Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Women’s Lacrosse | GU Falls in Final Seconds to Princeton

After falling to No. 1 Maryland (3-0) Feb. 20, the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team (0-3) suffered another loss to No. 9 Princeton (3-0) Saturday in Princeton, N.J. The Hoyas lost 10-9 after overcoming a four-goal halftime deficit and outshooting the Tigers 26-24.

Freshman midfielder Francesca Whitehurst scored four goals for the Hoyas, while sophomore midfielder Georgia Tunney added two.

Whitehurst credited her teammates with helping her during the game.

“I think my teammates picked me up,” Whitehurst said. “I had a lot of fury that pushed me during the game and just played a lot stronger and came out with more energy. My team bounced off of that and pushed me harder.”

Junior attack Colleen Lovett, freshman attack Taylor Gebhardt and freshman midfielder Natalie Bulgier each scored. Junior goalkeeper Maddy Fisher started in the cage and recorded two saves on eight shots; senior goalkeeper Megan McDonald took over in the second half and recorded three saves.

Despite the loss, Head Coach Ricky Fried said he was satisfied with his team’s level of play.

“We showed a lot of heart. It would have been easy to pack up when things weren’t going well, but we showed a lot of resolve and toughness that we haven’t shown up to this point,” Fried said.

Lovett scored the first goal of the game to give the Hoyas a 1-0 advantage, but the Tigers countered by scoring five in a row, with three goals from junior midfield Olivia Hompe and two from senior midfield Anya Gersoff. Tunney ended Georgetown’s scoring drought, scoring a free-position goal with 33 seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to three goals at 5-2.

In the second half, the teams were deadlocked at 8-8 with 6:23 remaining. Hompe’s fifth goal of the game and 14th of the season pushed Princeton ahead once more at 4:07. Whitehurst responded with a free-position goal at 3:07 to knot it at 9-9 and the Georgetown won the next draw.

With 17 seconds remaining, Whitehurst fouled Gersoff on her way to the goal, giving her a free-position attempt. With 7.4 seconds left, Gersoff converted on the attempt for the game-winning goal. Junior goalie Ellie DeGarmo made 13 saves in her third straight win and got four ground balls.

“We showed up in the second half,” Whitehurst said. “We came out really strong and fast and we have the talent to play as a unit and pick each other up when things didn’t go as planned.”

Although the 10-9 decision came down to the final seconds of the game, there were a few missed possession opportunities during the game that could have given Georgetown the winning edge it needed. The Tigers were a perfect 17-for-17 on clearing while the Hoyas were 17-for-19. Additionally, Princeton had 17 ground balls compared to Georgetown’s 15.

Georgetown has not started its season 0-3 since the team’s 2011 campaign. The Hoyas will look to turn the tide Saturday, March 5 when they travel to compete against the Towson Tigers (4-0).

As the team prepares for its upcoming games, Fried emphasized the need for Georgetown to focus on playing its best game possible and putting in full effort.

“When we play the way we are able to play, we get good and positive results. When we just go through the motions, we aren’t that engaged and let the other team dictate what is happening. Then it’s a 50-50 whether or not the result is going to be positive for us,” Fried said.

Opening faceoff against Towson is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. in Towson, Md.

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