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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Men’s Lacrosse | Faceoff Woes Doom Hoyas’ Bid for Upset

FILE PHOTO: CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA Freshman goalkeeper Nick Marrocco notched a career-high 22 goals despite allowing 17 goals in the loss to No. 5 Denver.
FILE PHOTO: CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA
Freshman goalkeeper Nick Marrocco notched a career-high 22 goals despite allowing 17 goals in the loss to No. 5 Denver.

A lack of possession and consistent pressure from a prolific Pioneer squad proved to be fatal for the No. 14 Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (6-4, 1-1 Big East) when it fell in a 19-7 contest to No. 5 Denver (7-2, 1-0 Big East) on Saturday afternoon in Denver.

The loss snapped Georgetown’s two-game winning streak against ranked opponents and dropped its conference record to .500. Denver, on the other hand, extended its perfect record against Big East opponents since it entered the conference in the 2014 season.

The Hoyas’ defense was tested by the Pioneers, who took 57 total shots, but also by the Hoyas themselves, as the team struggled to maintain offensive possession. Georgetown only won two of 30 faceoffs in the entire contest, which gave Denver significantly more time with the ball.

Graduate student midfielder Gabriel Mendola has filled the role of faceoff specialist for Georgetown this season, but after a tough and physical slate of matches over the past month, Mendola stayed on the sidelines during Georgetown’s game against No. 12 Marquette (8-1, 1-1 Big East) last Saturday.

Head Coach Kevin Warne found success in his lineup changes in the Marquette match; senior midfielder Anthony Heaton took Mendola’s spot at the faceoff X, and additional help from wing players made the transition seamless. However, the changes at the X this weekend were not enough for Georgetown, which struggled to come up with the ball.

“Their [faceoff] guy is very good,” Warne said. “Quite honestly, we didn’t have an answer for him. We had five different guys at the X. … We tried to do a bunch of different things.”

Denver freshman midfielder Trevor Baptiste was unstoppable at the X, taking 26 of the 30 faceoffs for the Pioneers and earning possession for his team on 25 of them.

FILE PHOTO: ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA Graduate student midfielder Gabriel Mendola did not fully assume his role as a faceoff specialist in the team’s loss to Denver due to an injury.
FILE PHOTO: ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA
Graduate student midfielder Gabriel Mendola did not fully assume his role as a faceoff specialist in the team’s loss to Denver due to an injury.

One of Georgetown’s two faceoff wins came immediately after the opening whistle in the first period. The Hoyas scored three quick unanswered goals to build an early lead, but it was the only time that Georgetown was ahead during the contest. A Denver rally through the end of the period put it ahead 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter proved to be as difficult for the Hoyas as the first. Denver outscored Georgetown 6-1 in the period, with sophomore attack Connor Cannizzaro and senior midfielder Erik Adamson leading the Pioneers to a 13-4 advantage at halftime. Cannizzaro and Adamson would each tally four goals by the end of the game.

Georgetown slowed Denver’s scoring momentum in the second half, but the Pioneers continued to hold the offensive advantage, outscoring the Hoyas 6-3 through the rest of the game.

Despite the loss, there were a few bright spots for the Hoyas in the contest. Georgetown continued its pattern of unselfish offensive play, as six different players found the back of the net. Sophomore midfielder Eduardo White had a team-high two goals.

Although freshman goalkeeper Nick Marrocco took the loss with 17 allowed goals, he made a career-high 22 saves in the net.

Overall, Warne recognizes that Georgetown’s struggle to possess the ball affected all areas of the game.

“We only won two faceoffs, which meant that anytime we got the ball offensively, we made a big stop defensively and were able to clear the ball,” Warne said. “[But] it’s tough to play offense when you don’t have the ball, so we just didn’t really have time to get into a groove.”

Georgetown hopes to regain its momentum when it faces Providence (4-5, 0-1 Big East) in an away game Saturday in Providence, R.I.

After the Hoyas’ recent success against ranked opponents and in the national polls, Warne is curious about how the loss will factor into their preparation for the Friars.

“We’ve got to worry about Georgetown and make sure we take care of that,” Warne said. “I’m really interested to see how our guys respond this week in practice. This is new territory for us with the ranking … but when you get punched in the mouth, you’ve got to have a response. I’m really interested to see what happens in practice.”

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