The No. 15 Georgetown University women’s soccer team (9-2-2, 5-0-0 Big East) traveled Oct. 4 to Belson Stadium to take on the St. John’s University Red Storm (2-6-4, 0-3-2 Big East) and kept their hot streak rolling with a 4-0 win.
The game kicked off at 7 pm, and it only took a minute for the Hoyas to record their first shot of the night. Senior forward Henley Tippins connected with the ball from the cross and her effort was just wide of the near post. Despite the early miss, the Hoyas had set the pace.
Two minutes later, Georgetown’s top scorer, graduate forward Maja Lardner, took a shot from outside the box, which was saved well by St. John’s keeper Kayla Bower. After two good chances missed, the Hoyas kept pushing forward and creating opportunities.
In the sixth minute, Tippins once again connected with the ball from a corner, but the Red Storm defense was able to scramble it away. The first five minutes of this game were all Georgetown, and St. John’s continued to struggle to get out of their penalty box.
Tippins controlled the top half of the pitch; she dribbled past the St. John’s players with ease, creating chances and taking good shots. Her hunger showed again in the 11th minute when she took a half-volleyed shot from a cross which just missed the top corner.
Tippins later won Georgetown a penalty in the 12th minute; she was tripped in the box and after a replay review, the Hoyas were awarded a penalty.
Tippins fired home, giving Georgetown a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
After scoring the opener, the Hoyas kicked into another gear and dominated the rest of the match.
In the 31st minute, the referee once again signaled for a video review on a possible foul as St. John’s midfielder Julia Lombardo tripped Georgetown senior forward Natalie Means. This time, Means stepped up and scored despite the keeper getting a hand to it. The Hoyas led by two.
Following the second goal, Georgetown was still putting pressure on the St. John’s defense. The Hoyas’ backline and keeper were largely given a day off.
With just five minutes left in the first half, Means got her head on the cross, but the ball smacked the crossbar, and Means was unable to convert from the rebound.
Georgetown ended the first half up by two — St. John’s was yet to record a shot in the match, while Georgetown had 19 of their own.
The Hoyas came out for the second half with a foot on the gas. In the 53rd minute, Lardner got on the end of a low cross and tapped home to make it 3-0. Lardner’s goal was her 8th of the season in 13 games.
The Hoyas were not done yet as Tippins bagged her second goal of the game in the 65th minute. The ball fell at her feet in the box and she smashed it into the bottom corner.
The half went on and the Hoyas were still creating chances and looking for more goals. The Red Storm posed a threat on the counterattack but couldn’t create a shot on goal.
St. John’s finally got their first shot recorded in the 83rd minute of the game, but it did not trouble sophomore goalkeeper Cameron Gabrielson.
Shortly after their first shot, the Red Storm created two more chances, which were both saved comfortably by the keeper.
Dave Nolan, the head coach, said he was proud of Georgetown’s composure as they entered conference play and he had the opportunity to rotate his squad.
“Tonight was another good performance by the team at a venue where we have struggled in the past,” Nolan told Georgetown Athletics.
“The most rewarding part of the evening was the opportunity to get some minutes and experience for our younger players and some who we haven’t been able to get on the field much.”
The game ended 4-0 and the Georgetown win was thoroughly deserved. The Hoyas outshot the Red Storm by 29 shots to 3. The Hoyas have had an impressive season so far and will want to continue their red-hot form as they welcome DePaul on Saturday at 5 pm on Shaw Field.