The Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team touched the field for the first time last Saturday in a matchup against the St. Joseph’s University Hawks in Philadelphia. After a tough loss to Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Hoyas, who are ranked No. 22 in the country heading into the 2019 season, started off on the right foot with a 12-9 road win.
The Hoyas got off to a slow start with the Hawks scoring two straight goals to begin the first half. However, the Blue and Gray received help from their underclassmen to cut the deficit. Freshman attack Ali Diamond and freshman midfielder Katie Crager scored two goals within a minute of each other to even up the score.
After the Hawks answered with two more goals, the veteran leadership of the team stepped up. Senior midfielder Francesca Whitehurst scored on a free position shot, senior attack Taylor Gebhardt scored with 7:23 left in the opening half, and senior attack Morgan Ryan capped off the half with two goals of her own to put Georgetown up 6-5 at the end of the first.
After a St. Joe’s goal to begin the second half, the Hoyas took control by rattling off five straight scores. When the Hawks scored to cut the deficit to four, again Georgetown came back with a goal from Ryan to maintain the five-goal lead with just 4:01 left on the clock. The margin proved large enough for the Hoyas to fend off the Hawks, and the Blue and Gray cruised through the final few minutes to a fairly comfortable 12-9 victory.
Head Coach Ricky Fried was pleased with his team’s performance.
“I am proud of how we competed and grew through the game and I am excited to watch this team continue to grow throughout the season,” Fried said.
The senior leadership of the team stepped up in Georgetown’s seasonal debut with Whitehurst, Gebhardt and Ryan all finishing with hat tricks. Senior goalkeeper Haelle Chomo also played well, standing tall in net with eight saves. Despite turning the ball over two more times and acquiring two fewer ground balls in comparison to the Hawks, the Hoyas managed to outshoot their opponent 33-17 and secure 12-22 draw controls. Georgetown also drew 10 more free position shots than St. Joseph’s and converted on half of them.
The women’s lacrosse team will attempt to build on their opening game success return as they prepare to make their home debut against the Towson Tigers on Cooper Field at 3 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 16.
