Although its overall play this season may not reflect it, the Georgetown field hockey team has begun another season of disappointment. Although the Hoyas (0-7) have done many things well this year – they have played great defense, received timely goalkeeping and scored goals at crucial times – they have not been able to put it all together to play a complete game.

There have been many flashes of hope, but in the end, Georgetown has experienced the same result. In the Hoyas’ seven losses this season, five have been by one goal and two of those were decided in overtime.

The latest disappointment came in Sunday’s matchup against Robert Morris (1-4), as the Hoyas played perhaps their best game of the year but fell once again in a 2-1 heartbreaker. They outshot the Colonials 16-9 and amassed 16 corners while Robert Morris could only manage two. Unfortunately for the Hoyas, in goal for the Colonials was junior Stephanie Seeley. Last week Seeley set an NCAA record with 24 saves against Ohio, and she played up to that level again on Sunday. Despite the huge advantage in both shots and corners, the Georgetown offense could not solve the puzzle in the Colonials’ net.

In a tightly contested first half, the Hoyas barraged their opponents with crisp passing and powerful shots. Despite their dominating play, however, they could not find the back of the cage due to several outstanding saves from Seeley and one controversial officiating decision.

idway through the first half, the Hoyas thought they had opened the scoring following one of their 16 corners. The ball came out to the top of the circle, and freshman Laura Thistle ripped a shot into the corner of the cage. The shot, which would have been Laura’s first collegiate goal, was called off by the officials because the ball had hit the foot of another Georgetown player prior to the shot. The questionable call erased the Hoyas’ 1-0 lead and sent the teams into halftime deadlocked at zero apiece.

The breakthrough goal would not come until the game’s final nine minutes when Robert Morris sophomore forward Chantele Crow put the Colonials out in front with an unassisted goal. Four minutes later, junior defender Annika Bannon found senior forward Kristen Volpe off the Hoyas’ 16th corner of the game, and Volpe finished from 10 feet out, sending the game into overtime.

Less than two minutes into the extra period, Crow notched her second goal of the game, again unassisted, to give Robert Morris the 2-1 overtime victory and continue Georgetown’s losing run.

The Hoyas look to put their early season struggles behind them as they open Big East play this coming weekend as they take on Rutgers (0-8) in Piscataway, N.J. It should be a tightly contested game, and will give the Hoyas a chance to turn their season around. “