Georgetown Head Coach Dave Nolan knew there would not be much margin for error Friday against Villanova, since one goal would probably determine the game.
Unfortunately for the Hoyas, Villanova found the back of the net first en route to a 1-0 victory on Friday afternoon on North Kehoe Field.
“We knew coming in it was going to be about who scored first,” Nolan said. “It was going to be a 1-0 type of game. We blinked first and paid the price for it.”
It was the Big East opener for both teams, and the game at times resembled a rugby match as much as it did a soccer game.
“That’s our conference,” Villanova Head Coach Ann Clifton said. “Every game is a battle. There are 16 teams and so much pride on the field.”
Georgetown entered the game averaging over two goals per game, but was faced with its toughest challenge yet in the Villanova (6-0-2, 1-0-0 Big East) defense led by senior all-American goalkeeper Jillian Loyden. Loyden’s recorded her 30th shutout, breaking the Villanova record.
The first half began with Georgetown (7-2-0, 0-1-0 Big East) on the attack, holding the ball in Villanova territory, but the Hoyas were unable to convert on their chances and could only manage three shots. The Villanova defense pressured the ball all game, and did a good job of disrupting passing and shooting lanes.
“There were certain opportunities where we could have taken an extra pass in order to get a better serve off, or where we could have taken a little more composure in order to make a better decision,” Nolan said.
The end of the half saw Villanova go on the offensive attack. The Wildcats put together several scoring opportunities, and took three of their seven corner kicks in the final three minutes of the half.
The second half began much like the first ended, with the Hoyas attacking the Villanova defense. In the 55th minute freshman midfielder Ingrid Wells nearly gave Georgetown the lead.
Wells, who has three goals this season, dribbled from right to left outside of the penalty area and saw that Loyden had moved forward from the goal. With a clear look at the goal, Wells lofted a shot in the air in an attempt to catch the goalie off guard. Loyden, the seasoned veteran, reacted perfectly to the shot and jumped, tipping the ball over the net.
“Going into the game everyone said, `You have to shoot low,’ but that was the only shot I could get,” Wells said. “I feel like if it was any other goalie then it would have been a goal.”
In the 70th minute Villanova went on the attack. After denying the Hoyas’ free kick, the Wildcats drove down the field and looked to have a scoring chance until freshman goalkeeper Jackie DesJardin cleared the ball out of bounds. On the throw-in, Villanova’s offensive leader, senior forward Nikki Mabery sent a header towards the net, but DesJardin made a sliding stop to push the ball out of bounds and set up a corner kick.
Villanova senior defender Kayce Blandford sent a skidding corner kick into a crowd near the left side of the net. Sophomore defender Kelly Eagan found the ball in the scrum of bodies and slipped it past DesJardin to give Villanova the 1-0 lead.
Georgetown continued to pressure the Villanova defense with sophomore forward Toni Marie Hudson and senior forward Sara Jordan providing most of the chances for the Hoyas. Each player had two shots on goal in the game.
While Villanova created many scoring opportunities off of corners, the Hoyas were unable to take advantage of theirs. They took four of their seven corner kicks in the second half, but most of them fell harmlessly behind the net.
“We’re typically very dangerous on set pieces,” Nolan said of his team’s struggles from the corner. “We tried to change something today because their goalkeeper is very good. I asked our corner kickers to focus on driving the ball to the near post, which is a harder ball to play, than just necessarily putting it into the mixer. Unfortunately, trying to get that little bit of perfection didn’t work out today.”
Georgetown had one last opportunity in the final minute of play when the team had a corner kick that was denied, but Villanova’s clear was intercepted, and with 15 seconds remaining Jordan received a pass near the net. With little time left and a defender right on her, her shot flew high.
Nolan was disappointed in the result, but proud of the way the game was played.
“I thought all the girls played really hard and brought it,” the fourth-year coach said. “You have to think that we have 10 more of these 1-0 games in front of us, and hopefully at least half of those are going to be in our favor.”
Georgetown’s next game is Friday at noon against Seton Hall on North Kehoe Field.