The Georgetown field hockey team (2-0) marked a strong start to its season with a 1-0 win against Davidson (0-1) Friday, Aug. 24 and a 2-0 win over Appalachian State (1-1) last Sunday.

In the away contest at Davidson, the Hoyas scored a first-half goal and held on to the lead for the remainder of the game.

Freshman back Sydney Stephenson scored her first goal at the collegiate level — and the first goal of Georgetown’s 2018 season — off a pass in the corner from sophomore midfielder Jax van der Veen.

After the Hoyas took the lead just five minutes into the game, the Wildcats responded with strong attacking play, launching four shots in the first half, including two penalty corners and a further shot on goal. Georgetown’s defense remained stout, however, and did not relinquish its one-goal advantage.

Davidson continued its attack in the second half, earning an early penalty corner and a shot. Georgetown freshman goalkeeper Ciara Weets kept her team in the lead, making five saves in the game, four of which came in the second half.

“Ciara had such a huge presence for us in the back and showed great maturity in the cage today,” Georgetown Head Coach Christy Longacre said.

This marks the third consecutive season in which Georgetown has opened with a win over Davidson. After the victory, the Hoyas travelled to Boone, N.C., to face the Appalachian State Mountaineers.

Van der Veen opened the scoring with a goal off an assist from senior forward Helena Masiello. Georgetown continued its strong play by creating several quality shots, including one from Masiello that hit the post. Eight minutes later, Masiello earned a goal assisted by freshman midfielder Halle Gill to make the score 2-0.

“It was nice to finish our first weekend strong on the road. We had two really great team goals today and never stopped playing the entire 70 minutes,” Longacre said. We still have a lot to work on going forward into out next weekend of play, but there was a lot to take away from both games this weekend.”

The team looks to improve on last season’s 9-10 record, with a 1-6 record in the Big East. Georgetown returns to Cooper Field for a 1 p.m. home match against Sacred Heart (2-0) on Friday.