Since snapping its 33-game losing streak on Sept. 25 against Rutgers, the Georgetown field hockey team (1-13, 1-2 Big East) has had difficulty finding consistency.
A large part of the Hoyas’ struggles, however, can be attributed to their strength of schedule. On Friday night it did not get any easier. Syracuse, the sixth-ranked team in the nation, was waiting for the Hoyas on its home turf.
The Orange (13-1, 3-0 Big East) have proven to be a tough team to compete with on any day, and on Friday they proved to be unstoppable. Syracuse opened the game with a fury, as they outshot the Hoyas 21-0 and took a 5-0 lead into halftime.
Unfortunately for the Blue and Gray, the second half did not turn out much better. This time the Hoyas were out shot 31-3 and the Orange managed to put another five goals in the cage, making for an easy 10-0 victory. Freshman goalies Clodagh Coghlan and Briana Pereira tried to keep the game as close as possible, but the Hoyas were simply overwhelmed.
“We didn’t play our best game and momentum had a big thing to do with it,” Head Coach Tiffany Marsh said. “Once we got down, it was hard to get back in the game against such a good opponent.”
The Hoyas returned to the field in Syracuse on Saturday with a chance to redeem themselves against a very tough Dartmouth opponent. The Big Green (6-6) came into the match after winning four of its previous five games and was looking to ride that momentum.
After the first 23 minutes, Dartmouth held a 4-0 lead and it seemed as if the Hoyas were once again going to be run off the field by a superior opponent.
“We came out slow and needed to make a few adjustments,” Marsh said of her team’s play in the first few minutes of the game.
After the fourth goal against Coghlan, Pereira entered the game and immediately halted the Dartmouth attack. Freshman Annie Wilson scored off a corner a few minutes before halftime to make the score 4-1 going into halftime.
The second half was very evenly played, but the Hoyas were able to capitalize on the opportunities and with 10 minutes to play they tied the game at four. Senior captain Kristen Volpe assisted on the first three goals and scored the final goal to tie the game. Freshman Katy Wingo and junior Micaela O’Toole also scored for Georgetown.
The final 10 minutes provided many anxious moments, and Dartmouth ultimately scored the game winner with four minutes to play. Despite coming out on the wrong end of a one-goal match, the Hoyas’ comeback was a positive for Marsh to draw on.
“We dug deep and I am very proud of the [team],” she said. “Four goals is not easy to come back from, and I was so pleased with the way we continued to fight.”
Dartmouth ended the game with a 23-14 advantage in shots and Pereira made eight saves in the loss.
Upon returning from their weekend slate of games at Syracuse, Georgetown looked to use whatever momentum it gained from the final 40 minutes of the Dartmouth game in its Wednesday matchup against Towson (4-9). The Hoyas departed for what they thought would be an easy trip to Baltimore, but their bus ran into heavy traffic and did not arrive at the field until 10 minutes prior to game time. Those logistical problems contributed to a slow start.
“We came out sluggish and did not play well in the first half,” Marsh said.
Towson opened a 5-1 lead at halftime, but Georgetown once again put together an encouraging final period.
Georgetown outshot Towson 7-5 in the second half, but it was too little, too late as the Tigers finished off the game with a 6-2 victory. Freshman Charlotte Tierney scored her first collegiate goal in the loss.
“The second half was much better, and I hope we can carry that into our matchup against Villanova on Friday,” Marsh said.
The Hoyas have a conference battle today as they take on Villanova. The game will be played at 3 p.m. on the campus of American University.”
