder Olivia Rubin found the back of the net, with 7:41 remaining in the first quarter, off an assist by sophomore attacker Emma Gebhardt. The goal was Georgetown’s first shot, lacking compared to Denver’s five.

Unfortunately, the Hoyas were unable to maintain this momentum, committing seven turnovers and winning only 2-of-8 draw opportunities. The disparity gave Denver a major advantage in applying constant attacking pressure, slowly wearing down Georgetown’s defense until the right opportunity arose to strike. The Pioneers continued their hot streak, scoring an additional three goals, eventually closing the first quarter out 6-1.

Although the Hoyas began to make adjustments on the field and played a cleaner overall game, they struggled to come back from the deficit and registered just two shots to the Pioneers’ 12. On the other hand, Denver continued to dominate the game, with five more goals added throughout the second quarter. Georgetown ultimately remained scoreless in the quarter, and the half concluded with a lopsided 11-1 score.

After the half, Georgetown’s defensive rotations proved to be far more effective than their first-half play. The Hoyas forced seven turnovers on fouls to just one foul of their own and contained the Pioneers to just five shots in the quarter. However, Denver played a possession-based game to waste precious clock time, limiting their opponents’ offensive opportunities. Georgetown turned in yet another scoreless quarter and headed into the fourth trailing 13-1.

In the fourth quarter, both teams were scoreless for the first 6 ½  minutes. Multiple fouls and turnovers on both sides heavily hampered any offensive momentum, but junior midfielder Tessa Brooks finally broke through for the Hoyas, netting a goal with 8:16 remaining on an assist by junior attacker Kylie Hazen. Georgetown was ultimately unable to mount a sufficient comeback and fell to Denver as they closed out the game with an additional two goals and a final score of 15-2. 

Much of the Hoyas’ offensive struggles arose from a lack of offensive aggressiveness. Georgetown was heavily outshot with only 10 in comparison to Denver’s 33. The Hoyas’ shots on goal disparity suggested a similarly bleak picture as they converted just 2-of-8 for points, while Denver converted 15-of-27 shots on goal.

Denver also played a far more dominant game at faceoff by securing 16 draw controls to Georgetown’s four, and consistently strung together drives with multiple competitive shots to break through the defense, ultimately giving them the upper hand in the match.

Even though the game proved to be a disheartening loss that all but guaranteed Georgetown’s exclusion from the Big East tournament, halftime defensive changes showed that the team has the potential to remain level against nationally ranked teams. The Hoyas limited the Pioneers to just four goals following halftime, and such defensive prowess could prove crucial to the team’s long-term success moving forward.

The Hoyas hope to improve their record as they head back to the District for a home game on April 29 at 1 p.m. As they face Butler University (5-9, 1-4 Big East) in the final contest of the season, the team will honor their eight seniors.