Coming off a loss to James Madison University on April 8, the No. 22 Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team’s strong offensive output propelled the Hoyas past the Butler University Bulldogs.
With an 18-6 victory, their April 11 win at Varsity Field in Indianapolis continued Georgetown’s undefeated Big East record.
Both Georgetown’s (10-4, 4-0 Big East) defensive effort and impressive scoring display allowed the Hoyas to take the lead in the first quarter and break through to hold a commanding lead over Butler (3-11, 0-4 Big East) by halftime. Throughout the game, the Hoya offense showcased its explosive scoring ability. Despite the Bulldogs’ improved offensive performance in the second half, the two teams scoring the same number of goals in the third quarter, as well as Butler’s scoreless final quarter did not give them a chance to get within striking distance of the Hoyas.
Georgetown struck first, with first-year attacker Molly Davies scoring the game’s first goal just under two minutes into the game and junior attacker Lauren Steer adding another score to put the Hoyas up 2-0. However, the two teams were still competitive after the first period, with Butler scoring the last goal of the period to cut Georgetown’s lead to just 1.
In the second quarter, however, Georgetown’s offense surged. The Hoyas began to run away with the lead, outscoring the Bulldogs 7-2 and ending the quarter with a 9-3 lead. Continued scoring by Davies and Steer, as well as 2 goals by junior attacker Anne McGovern, helped the Hoyas move further ahead of Butler, while defensive efforts by graduate goalkeeper Leah Warehime put the Hoyas in position to win going into halftime.
After the break, Butler attacker Emma Palmer struck first, attempting to start a comeback effort for the Bulldogs. Georgetown quickly responded, matching Butler’s 3 goals in the third quarter while maintaining defensive pressure. McGovern added another goal, and junior midfielder Reagan Ziegler found the net for her second goal of the game. Although the Hoyas’ offense was less productive in the third quarter, the Hoyas entered the final quarter with a comfortable 12-6 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Georgetown piled on more goals, making a Butler comeback even more of a long shot. The Hoyas held the Bulldogs scoreless while tallying 6 more goals, continuing to overpower the Butler defense.
Ziegler led the charge with 2 more goals in the fourth. Sophomore midfielder Sydney Richter also contributed 2 goals, joining other players with multiple goals for Georgetown and serving as another vital part of their strong offense.
With their 18-6 victory, the Hoyas showcased their strength on both ends of the field. On the offensive side, both Ziegler and Davies had 4 goals, accounting for nearly half of Georgetown’s total scores. Defensively, Warehime played all 60 minutes in goal, recording 4 saves to help eliminate any chance Butler may have had for a comeback. First-year attacker Maia Pronti led the Hoyas with 4 assists.
Georgetown also held a significant advantage in shots, putting up 41 compared to Butler’s 15, indicative of the Hoyas’ robust defensive effort. The ground ball statistics throughout the game were closer, with Georgetown barely having an edge, winning 10 compared to Butler’s 8. However, the Hoyas played much cleaner than the Bulldogs, only having 5 total turnovers against 14, contributing to their dominant win and making up for the close ground ball numbers.
The middle two quarters were also an important stretch of the game as Georgetown outscored Butler 10-5, showcasing the Hoyas’ ability to continue playing well offensively despite a less consistent stretch of defensive play.
After their victory on Saturday, Georgetown is still at the top of the Big East. Coming off of this dominant performance, they will look to extend their streak of undefeated conference play in another road game as they take on the Villanova Wildcats (8-5, 2-2 Big East) on Saturday, April 18.
