WOMEN’S SOCCER GU Falls To ‘Cuse, Ties Seton Hall By Eric Kim Hoya Staff Writer

Gabe Cappelli/The Hoya Freshman midfielder Nicole DePalma and the Hoyas dropped two Big East games.

In two important Big East Conference games last weekend, the Georgetown women’s soccer team emerged winless, losing an emotionally draining game to Syracuse 2-1 on Sunday and tying a weak Seton Hall team 1-1 last Friday. The draw against the Pirates dashed any hope for the Hoyas to clinch a berth in the Big East postseason tournament.

Although the team knew that it wouldn’t make the conference tournament, it came out with passion against the Orangemen. Georgetown’s defense was effective in holding Syracuse’s leading scorer, forward Nina Scalzo, scoreless in the first half.

The Hoyas opened up the scoring in the 55th minute with freshman midfielder Nicole DePalma’s third goal of the season. DePalma received a pass from junior forward Karin Ostrander and tapped the ball past Syracuse goalie Shannon Myers. Ostrander, who had missed the last five games due to torn cartilage in the knee, performed admirably through pain and got her team-leading seventh assist and 12th point of the season. She will undergo knee surgery at the end of the year.

For the next 15 minutes, the Hoyas had the edge in energy and ball control as they took advantage of their one-goal lead and broke down the Orangemen. Georgetown’s defense did a good job clearing out balls from its side of the field, limiting Syracuse from any close-range shots.

“We sucked the life out of [Syracuse] with our first goal,” Head Coach Diane Drake said.

However, Syracuse found a way out of its funk in the 71st minute. After failing to get a close shot on goal, Syracuse launched shots from far out. Scalzo, who came into the game with seven goals, booted a rocket above the diving hands of Georgetown senior goalkeeper Shereena Chang and into the top right corner of the goal.

“It was a pretty good shot and a nice bending ball from 20 to 25 yards out,” Chang said.

The Orangemen used its newfound momentum and delivered the knockout blow less than three minutes later. At the 74th minute, Scalzo cashed in on a free kick from teammate Tracy Stalker with a header that beat Chang on the left side. It was Scalzo’s second goal of the game as well as her Big East Conference-leading ninth goal.

“I’m very disappointed for the girls,” Drake said. “We battled hard and we had our chances.”

The loss brought the team’s record to 8-6-1 overall and 2-5-1 in the Big East.

Unlike Sunday’s game, Georgetown did not play strongly against Seton Hall, which came into this match-up winless in Big East play. Georgetown gave up a one-goal lead to Seton Hall in the 84th minute before ending the game in a 1-1 double overtime tie. Sophomore defender Alyssa Conlow’s third goal of the season was not enough to overcome Big East Mid-Atlantic Division’s cellar dwellers.

“We didn’t come to play against Seton Hall,” Drake said. “We’re a much better team than they are, but we were afraid to make mistakes against them.”

Coming into this game, Georgetown knew it needed a win to keep its postseason conference tournament hopes alive. After neither team could get on the board in the first half, the Hoyas broke through the stingy Pirate defense at the 50th minute. Sophomore forward Courtney Shaub found Conlow six yards out and directed a pass to her for the goal. The assist gave Shaub 10 points on the season.

Just when it looked like Georgetown would hold it together for the shutout win, Seton Hall’s Tina Huellen slipped a header past sophomore goalkeeper Alexis George for the game-tying goal. Huellen received the ball on a cross pass from teammate Frauke Dittel.

Her goal came with just five minutes and 44 seconds left in the game.

With the momentum shifted to Seton Hall’s side, Georgetown made sure to neutralize its opponent’s advantage. The Hoyas duked it out with the Pirates for the last five minutes of regulation and then two overtime periods, but they couldn’t get the elusive game-winning goal.

The Hoyas played impressively, making eight saves on the game. Seton Hall had the advantage in shots 19-12, and displayed surprising offensive punch against Georgetown. The tie improved the Pirates’ Big East Conference record to 0-5-1.

Georgetown cannot make the Big East tournament, but it can still get a bid into the Eastern College Athletic Conference postseason tournament. It plays its last two games against division nemesis West Virginia on Oct. 26. Georgetown will play the last game of the year on Halloween against their division rival Virginia Tech.

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