It was an up-and-down kind of week for Georgetown.
This past Sunday, the Hoyas proved that they are in fact human, as they suffered their first defeat of the season in a 2-1 overtime thriller against No. 22 Santa Clara. Head Coach Dave Nolan’s squad got right back to the grindstone on Wednesday, however, outlasting cross-town rival George Washington for a 1-0 victory.
After outscoring its opponents 15-0 in its first four contests, Georgetown geared up for a very talented Santa Clara team. The match set up to be a classic duel. Georgetown, a program skyrocketing toward prominence, needed this game to earn some well-deserved national recognition and possibly a spot in the top 25 of the NSCAA Coaches’ poll. Santa Clara, on the other hand, needed the victory to turn its early season around. After two consecutive losses, another defeat would have certainly put a damper on the Broncos’ season.
“They certainly didn’t need another loss,” Nolan said.
In front of the largest crowd at North Kehoe Field this season, the Hoyas demonstrated that they could do much more than hold their own against one of the nation’s better teams.
The first half saw few scoring chances for either team, although it seemed as though the Blue and Gray were in control of the match. Although the level of play was significantly more fast-paced than prior matches, Georgetown had its fair share of opportunities. The Hoyas outnumbered the Broncos in corner kicks 4-0 and were awarded multiple free kicks.
Georgetown, however, was unable to find the back of the net, and the door was open for Santa Clara to get on the board. With less than two minutes left in the half, junior forward Anessa Patton capitalized on a quick change of possession, sneaking one past junior goalkeeper Jackie DesJardin to give the Broncos a 1-0 advantage. The goal was the first Georgetown had allowed all season, ending its opponents’ scoreless streak at 503 minutes, a team record.
The level of intensity was even higher in the second half. The Hoyas showed no signs of slowing down as they continued to attack and battle for the equalizer. After a number of fantastic saves by DesJardin, Georgetown was finally able to connect on a chance of its own. In the 72nd minute, junior midfielder Amy Speck, coming off the bench, proved why she deserved to be on the field when she delivered an excellent look to graduate student forward Sara Jordan, who booted one past the keeper to tie up the score at one.
For a team that has yet to play catch up so far in 2009, the Blue and Gray showed a considerable amount of resiliency.
“It shows a lot about our attitude,” redshirt sophomore midfielder Ingrid Wells said. “We have never been there before.”
As the game remained deadlocked for the rest of regulation, the teams moved onto a sudden-death overtime period. Initially, it seemed as though the Hoyas might emerge victorious, as they had a number of chances at the beginning of the extra session. However, it was Santa Clara that scored with less than 20 seconds remaining on a rebound off of a shot that hit the right post.
“Give them credit,” Nolan said. “I thought they played very well.”
Though he wasn’t necessarily pleased with the outcome, the sixth-year head coach believes that the experience will only serve to help his team in the future.
“It puts us in that kind of pressure situation,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why I scheduled this game. It prepares you.”
Wells took a more matter-of-fact approach to the loss.
“We have to win our next two games,” she said.
Before long, Wells was able to check the first of those games off of her list.
On Wednesday, the Hoyas traveled to the campus of The George Washington University, ready to return to their winning ways. Though the game started slow, staunch Hoya defense as well as more stellar play from DesJardin prevented Georgetown from falling into another hole.
In the 40th minute, the Hoyas were able to end the dry spell. After a beautiful cross from sophomore forward Samantha Baker, senior forward Toni Marie Hudson snuck by her defender and delivered the ball into the net, giving the Blue and Gray the first lead of the contest.
Though Georgetown had multiple opportunities to extend its advantage, near misses and excellent saves prevented the Hoyas from getting some insurance. After a back-and-forth second half, they were able to return to the Hilltop with a 1-0 victory.
Up next for Georgetown is a home date with Robert Morris University at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Although this is the last game before the Hoyas begin Big East play, they cannot afford to overlook the Colonials.
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