The No. 12 Georgetown women’s soccer team (14-2-2, 8-1-1 Big East) was upset by Villanova (7-8-3, 5-4-1 Big East) in a shocking 1-0 loss in Pennsylvania on Friday. This was the Hoyas’ first conference loss in what was the final game of the regular season.

The Wildcats — needing a win to advance to the Big East tournament — came out of the gates strong. In the 28th minute, Villanova took the lead when senior forward Heidi Sabatura played the ball into the box and freshman midfielder Emily Damstrom rifled a shot passed redshirt freshman goalkeeper Emma Newins.

Georgetown, facing a deficit for the first time in conference play this year, was outplayed in the first half. Villanova outshot the Blue and Gray, 10-3, and registered four shots on goal.

But the game was a tale of two halves, as the Hoyas came out strong after the break, its potent offense threatening throughout the second half. Perhaps the Hoyas’ best opportunity came in the 59th minute, when sophomore forward Jessica Clinton saw her shot cleared off the line by a Villanova defender. Three minutes later, Clinton threatened again with a shot, but the Wildcats keeper was able to make the save.

The Blue and Gray continued to threaten with dangerous efforts from leading scorer and sophomore midfielder Daphne Corboz and junior forward Kailtin Brenn. Clinton led the team with a game-high and career-high seven shots, while Brenn added another five.

The Hoyas dominated the second half, outshooting the Wildcats 16-2. On the game, Georgetown held the advantage in shots (19-12) and corner kicks (11-5). But Villanova had the advantage in the only statistic that mattered — goals scored — allowing the Wildcats to walk away with the 1-0 win.

“It was a game of two halves, and credit to Villanova — they scored a very good goal in the first half,” Head Coach Dave Nolan said. “We had great goal-scoring opportunities in the second half, 12 that I thought were really good, and just couldn’t get one in.”

The loss nonwithstanding, Georgetown captured its first National Division title and secured the No. 1 seed in the National Division and a bye to the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. The Hoyas finished tied atop the National Division with Notre Dame but hold the tiebreaker, having defeated the Irish 2-0 on Oct. 12.

Despite the disappointing finish to the regular season, the Hoyas will have the opportunity to redeem themselves in postseason play. The Blue and Gray — making their 10th appearance — is 3-9-0 in the tournament’s history. Georgetown will play the winner of the Oct. 25 Villanova/DePaul game this coming Sunday.

Having already faced both Villanova and DePaul this year, that quarterfinal matchup will be a rematch no matter the outcome. The Hoyas previously defeated DePaul in a 1-0 overtime thriller on Senior Day, Oct. 14.

Regardless of the opponent, Nolan’s team will play host to that Big East Tournament contest on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. at North Kehoe Field.