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Senior midfielder Patty Piotrowicz
It was raining goals last Saturday as the Hoyas continued their dream start to the season with a big win in the home opener against Big East rival Loyola College at the Multi-Sport Facility to improve to 2-0.
Sophomore midfielder Ashby Kaestner, sophomore attacker Molly Ford and freshman attacker Jordy Kirr combined to fuel the Hoyas in the 16-9 show, with Kaestner scoring five goals, Ford scoring four and assisting with three, and Kirr scoring two and assisting with four.
“It feels great,” said Kaestner. “The morale was up and everyone was really excited. Everything was so much more smooth today. The team played so well together. They really pushed it on transition and attack.”
The host team turned on the heat and blazed through the first 15 minutes of the game, scoring four goals. Ford partnered with Kirr to shoot the first and third goal, and assisted Kaestner for the second. O’Reilly made it 4-0 in the 15th minute after a breakaway solo run from halfway, prompting a timeout from a worried Loyola coach.
The break in the Hoyas’ momentum worked in the Greyhounds’ favor as their first goal came within seconds of resumption of play, when freshman midfielder Grace Gavin caught the Hoya defense off-guard and shot an unassisted effort into the back of the net.
Having made its first mark on the scoreboard, Loyola pressed harder toward the Hoya goal, earning a free-position shot in the 16th minute that was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Formby. Georgetown earned a free-position shot for itself moments later and converted it into a goal with 13:20 to go, credited to senior midfielder Patty Piotrowicz.
The remainder of the first period belonged to the Hoyas, as they played mostly in the Greyhound half of the field. The few times that the ball strayed into Hoya territory, the defense pounced on it and sent it right back to the midfield and attack.
Ford scored unassisted with 12:29 to go and soon made a pinpoint pass to Kirr, who caught it and blasted it to the back of the net in one skillful, fluid motion. After a goal by junior midfielder Megan Bloomer, Kirr returned Ford’s favor and assisted her to take the Hoyas to 9-1.
The Hoyas’ aggressiveness surprised the home crowd, but the scrappiness was to their advantage as it allowed them freedom in attack
“Our ride was really the biggest part of our game today,” Ford said. “I feel like this game really showed how we can play and it’ll definitely make us more confident for the next few games.”
Head Coach Ricky Fried voiced his confidence in the attack-minded play. “Part of my philosophy this year is going to be to push the ball,” he said. “We have a little bit more athleticism than we’ve had in the past. Clearly we got a lot of turnovers on the ride which makes it easier to push transition in unsettled situations. We have a lot more speed and kids who want to prove that we’re not rebuilding and we’re not retooling.”
The Hoyas were still running on the momentum of the first half when they returned after the break, their 10th goal coming in with a controversial diving shot by O’Reilly that barely trickled past the goal line and that the referee took her time to call. Bloomer and Kaestner finished off individual efforts, and the latter scored another goal with yet another assist from Kirr to take the Hoyas to 13-1.
Loyola refused to bow out quietly, scoring two goals minutes apart to cut the deficit to 14-3.
Kaestner, who had been stifled by the defense for a while, managed to thwart her markers for two quick goals less than a minute apart, with assists coming in from Piotrowicz and Ford.
The large Hoya lead, combined with mass substitutions, created an opportunity for the ‘Hounds, which they pounced upon. The last seven minutes of the game saw six Greyhound goals, one coming off a free-position shot and the other five unassisted. Abby Rehfuss was the last one to score, grabbing her hat-trick goal with three seconds left on the clock.
The last quarter of the game somewhat marred an otherwise exceptional performance by the women’s lacrosse team, exposing the vulnerability and inexperience of the young team.
“It’s disappointing that they came back,” Fried said, “but we always knew they were going to fight the whole game; they’re a Big East opponent. We had a little letdown, which I think is human nature, but we can’t afford to do that throughout the year.”
The Hoyas will have to step up their defensive and mental game as they play tougher rivals in the coming months.
“We’re going to correct that mistake, but we’re going to focus on what we did well and make sure we keep improving on those things. We did have a little bit of a letdown but at the end of the day we’re pretty satisfied with how we played,” Fried added.
The Hoyas’ next game will be against George Mason University, at home at the Multi-Sport Facility this Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
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