Lady Hens inconsistent, fall to Georgetown’s shooting sprees

While fans bundled in their winter gear braving the frigid temperatures and the snow-filled gloomy gray skies, the Delaware women’s lacrosse team debuted in its season opener against the Georgetown University on Saturday.

In a back-and-forth match that ended in favor of the Hoyas, 16-12, the Hens’ goals kept coming until the last 39 seconds of the game when sophomore midfielder Caitlin McCartney added her fourth and fifth goals of the game as she, junior attacker Chelsea Fay and the rest of the Hens tried to scramble back late in the game at Delaware Stadium.

“We started winning the draw,” McCartney said. “Me and Chelsea were just trying to do whatever we could in order to score.”
Delaware found it difficult to overcome the Georgetown’s 6-0 scoring spree during the second half, according to head coach Kateri Linville. Down just 9-8 with 25 minutes left to play after Fay’s second goal, the Hoyas dominated the next 21 minutes scoring six goals and only allowing four shots.

Even a timeout by Linville couldn’t halt Georgetown’s momentum and an array of Lady Hoyas repeatedly beat sophomore goalkeeper Alex Zaugra. Linville said the spree was due to the early season inconsistency.

“In terms of competing from start to finish, we weren’t able to do that, and that’s what cost us—especially in the second half when they went on that shooting [streak],” Linville said.

Georgetown proved its No. 15 ranking much earlier than the spree by winning the opening face off and heading down the field to encircle the Hens’ net. Ultimately, Georgetown’s Courtney Caputo scored the first goal of the game within the first 2 minutes of the game.

Following the first goal, Delaware retaliated with some action of its own as possession bounced back and forth between the Hens and the Hoyas, with each team scoring two goals.

Once the Hoyas gained a two-goal lead around the 14-minute mark, the Hens found it difficult to regain their momentum during the rest of the first half, repeatedly trailing by one goal or more.

As the frame closed, the Hens found themselves three goals behind with the score at 9-6.

Although it appeared as though Delaware attempted a comeback after scoring two goals in the first 5 minutes of the second half, this was shortlived by Georgetown’s dominating run.

Fay said she and her teammates can improve upon their performance, and she and McCartney agreed the Hens want to focus on the little things, such as executing their plays and causing more turnovers.

“Obviously, we didn’t come out with a win so we still have stuff to work on, but we take it as a learning experience,” Fay said. “We just have to work that much harder to get that much better.”

Looking toward the future, the team will not let the loss affect morale, Linville said.

“From a big picture, I’m happy to see my team compete,” she said. “If we want to get to the next level, we have to execute and take care of the ball better.”