Heading into overtime against Loyola (Md.) (5-3) on Saturday, having battled back with two goals in the final 1:27 of regulation to miraculously tie the game, it seemed as if the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team could do no wrong. But with 30 seconds left in an overtime period that had seen the Hoyas dominate possession, Loyola found the back of the net to put themselves up for good, 15-14, dropping the Blue and Gray to 4-4 (1-1 Big East) on the season.

“At the end of the day, in overtime, we didn’t do the things that we wanted to do, and that really hurt us,” Georgetown Head Coach Ricky Fried said. “[We had] too many unforced turnovers, too many bad decisions on the defensive end of the field, and poor decisions shooting. And when you make those decisions, and you play that way against a quality opponent, the result kind of speaks for itself.”

Saturday’s contest featured 11 lead changes, and neither team led by more than two goals at any time. Loyola was eventually able to build a two-goal lead with three minutes remaining after a free-position strike, but Georgetown wasn’t ready to give up. A goal from junior attack Dina Jackson cut the lead to one, and junior midfielder Sophia Thomas provided the equalizer with 25 ticks left.

“The thing about our team is we never stop playing until the whistle [blows],” senior co-captain Kelly Barnes said. “We have a lot of pride for the entire time that we’re on the field.”

Unfortunately for the Hoyas, their late heroic push would prove to fall short.

The game was a sharp deviant from Georgetown’s last two games, both of which were lower-scoring affairs that paid off with big upset victories.

Shootouts don’t appear to play to Georgetown’s strengths, as the Blue and Gray have yet to win a game this season in which the opposing team has reached double digits in scoring.

“I thought we actually did a pretty good job [of] on-ball [defending],” Fried said. “But off-ball is right now our Achilles heel, and [we’re] giving up too many easy opportunities inside the eight, which is one thing that we had corrected [in past games].”

With around eight minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore goalie Barb Black was removed in favor of junior backup — and national-anthem singer — Abby Bisbee, but two quick Loyola goals sent Black back into the game. Validating the coaches’ decision, the sophomore responded with some clutch saves to help keep the Hoyas alive.

“Barb stepped up huge, which was awesome, but just not enough stops [defensively, in the end],” Barnes said.

The game could have been billed as a Battle of the Thomases, as junior midfielder Sophia Thomas scored four goals for Georgetown while Annie and Sydney Thomas provided the bulk of the offense for the Greyhounds.

However, labeling it as such would be a serious disservice to GU freshman attacker Caroline Tarzian, who tallied four crucial goals. In doing so, she vaulted Jackson to move into second place in points scored, with 19 thus far this season.

The loss is sure to sting for the Hoyas, who now have second-ranked Syracuse to worry about in conference play. Still, though, Fried noted that with the top four teams in the Big East making the conference tournament, Georgetown is still in control of its own destiny regarding the NCAA tournament.

“I think if our season so far shows us anything, [it’s] that we can bounce back pretty easily. [At] the beginning of the season, we lost some games we should have won and came back and beat UNC,” Barnes said. “We have our heads up high, and there’s no doubt in our minds that we’re going to come out for the next game.”

The next match will take place tonight, as the team will take on local foe American. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.