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

MEN’S LACROSSE | GU Continues Strong Start to Season

The No. 16 Georgetown men’s lacrosse team continued its strong start to the season with a 14-11 win over Robert Morris University.

Georgetown’s (2-0) offense was led by its usual stalwarts, junior attack Jake Carraway and senior attack Daniel Bucaro, who both put up a team-high six points. Senior midfielder Lucas Wittenberg took advantage of Robert Morris’ zone defense, which gave him space to utilize his strong outside shot and put up three goals along with an assist. Junior midfielder Massimo Bucci had a career-high three points, while senior defensive midfielder Patrick Aslanian, senior attack Robert Clark and freshman attack Dylan Watson all tallied a goal each.

Aslanian was a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end as well, scooping up six ground balls and causing five turnovers, marking the highest caused turnover total for any Hoya since 2017. Sophomore goalie Owen McElroy posted 15 saves on the way to his second consecutive win and contributed an assist on Aslanian’s goal. The defensive unit was anchored by sophomore defenseman Gibson Smith, who collected a team-leading seven ground balls.

Both teams got off to a hot start in the first quarter. Robert Morris took a 3-1 lead in the game’s first five minutes, but Georgetown fought back with two straight goals. Clark put away the equalizer on a feed from Carraway, who became the 25th Hoya in history to reach the 100-point milestone with the assist. The teams then traded goals, but Robert Morris scored twice before the end of the quarter, one of which found the back of the net with just 0:01 left on the clock to give the Colonials a 6-4 lead.

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA | Freshman midfielder Zachary Geddes moves by the defender to take the ball up the field.

While the first quarter featured high-powered offenses, the second quarter showcased the team’s defensive prowess. With less than 30 seconds left in the half, McElroy stopped a shot and immediately found Aslanian for an outlet. Aslanian streaked down the field untouched, took the ball to the cage and buried a shot, bringing the Hoyas within one goal. This goal would be the only in the second quarter, and the scoreboard read 6-5 Robert Morris as the teams jogged to the locker rooms.

The teams exchanged goals throughout the third quarter, which allowed Robert Morris to hang onto its thin lead. It was Georgetown, however, that got the final word on a Bucaro goal with a little over five minutes left in the quarter. The game entered the fourth tied 9-9.

Robert Morris opened the final frame with a goal, but any hope of momentum was quashed by three straight Hoya scores, giving the home team its first lead of the game with 7:36 left in the fourth quarter.

Two simultaneous Hoya penalties followed, and the Colonials were able to score on the ensuing two-man-up situation, bringing the score to 12-11 Georgetown. However, Wittenberg found a soft spot at the top of the Robert Morris defense on the following possession, which gave him the time and room to bury a laser shot and put Georgetown up by two goals with under two minutes remaining.

Sophomore faceoff specialist Cade Heverly had a decisive win on the following faceoff, which allowed the Hoyas to run the clock down to 0:37 before Bucaro netted a final goal to put the game firmly out of reach. The Hoyas finished with a 14-11 victory.

With this win against a tough team that finished in the top 25 in last year’s national rankings, Georgetown is off to a solid start and has demonstrated that they should be able to repeat the success of last season. The Hoyas will face another tough nonconference opponent next week when they face off against Towson on Saturday, Feb. 23, on Cooper Field.

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