After battling back from a three-goal deficit, the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team notched its third Big East win by defeating the Villanova Wildcats 14-13 on Wednesday.
Sophomore midfielder Francesca Whitehurst, freshman attack Michaela Bruno and freshman midfielder Natalie Lynch each scored a hat trick in the victory. Sophomore Haelle Chomo made three saves to further the presence of Georgetown’s underclassmen.
Georgetown (5-7, 3-1 Big East) dominated Villanova (3-8, 1-3 Big East) on the stat sheet by outshooting them 29-24, pulling in 16 draw controls to Villanova’s 13, going 7-of-12 on free positions and forcing 18 turnovers.
Lynch scored the first goal of the game fewer than four minutes into the first quarter. Freshman attack Emily Ehle followed promptly with a goal at 24:28, scoring around the left side of the goal to give the Hoyas a 2-0 lead.
After Villanova scored two quick goals to tie the game, Ehle assisted sophomore attack Morgan Ryan to regain the lead at 22:10. Whitehurst then scored the first of her three goals with a free position goal.
Villanova responded with a commanding 5-0 run that included two goals from sophomore attack Jillian Swikart to bring the score to 7-4.
Whitehurst scored her second free position goal at 9:32, slowing the Wildcat’s momentum and initiating a 4-0 run. Following a Villanova turnover, junior midfielder Hannah Seibel found Lynch for a goal less than a minute later, cutting the Wildcat lead to one. Whitehurst added a third free position goal to tie the game, after which Bruno scored two consecutive goals to give the Hoyas a two-point lead. Villanova’s last-minute score brought the game to 9-8 at the half.
Georgetown looked unprepared to face a dominating Villanova presence in the initial stages of the second half, with the Wildcats scoring three unanswered goals. Bruno stopped the run with her third goal of the day.
Sophomore attack Taylor Gebhardt scored a free position goal to bring the game to even. Lynch continued her commanding performance with a goal at 13:14, giving Georgetown the lead. Villanova and Georgetown traded goals at 11:41 and 8:14, respectively, with the go-ahead score coming from junior Georgia Tunney.
Junior midfielder Hannah Seibel’s veteran experience showed with her demonstration of an unfailing ability to score in high-pressure situations. Taking a defender straight-up, Seibel’s one-on-one goal gave the Hoyas a two-goal lead with 4:52 left on the clock. With a final minute goal, Villanova looked as though they could comeback, but staunch defending from the Hoyas ensured a 14-13 victory.
“You have to give Villanova a lot of credit, they played really hard. There are still things we need to improve upon, but I was pleased that we played well enough to pull out a win,” Georgetown Head Coach Ricky Fried said in an interview with GU Hoyas.
Though the Hoyas are currently below .500, their 3-1 conference record positions them well for a spot in the Big East tournament. They will take on Vanderbilt in a non-conference matchup this Saturday. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Cooper Field.
