It all comes down to focus.
With wins over then-No. 4 Virginia, then-No. 5 North Carolina and then-No. 7 Maryland, there is no question that Georgetown can compete with the best. But also, as evidence by a loss to then-No. 15 Boston University and a close game against unranked Connecticut, without the proper focus and intensity, Georgetown is just as capable of losing on any given day.
Wednesday, the No. 3 Hoyas (11-3, 4-0 Big East) once again showed what could happen without the proper mindset as they fell 7-6 in overtime to No. 16 James Madison (12-4, 6-1 CAA). For Georgetown, it was their second overtime loss of the season – it has lost its other two games by a total of three goals – while for JMU it was their second straight overtime win.
“I have to give James Madison a lot of credit,” Georgetown Head Coach Ricky Fried said. “They competed the whole time, but we were a little complacent at times and didn’t consistently have the focus we needed.”
“[Today] just solidified that when we play we play our best, we can play with all other teams. This was just our best defensive effort of the year,” James Madison Head Coach Kellie Young said.
Young’s team wasted no time taking it to the Georgetown defense. Much of the first half, especially the first ten minutes of the game, was spent by the Dukes peppering the Hoyas’ defense and taking shots on junior goalie Maggie Koch.
“They came out a lot more intense than we did and surprised us a bit,” Koch said. Luckily for the Hoyas, Koch was as steady as ever in the net, making 10 of her 13 saves in the first half.
“[Leading scorer] Kelly [Berger, a junior midfielder] got a lot of god looks,” Young said. “But [Koch] made some great saves. She had a great game; she saw things quick and had quick hands.”
“Maggie played great,” junior attacker Coco Stanwick said. “She was the only reason we were in the game in the first half.”
JMU got on the board with 13:17 to go in the first half with a goal by junior midfielder Lynlea Cronin, and while it seemed as though Koch and the Georgetown defense would hold the Dukes to just a single first half goal, Cronin was not satisfied. She found the back of the net for her second of five goals with just five ticks left on the clock to knot the game at two heading into intermission.
“It was really turnovers and a lack of focus,” Fried said of his team’s offensive problems. “It wasn’t really anything they were doing . They wanted it a lot more than we did, though.”
Cronin needed just 2:15 into the second to get back into the groove as she tallied a third unassisted goal to start the half’s scoring. The Hoyas fought back quickly, however, as Stanwick, freshman midfielder Jordan Trautman, and Andrews scored four of the games next five goals. With 8:44 remaining, Georgetown was staked to a 6-4 lead.
Cue Cronin. The game’s brightest star scored the game’s next goal, two minutes later to bring the Dukes to within one. Then, with 4:59 to go in regulation, sophomore midfielder Julie Stone scored an unassisted goal to tie the game, and ultimately, send the contest into overtime.
“We are so excited for [Lynlea],” Young said. “We are so proud of the way she finished and the confidence she showed.She is the kind of kid that goes out there and gets the job done and says `What’s next?'”
“We got complacent,” Stanwick said. “They are an aggressive and athletic team and they made the most of their opportunities and fought back.”
The Hoyas won the opening draw in the extra frame but a turnover – as they did all day – doomed Georgetown as JMU took over possession. With just thirteen ticks left on the clock, freshman midfielder Kim Griffin got a chance to steal the show for the Dukes, and made good on the opportunity, scoring the winner on a pass from senior attacker Brooke McKenzie.
From start to finish, the Hoyas were doomed by turnovers. They committed 13 in the first half, five in the second, and two in overtime, while the Dukes made just 10 total. Making things worse was that whenever Georgetown made a bad pass or dropped a catch, James Madison was usually right there to pick the ball up. The Dukes came up with 27 ground balls, while the Hoyas managed just 14.
“The hustle and effort were good as usual,” Koch said of her team’s sloppiness with the ball. “But we made some mistakes with things that usually never happen, like a lack of communication.”
Stanwick, now the single-season draw controls leader at Georgetown, had seven more Wednesday to help the Hoyas to a 12-5 advantage on the draw. Still though, with the way Georgetown turned the ball over, its advantage on the draw was not enough.
“Georgetown crushed us [on draw controls],” Young said. “[Stanwick] is exceptional at that. [Cronin] took the bulk of our draws but we knew going in that the defense would have to have a great game. And they did.”
If there is a silver lining for the Hoyas it is that yet another close game is just more preparation for the postseason.
“It definitely can’t hurt us,” Fried said of the extra experience in close games. “Part of yesterday, part of the loss, was that we were a bit too relaxed and we needed more focus, more of a sense of urgency.”
The next chance for Georgetown to demonstrate that extra focus will be tomorrow against league rival Loyola (7-7, 3-1). The Greyhounds need the win to make the postseason, so the Hoyas can be sure that their opponents will be up to the challenge.
“Loyola needs this,” Stanwick said. “Loyola needs it to get into the playoffs. It is do or die for them. It is a huge game.”
But, as Fried was quick to point out, it is a huge game for Georgetown too. “We are treating this as a preliminary playoff game; it will help determine our seeding. [The Greyhounds] are very athletic and very physical.”
In addition to a stiff league challenger, Saturday’s affair marks Senior Day when Georgetown will honor its bumper crop of four seniors, all of whom start.
“We couldn’t ask for better leadership,” Stanwick said of the seniors. “They work really hard on and off the field and they make us work really hard.”
The final regular season home game for the class of 2006 is set to start at 1 p.m. on the Multi-Sport Facility.
