WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Villanova Wildcats (10-4) took on the Georgetown Hoyas (6-8) today at Cooper Field, defeating the Hoyas 13-12 in a tough rally for their second conference win this season. Sydney Pappas led the team with four goals followed by Caroline Curnal who had a hat trick. Sami Carey, Cara Moreau, and Kayla Gulmi all had three points from a combination of goals and assists. Goalie Olivia Conquest totaled 15 saves in her first game back since being injured.
The game kicked off with a draw control from Villanova's Maddy Stoddard. With 45 seconds into the game, Curnal ripped a free-position shot past goalie Emily Gaven and gave the Wildcats their first lead. Tatum Geist responded for the Hoyas by scoring a goal three minutes later. Free-postion goals were popular today as Gulmi took Curnal's lead and pushed one past Gaven. Hoya Katie Goldsmith wanted a free-position goal for herself as she ripped one past Conquest. Shortly after, senior caption Cara Moreau scored a man-up goal in the circle off a Sami Carey assist. This lead didn't last long as Georgetown's Erin Bakes tied it up for the Hoyas. Another Villanova foul led to another free-position shot and Kylie Hazen buried it for the Hoyas. The score going into the second quarter was Villanova 3, Georgetown 4.
Moreau began the second quarter for the Wildcats with her second goal of the game. This created a strong momentum for the 'Cats as Pappas scored her first two goals of the game less than two minutes later, giving the Wildcats a two point lead. Thanks to Isabella Francati, the Wildcats had a three goal lead until Hazen scored with fifteen seconds left in the half. The score going into halftime was Villanova 7, Georgetown 5.
The second half started with big plays for the Hoyas. Geist and Goldsmith scored, tying the game at sevens. Villanova's Addie Fischer responded to this Hoya momentum by scoring one for herself. This lead only lasted 50 seconds as Emma Gebhardt scored a free-position goal. This was shortly followed by an outstanding two minutes for Curnal as she scored two back-to-back goals. Despite scoring a couple crucial goals, the Hoyas had the last goal of the quarter from Bakes. The score going into the final quarter was Villanova 10, Georgetown 9.
The last quarter began with a goal from Maley Starr to tie it up for the Hoyas at 10. To keep up with the rally spirit, Pappas scored her third of the game right before Lily Tardif scored her first. Four minutes later Pappas scored her fourth goal to bring the Wildcats up to a one goal lead with six minutes to spare in the game. Francati then scored a security goal for the Wildcats, and luckily so, because Geist scored her fourth goal of the game with one minute left. It was not enough to overcome the Wildcats' effort today! The final score was Villanova 13, Georgetown 12.
For more of the Wildcats, tune in Wednesday, April 19th, as they take on the Xavier Musketeers in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Notes: Today marked the Wildcats' first ever win against the Hoyas...Gulmi leads the team in assists with 25 followed by Carey with 24...Curnal has 130 draws so far this season which is the all time season record...Mary Kate Conniff leads the team with 18 caused turnovers.
