Losing streaks, like old habits, are hard to break, as Georgetown has discovered this season.
The heartbroken Hoyas returned home on Sunday from Easton, Pa. after a tiring 100-plus minute game, on the back of their ninth loss in row, their fourth in overtime this season.
Georgetown (2-12) managed to hold Lafayette (5-9) at 2-2 until the end of regulation time and two overtime periods, but succumbed in the penalty shootout, losing 3-2.
“Despite the loss, we played really well yesterday,” Interim Head Coach Tiffany Marsh said. “It was a lot of hockey to play on a given day, over 100 minutes, and they handled it really well. But we just got unlucky with the penalty strokes.”
After a miss from each team to start strokes, Lafayette’s Fabian was the first to put one in the back of the net to put the shootout 1-0 in the Leopard’s favor. She was followed by Georgetown freshman forward Micaela O’Toole whose shot was blocked by freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Andersen. Lafayette’s junior midfielder Amanda Saber was the next to score, followed by Georgetown’s Lachman. The Leopards’ sophomore forward Alison Schoch was the next to convert her shot from the spot, as was the Hoyas’ Moramarco, taking take the penalty stroke tally to 3-2 in favor of Lafayette.
In the final frame and hanging on to the lead, the Leopards’ sophomore defender Meghan Cloonan miss-hit her shot, giving the Hoyas hope for an equalizer. The Hoyas’ sophomore midfielder Chelsea Aiken attempted the shot, but Leopards’ keeper Anderson pulled off a crucial save to earn the Leopards a shootout victory.
“It was a very tough pressure situation for the girls,” Marsh said. “Mentally, it was hard, but they did a good job. I think Deirdre [Crovo] handled herself pretty well too, she was so close to saving one of the strokes, and that would have made a huge difference for us.”
It was the Hoyas who made their mark on the scoreboard first, thanks to a solo effort by sophomore forward Lindsay Moramarco, who put the ball in the back of the net in the 14th minute. With just over 10 minutes left in the first half, the Leopards’ senior forward Laura Fabian equalized the score with an unassisted goal of her own.
Both teams went into halftime statistically neck-and-neck: Georgetown took four shots at goal, blocked one attempt and conceded one goal, while Lafayette took five shots, didn’t have to save any and also conceded one goal.
Lafayette returned from the halftime break with renewed energy, and just three minutes into the second period, sophomore forward Caitlin Titus laid the ball neatly for junior midfielder Maggie Condon, who knocked it in for a 2-1 lead.
The Leopards put in a strong defensive performance for the next 20 minutes of the second half and prevented the Hoyas from creating many opportunities on goal despite their best efforts. Just as things were starting to look bleak for the Blue and Gray, junior midfielder Katie Lachman blasted an unassisted shot in the back of the net for the 2-2 equalizer.
The next hour of play kept those in the crowd at the edge of their seats, as the rest of regulation as well as two overtime periods passed by with excitement but no goals on either side. “A couple of the girls got back after the game talking about the chances they had to score,” Marsh said. “The team really knows that our chances are there, and we’re working hard to create the chances. It’s the finishing that we need to work on.”
Even though Georgetown suffered yet another defeat in their long chain of losses, Sunday’s match was one of the better ones played by the team, with a marked improvement on offense as well as defense. “I’m feeling really good about the next game,” Marsh said. “We’ve made some huge strides, and we’re going in the right direction as each week passes.”
Georgetown travels to Louisville, Ky., to face Stanford on Saturday and Big East rival Louisville on Sunday.
