With fans and team graduates packing Cooper Field to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Georgetown University women’s lacrosse program, Georgetown was unable to capitalize on offensive opportunities and fell 11-5 to No. 17 University of Denver on April 25.
Georgetown (11-5, 5-1 Big East) and the University of Denver Pioneers (13-3, 6-0 Big East) had both been perfect in conference play coming into the game, leaving the winner of the matchup to claim the Big East regular season championship and capture the No.1 seed in the conference tournament. The Pioneers bested the Hoyas in their two match-ups last spring, including a meeting in the Big East semifinals.
The Pioneers dominated early, jumping ahead with a 3-goal lead in the first six minutes. At 11:55, Denver midfielder Olivia Ripple opened the scoring off a strange bounce after catching a pass from behind the net. The Pioneers scored again at 10:34, with a shot that sailed over graduate goalkeeper Leah Warehime’s shoulder into the top of the net. Less than a minute later, Ripple scored another goal from the front to put Denver up 3-0.
Sophomore attacker Sophia Loschert put Georgetown on the board at 2:14, spinning around a defender in the middle and finding the back of the net. Pioneers attacker Caroline Keil responded late in the period with a free position goal, restoring Denver’s 3-goal lead.
Pioneers attacker Ryan Dineen scored early in the second period to give Denver a 5-1 lead. After the Hoyas failed to convert on two free position shots in the period, first-year attacker Molly Davies and junior attacker Anna McGovern scored 2 late goals, sneaking around defenders and shooting top shelf to bring Georgetown within 2 to close out the half.
Ripple opened the second half with 2 more goals. At 13:41, she scored through a crowded defense and followed with a high shot into the top of the goal at 8:37, putting the Pioneers up 7-3. Midway through the period, McGovern sniped a shot from the right side of the net to bring the Hoyas back within 3.
Once again, a Denver player scored 2 goals in a row to begin the fourth period. Pioneers attacker Eva Thomsen-Marr scored a low shot at 12:23 and then, midway through the period, Thomsen-Marr snuck into the crease and scored the second from point-blank range to give the Pioneers a 9-4 lead.
The late 5-goal deficit proved too difficult an obstacle for Georgetown to overcome. At 4:12, junior midfielder Danica Blix caught a pass from Davies in front of the net and scored. In the final minute, Pioneers midfielder Caroline Bowers and attacker Kendra Harris each tallied a goal off mid-range shots to seal the Pioneers’ 11-5 victory.
An unfortunate trend for the Hoyas was their failure to capitalize on offensive opportunities. Multiple shots missed wide, particularly in the second half, along with going scoreless on all 6 of its free position shot attempts (Denver converted on their only attempt) meant that Georgetown was unable to consistently get on the board following periods of sustained offensive pressure.
The Pioneers’ win keeps them perfect in Big East play, clinching them the regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament (BET).
The Hoyas, who are the No. 2 seed, will travel to Denver, Colo., for the BET. They will take on the University of Connecticut Huskies in the semifinals April 30. If Georgetown can replicate its 18-7 regular-season win over UConn, the Hoyas will likely earn a rematch against the No. 1 seed Pioneers in the BET final for an opportunity to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament.
