After an impressive Big East opener against Cincinnati, the Marquette women’s lacrosse team dropped its first conference away game to No. 19 Georgetown 12-5 Saturday in Washington D.C.
The game was a tale of two halves, as the Golden Eagles took advantage of several Georgetown mistakes to keep the score tied. For the third consecutive game, Marquette started strong before eventually falling behind 5-3 late in the half.
With 4:32 remaining in the first half, Big East Offensive Player of Week and sophomore Claire Costanza found freshman attacker Amanda Bochniak in front of the cage to make it a 5-4 game. Two minutes later, junior Nicole Gleason scored her first of two goals to level the score after 30 minutes of play. Gleason’s equalizer tied the game for the third time in the first half.
“(Costanza and Bochniak) have both stepped up as leaders when needed,” coach Meredith Black said. “They feed off each other, help each other and both lead the offense.”
The second half did not favor the Golden Eagles, as the Hoyas went on a 7-0 run to end the game. The offensive explosion from Georgetown was due largely to its 19-2 advantage in shots during that time. The home team was also perfect on clear attempts in the last 30 minutes. Georgetown held a 25-17 advantage on ground balls and a 12-7 advantage on draw controls for the game.
On defense, sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Priem stood out. Priem tied her career best with 14 saves, keeping Marquette in the game deep into the second half. The goalkeeper also won a career-high six ground balls.
“Fourteen saves against a team of (that) caliber is unbelievable,” Black said. “Her leadership in the game was really positive. I know she was keeping the team pumped up and motivated even when they went on a couple goal run.”
For the Hoyas, attacker Kelyn Freedman caused havoc for the Marquette defense. Georgetown’s leading scorer found the back of the cage six times on 10 shots. The senior was disruptive in the middle of the field, causing countless turnovers.
One of the main deciding factors was the Hoyas’ Adrianne Devine, who won five draw controls. In the two games prior, where Marquette had found success on offense, the team held an advantage on the draw.
“We’re also going to work to push their speed of play at practice to a higher level,” Black said. “When we get on the field in a tight game they are able to perform before because they’re used to it from practice.”
Marquette returns to the east coast this weekend to take on Big East foes Rutgers and Connecticut.
