Opponent: Maryland (11-6, 1-2 ACC)
Date and Time: Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m.
The Skinny: The Terrapins make the trip across town for a rematch of last year’s thrilling overtime matchup that knocked Georgetown out of the NCAA quarterfinals.
Maryland looks like an awfully imposing team. They are ranked third in the Inside Lacrosse media poll, behind only the participants in last year’s NCAA championship, Duke and Johns Hopkins.
There is no doubt this game, even if at home, will be a tough battle for the Hoyas. Unfortunately, few students will actually get to see it – the basketball team’s final home game, against Syracuse, takes place at the same time at MCI Center. But a win here would kick off the new season in a great fashion and hopefully bring some fans out to the Multi-Sport Facility.
Opponent: Syracuse (7-6)
Date and Time: Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m.
The Skinny: Georgetown travels up to play Syracuse for a contest between two of the most storied programs in men’s lacrosse.
This is one of the biggest games of the season for the Hoyas. Syracuse is ranked No. 5 nationally, just one spot ahead of Georgetown. Though the Orange’s streak of 22 consecutive trips to the national semifinals was snapped in the first round by UMass last May, Syracuse promises to be among America’s elite in 2006.
Syracuse returns its three top scorers from a year ago – sophomore attacker Mike Leveille and senior attackers Brett Bucktooth and Brian Crockett. The onus will be on Georgetown’s stout defense to quiet these prolific scorers and help the Hoyas to an all-important victory over one of lacrosse’s perennial powers.
Opponent: Duke (17-3, 3-0 ACC)
Date and Time: Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m.
The Skinny: The Hoyas head south to Raleigh-Durham, N.C., to take on the national runner-up Blue Devils.
When looking at Duke sports, one’s natural inclination is to compare that sport to Duke basketball. In the case of lacrosse, this comparison actually works. Junior attacker Matt Danowski, in Redick-like fashion, put up 92 points last year (50 goals and 42 assists). Junior Tony McDevitt anchors the Devils’ defense, providing a nasty, physical presence like his hardwood counterpart Shelden Williams.
To keep up the basketball analogy, the Hoyas will have to rely on the Allen Iverson-like speed and elusiveness of sophomore Brendan and senior Pete Cannon, both attackers, to score on a defense that allowed less than seven goals per game last year. A road win at Duke would give Georgetown a great boost for the tail end of its schedule.
Opponent: Massachusetts (13-3, 5-1 ECAC)
Date and Time: Saturday, April 22 at 1 p.m.
The Skinny: Georgetown gets a visit from No. 9 Massachusetts, as they face a resurgent Minutemen squad.
UMass, fresh off of one of the best seasons in team history, enter the 2006 campaign with two of the nation’s best individual players. Senior attacker Sean Morris and senior defenseman Jack Reid, both first team all-Americans last year, will do everything they can to make sure that the Minutemen improve upon last season’s quarterfinal showing.
The contest with Massachusetts will not only give Georgetown a chance to knock off one of the nation’s best, but also an opportunity to exact some revenge. On Apr. 23, 2006, then-No. 9 UMass broke a 9-9 fourth quarter tie to upset No. 3 Georgetown, 13-12.
The game was not without its fair share of drama; Brendan Cannon’s potential game winner was stopped with 10 seconds left to seal the deal for the Minutemen.
Look for both teams to be highly regarded when they square off on the MSF in April.
– Compiled by Bailey Heaps and J.P. Uehlinger