Washington, D.C. - The No. 3 ranked Georgetown University women's lacrosse team edged visiting Loyola, 9-8 in overtime Saturday at the Multi-Sport Field to win their sixth straight BIG EAST title. Georgetown extended their BIG EAST winning streak to 34 consecutive games. The Hoyas improve to 12-3 overall, 5-0 in the BIG EAST. The back-and-forth game was tied, 7-7 near the end of regulation. Loyola held possession of the ball for three-plus minutes winding the game clock all the way down to 5.8 seconds when Kate McHarg scored the go-ahead goal after taking a pass from Talia Shacklock for an 8-7 Greyhound lead. Loyola committed a violation on the ensuing draw control giving the ball to Georgetown with 4.8 ticks left. Junior Coco Stanwick (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep) threw a perfect pass from midfield to Stephanie Zodtner (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga) who was standing 20-plus yards from the goal. Zodtner raced upfield and ripped the game-tying goal past the feet of the LC goaltender an instant ahead of the final buzzer, sending the Hoya faithful into a frenzy. Neither team scored in the first three-minute overtime session. In the second three-minute OT stanza, Georgetown controlled the tempo. The Hoyas worked the ball around the offensive end setting up the game's final score. Junior Sara Zorzi (Timonium, Md./Roland Park Country School) started behind the net and came around the right side of the cage and fed senior Paige Andrews (Newtown, Square, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) who slipped the game-winner into the net. Stanwick finished with a game-high four goals to go along with an assist and three draw controls. Andrews finished with her sixth two-goal game of the season. Schuyler Sutton (Annapolis, Md./Severn School), Zodtner and sophomore Patty Piotrowicz (Plymouth Whitemarsh, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) all tallied goals for the Hoyas. GU goaltender Maggie Koch (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside) made nine saves for the Hoyas, who trailed for just the third time this season at halftime, 4-2. Zodtner caused four turnovers while junior Laura Cipro (Ellicott City, Md./Mt Hebron) forced two turnovers. Prior to the game, Georgetown's senior class of Andrews, Lucy Poole (Lutherville, Md./Towson), Kristin Smith (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) and Zodtner were recognized for their accomplishments with the Hoya lacrosse program which includes four straight BIG EAST Championships, three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and a Final Four appearance in 2004. Loyola controlled the pace early on and took a 4-1 lead through the first 24 minutes. Piotrowicz pulled the Hoyas within 4-2 with a pretty goal at the 2:36 mark of the first half with an assist going to Stanwick. Stanwick scored an unassisted goal and a free position goal in the first two minutes of the second half to tie the contest at 4-4. Seven minutes later, the Tewaaraton Trophy nominee scored another unassisted goal to give GU a 5-4 lead. Loyola's Stephanie Walker notched her second goal of the game with 20:25 to tie the game at 5-5. Sutton and Stanwick gave Georgetown a 7-5 advantage in over the next seven minutes before the Greyhounds tied the game at 7-7 on markers by Alicyn Brunnett and Maura Kenny with just over ten minutes left. Loyola's Alex Piraino made 10 saves. Georgetown collected 26 ground balls to Loyola's 15. The Hoyas held a 13-6 GB advantage in the second half. Georgetown finishes its 2006 home slate with a perfect 7-0 record and the Hoyas up their record to 4-1 in overtime games. In Head Coach Ricky Fried's two-year tenure, the Hoyas have never lost back-to-back games, going 6-0 after regular-season losses. GU concludes the regular-season on Saturday, May 6 when they travel to Johns Hopkins University for a 1 p.m. non-league contest.
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