It was favorite Duke and underdog Georgetown. One team went way ahead at halftime. The other clawed their way back into the game during the second stanza, only to be thwarted, ultimately, in their comeback attempt. It was deja vu all over again.
Unfortunately for Georgetown women’s lacrosse, however, it was the No. 2 Blue Devils (7-0) that, unlike in the Jan. 21 men’s basketball game, went ahead at the break and the then-No. 9 Hoyas (4-1) that were unable to fully make up the deficit.
Saturday, at Durham, N.C., the underdog Georgetown squad made a valiant effort at a comeback, but fell short at the end as they were defeated, 10-8, by a tough Duke squad. Though the Hoyas drew first blood, the undefeated Blue Devils were too dominant in the first half for a young Georgetown team to make up a five-goal halftime deficit.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Head Coach Ricky Fried said. “We came out flat and they are a very good team. We were very reactive.”
Just 2:02 into the contest, senior midfielder Paige Andrews scored the game’s first goal on an unassisted try to give Georgetown its one and only lead. The advantage lasted only 2:23, when at the 4:35 mark, Duke’s junior attacker Kristen Waagbo scored an unassisted goal of her own, one of three first-half scores. Duke needed just 27 seconds to add another score, as junior attacker Leigh Jester gave Duke the go-ahead goal.
The Duke onslaught did not let up, either. Waagbo scored again just minutes later, and after Georgetown’s senior defender Stephanie Zodtner pulled the Hoyas to within 3-2, the Blue Devils reeled off a 6-2 run to finish the first half. Waagbo added two assists to her three goals, and Duke did its damage with just one goal coming from their Tewaarton Trophy winner, senior attacker Katie Chrest. When all was said and done, the Blue Devils went into the break leading 9-4.
“We had opportunities and we simply didn’t convert,” Fried said.
The second half was different, but Georgetown’s 4-1 run was simply not enough. Junior attacker Coco Stanwick – Georgetown’s version of Chrest – scored twice, and senior midfielder Lucky Poole and freshman midfielder Courtney Hubschman each added a goal as Georgetown attempted the comeback against one of the nation’s best.
The last Hoya goal – Hubschman’s – came with 10:22 remaining, after which the Blue Devils’ defense buckled down and held the Georgetown attack in check. Duke’s freshman midfielder Carolyn Davis scored on a free position shot with 5:25 to go to give the Blue Devils some added insurance.
“The second half we played well together,” Fried said. “We competed for an entire half and had a couple of chances to tie, but came up a bit short.”
Stanwick and Poole both finished the afternoon with two goals for Georgetown, and Stanwick added the Hoyas’ lone assist. She also had eight draw controls, one more than the entire Duke team.
On the defensive end, junior goalie Maggie Koch delivered a deceptively strong performance. Despite the 10 goals allowed, she tallied 11 saves, many of them on shots that looked destined for the back of the net. Poole and junior defender Laura Cipro each recovered two ground balls.
Indeed, Fried pointed to his first-year starter as one of the reasons for the strong second half.
“Maggie was very good in the second half,” he said. “And the captains did a great job of keeping the team together. The team really stayed together.”
Despite the relative lack of production from Stanwick, who is by far the Hoyas’ leading scorer, Fried was upbeat about the team’s offensive performance.
“It’s not about [Coco’s] offensive output,” Fried said. “She’s done a good job of staying in the flow of the offense. We’ve been fortunate to have strong performances from [junior attacker] Sara Zorzi and Poole.”
Next on tap for the Hoyas is one of lacrosse’s traditional powerhouses, No. 4 Princeton. The Tigers come into the game 2-2, with their two losses coming at the hands of Johns Hopkins and No. 2 Duke. Most recently, however, Princeton dismantled No. 14 Penn State, 17-9. The Tigers are a decidedly balanced team, as they boast five women with between eight and 13 points.
Duke game aside, Princeton should be Georgetown’s toughest test to date.
“We have to come out with a high energy level and focus,” Fried said. “We need to control the tempo and possession, and execute when we are on offense.”
Georgetown and Princeton are set to do battle at the Multi-Sport Facility at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.