Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Field Hockey | Hoyas Aim for Postseason Berth

The Georgetown field hockey team (8-7, 1-2 Big East) will travel to Philadelphia this weekend to take on Big East opponent Temple (4-12, 1-2 Big East) and Saint Joseph’s (6-8, 3-3 Atlantic 10). Georgetown recently defeated Big East rival Villanova (4-10, 1-2 Big East) 2-1 in overtime. After defeating Colgate (0-13, 0-4 Patriot League) 3-2 two days later, Georgetown picked up its eighth win of the season, which is two more than all of last season’s wins and six more than the previous season’s wins.

A strong offense has led the Blue and Gray this season, with five goals each by junior forward Aliyah Graves-Brown and freshman forward Helena Masiello. Sophomore forward Megan Parsons has converted three goals out of 11 shots, while junior defender Devin Holmes and senior forward Sarah Butterfield have each scored two. Junior goalkeeper Rachel Skonecki has been a rock for the Hoyas, making 115 saves and recording a cumulative save percentage of .816.

Temple defeated Old Dominion (8-6, 1-2 Big East) 1-0 on Tuesday, ending its eight-game losing streak. Temple lost 8-0 to Big East rival No. 2 Connecticut (15-0, 3-0 Big East), which Georgetown will play Oct. 31.  Despite its recent loses, Temple has an average of 2.19 goals scored a game and 13 shots on goal per game. Senior forward/midfielder Alyssa Delp is leading the Owls with nine goals so far this season, while senior midfielder Sarah Deck has scored seven. Senior forward Tricia Light and redshirt sophomore forward Sarah Keer have each scored four goals. Last season, Temple beat Georgetown 4-0 and the Owls recorded 27 shots compared to the Hoyas’ two.

Senior midfielder Louise Chakejian is confident in her team’s ability and emphasized how hard they have worked in preparation for this upcoming weekend.

“We’re just approaching the game as another opportunity. We’re excited to play Temple and we’ve been working really hard this season. We’re excited to put this to the test against a Big East opponent,” Chakejian said.

Saint Joseph’s won its last game over William and Mary (5-10, 1-3 Colonial Athletic Association) 4-3 after losing its past two games. The Hawks lost to the Owls earlier in the season 3-2, but had big wins against the VCU Rams (4-10, 2-4 Atlantic 10) and the St. Louis Bilikens (0-16, 0-6 Atlantic 10). Saint Joseph’s defeated Georgetown 4-1 last season.

The Hawks have recorded 90 penalty corners thus far in 2015 and have scored 37 goals compared to their opponents’ 38. Freshman forward Anna Willocks has had an impressive 10 goals in her first college season, while freshman midfielder Monica Tice, graduate student defender Jenny Morris and junior midfielder Emily Nonnemacher have each scored four. Junior goalkeeper Amelia Deibler has started all 14 games, recording two shutouts and saving 70 shots.

To prepare for the two road contests, the team has been working on adapting its play to other opponents.

“This week we’ve been focusing on making adjustments. Even though we came away with two victories this past weekend, we still have things we can work on to pick up the tempo and the game,” Chakejian said.

The Georgetown field hockey team must win at least two games against Big East teams to clinch a spot in the playoffs, and after losing 4-1 to Providence (4-11, 2-1 Big East) and 6-0 to Old Dominion, its win against Villanova was crucial. If Georgetown can defeat Temple, it will be able to continue its season on past Nov. 1.

The Hoyas hope to keep adding to their win count and hope to set precedent for upcoming seasons.

“We’ve been working really hard in practice and have just been trying to perfect basic skills that we can execute in games. We have a mentality to change our reputation in the field hockey world,” Chakejian said.

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