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 | Season Finishes on High Note

JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA Sophomore forward Aliyah Graves-Brown scored against Townson after just 77 seconds.
JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Sophomore forward Aliyah Graves-Brown scored against Townson after just 77 seconds.

The Georgetown field hockey team (6-12-0, 0-5-0 Big East) concluded its season with a loss against Old Dominion and a win against Towson this past weekend at the MultiSport Facility. The program’s total of six victories this season hasn’t been topped since 2010.

Georgetown dropped its last Big East match Friday 3-0 against No. 17 Old Dominion (11-7, 4-1 Big East). While the Hoyas were able to shut down the Lady Monarchs offense, only allowing three shots on goal during the first 15 minutes of play, Old Dominion junior midfielder Sarah Breen quickly scored off a penalty corner from redshirt senior midfielder Nicole Goff to put the Lady Monarchs on the scoreboard.

Six minutes into the second half, Breen scored again off another penalty corner by junior midfielder Emily Harting, putting Breen’s goal total at 10 for the season. In the 46th minute, after the Hoyas defensive line held the Lady Monarchs to only one shot on goal for a 15-minute stretch, Old Dominion senior forward Rosario Villagra scored her eighth goal of the season off a penalty corner, putting Georgetown in a 3-0 deficit that it would be unable to chip away against.

The Old Dominion offense had 17 total shots on goal compared to just one for Georgetown, by way of Hoya senior forward Molly Denzel. Although the Hoyas were outmatched in terms of attacking, their goalkeeping kept them in the game. Sophomore goalie Rachel Skonecki had yet another solid performance in the back with 10 total saves.

Georgetown flipped the script Sunday. Although the Hoyas offense was high energy, the defense was dominant. The score was 3-0, this time in favor of Georgetown against Towson (2-16, 0-6 CAA). Hoya sophomore forward Aliyah Graves-Brown scored only one mintes and 17 seconds into the game after weaving through the defensive line, setting a tone of consistent pressure for the rest of the match.

“It’s always nice to get off to a really good start, and every goal that we get helps to move the momentum forward. I was glad I could do my part and start us out on a high note,” Graves-Brown said.

Junior forward Sarah Butterfield scored at the 26-minute mark, following an assist from sophomore defender Devin Holmes after a corner and putting the score at 2-0 going into the second half. Just over 10 minutes from the end of the second half, senior forward Tori Hideshima, a converted defender, scored her first goal of the season off another assist by Holmes following a corner.

“We run through penalty corners every day in practice, and as soon as I saw Devin rip the shot I was ready for it, and just like practice, it happened,” Hideshima said. “This is my first year playing forward, and it was such a Cinderella story to go out like this. I couldn’t be more thankful for my teammates and coaches and can’t thank them enough for the four years they gave us.”

The Blue and Gray had 15 total shots on goal while Towson only managed four, and Skonecki only had to make one save during the entire game. The sophomore goalkeeper recorded her fourth shutout of the season, which puts her at sixth all-time at Georgetown.

The Hoyas learned from their mistakes during Friday’s game and built off them to prepare for Sunday’s match.

“We were able to play a more attack-minded style of hockey today. However, we were really disciplined in terms of our press, which helped us come up with the ball, and we were able to get into counterattack situations and dangerous situations on their defensive end, which turned out with a positive outcome for us,” Head Coach Shannon Soares said.

With the 2014 season officially over, the team will take some time off before launching into a rigorous offseason training program to prepare for next year.

“The spring season is going to be focused on becoming more mentally tough,” Soares said. “The girls are going to go through more difficult workouts, they’re going to train more than they ever [have] and we are going to focus a lot on fundamental, technical skill. When we come out next season, they won’t have to think twice about executing these skills and can focus on the game.”

Soares is focused on improving the program next year, and she sees the win against Towson as the start of a period of greater success.

“After today’s result, it’s a great jumping off point for next season and what we want to do as a program. …We will look to vastly improve next season and the great thing is we return a lot of our roster who are committed to moving this program forward and really making a name for ourselves,” Soares said.

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