The American University lacrosse team (0-1) fell to Georgetown (1-0) 18-13 in their Feb. 11 home opener at Reeves Field.
Georgetown’s offense took no time, taking the lead by winning the first draw control and scoring two goals in the first half of the quarter.
American fought back with junior attacker Maddy Spratt, putting the Eagles on the scoreboard, assisted by junior attacker Becca Frank. After a draw control win by senior defender Jordan Mitchell and a ground ball save by junior goalkeeper Caleigh Forti, freshman midfielder Jasmine Connor tied the game unassisted. Georgetown came back with another goal, ending the quarter up 3-2.
American came back strong in the second quarter, starting on offense. Senior midfielder Hannah Spease scored a player-up goal with an assist from junior attacker Alyssa Apuzzo, followed by a goal from sophomore midfielder Kellie Linehan, assisted again by Frank, putting the score at 4-3, Georgetown.
The second quarter was a tough back-and-forth and after American took the lead, Georgetown came back with three back-to-back goals.
Mitchell constantly put American on the offense with multiple ground ball victories, 6draw-control victories and three caused turnovers.
The second quarter ended with back-and-forth goals by American and Georgetown, putting the score at half-time, American 6, Georgetown 9.
American started the third quarter on defense but quickly switched to offense. The third quarter was tough for both teams, with Georgetown scoring first in the last 4:32 followed by an unassisted goal by Frank.
Georgetown responded with 3 goals before the end of the quarter, setting the score at 13-8, Georgetown.
Sophomore midfielder Reagan Murdoch started the fourth quarter with an unassisted goal, followed by a Georgetown goal. Spratt then won the draw control and assisted a goal made by Apuzzo.
Georgetown won the following draw control and put up three goals. American didn’t hesitate to strike back. Murdoch won a ground ball, putting American on offense. A clear attempt by American is good, and Kellie Linehan put one up for American. Murdoch struck again with another goal, and again Murdoch assisted Frank, making it American’s third goal in a row.
In the last three minutes of the game, Georgetown won a ground ball and scored one last time. American turned to the offense after Georgetown won the draw control, ending in Murdoch getting in the last goal.
“I am proud of their resilience, I am proud of them,” head coach Lindsay Teeters said. “Even when we had moments, it was 17-9, and the game seemed out of our grasp, we continued to fight back. I think that makes a big difference, I told them it makes teams great.”
“I am excited about the season, I think this game really showed how much we don’t give up,” Mitchell said. “I think it was a big game for us, and we really wanted to win, but we’re not upset that we lost, we’re just happy that we stayed positive and went 100 percent.”
The Eagles will next take on the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds in their Patriot League home opener on Friday Feb. 16 at Reeves Field.
This article was edited by Penelope Jennings, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Pritchard. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Isabelle Kravis, Liah Argiropoulos and Ariana Kavoossi.
