Hoya Staff Writer Friday, September 8, 2006

After being shut out by St. Joseph’s in the season opener, the Hoyas found themselves on the other end of a 3-0 game on Sept. 1 against St. Francis. After learning some valuable lessons, the Hoyas took the opportunity to put that new knowledge into practice. Georgetown (1-1) displayed a new-found defensive prowess and out-shined the Red Flash (0-3). Unlike in their season opener, the Hoyas came out determined. “The first game we came out kind of slow,” Georgetown sophomore forward Katie Lachman said. “When we came out against St. Francis we had a different attitude and mentality, we were all playing with a lot more aggression.” The team built on the momentum of its second half defensive performance against St. Joseph’s, one in which the Hoyas held their opponents scoreless. “We built on that second half performance and came into the St. Francis game with a lot of confidence,” Georgetown Head Coach Laurie Carroll said. Lachman scored the Hoyas’ first goal two minutes before half-time. But it was not only on offense that Georgetown excelled. The Hoyas flexed their defensive muscles as well, holding the Red Flash to only one shot in the first half and only three for the entire game. Georgetown senior goalkeeper Abby Winer recorded her first shutout of the season, as she thwarted three St. Francis goal attempts. She credits the shutout to her focus on each ball and the development of the plays that came her way. “I was thinking about going after each ball and play aggressively,” Winer said. “I really did not think about the shutout until after the game.” During the second half of the game, Georgetown freshman Willemijn Wijsman scored the Hoyas second goal with an assist from sophomore forward Maggie Ferrand. In the 52nd minute, Lachman sealed the Hoyas’ victory with an unassisted goal. “We had great communication and leadership during the St. Francis game,” Carroll said. A difference she noted from the team’s first game, she said. Junior midfielder Deirdre McShea agreed. “Our passing patterns were great and our communication was great during the St. Francis game,” she said. The Hoyas face off against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (0-2) in Georgetown’s home opener tomorrow at 1 p.m. on Kehoe Field. They also play Robert Morris (2-1) at noon on Sunday. The Hoyas are focusing on fundamentals during practice this week, Carroll said. “Right now we want to focus on Hoya hockey, and then in a couple of days we will work on tactics for Lehigh.” Indeed, it is that “Hoya hockey” that Carroll believes will keep Georgetown on the right track. “We are back on the Astroturf surface at our home . and we really want to take a lot more risks on our attacking end,” she said. “During the St. Josephs game we were kind of careful and did not take a lot of shots, but we really want to be risk takers.”