Nov. 2, 2008
Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University women's soccer team (13-4-2) was eliminated from the BIG EAST Championship Tournament this afternoon, losing 2-1 at North Kehoe Field to Connecticut (7-8-5). Sophomore Caitlin Durkee (St. Paul, Minn./Como Park) gave the Hoyas a 1-0 first-half lead by scoring her first goal of the season on a penalty kick. The opportunity was created when freshman Camille Trujillo (Albuquerque, N.M./St. Pius X) was taken down on the right side of the penalty area. "It's obviously very disappointing, any loss is," Head Coach Dave Nolan said. "I am not disappointed in the girls' effort today. They left it out on the field and it was really as simple as them scoring twice, and us scoring once." UConn, who has never missed the NCAA Tournament, tied the game in the 53rd minute when freshman Karen Gurnon appeared to cross the ball, but instead found the back of the net over the out-stretched arm of sophomore goalkeeper Jackie DesJardin (Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty). It was the first collegiate goal for Gurnon. Junior Annie Yi would score the decider, her fifth goal of the season which tied her for the team lead. Yi was awarded a free-kick just outside the penalty area and she clipped it off the bottom of the crossbar and in. GU's first opportunity came in the 10th minute as freshman Samantha Baker (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson) put a header just wide after the Hoyas had worked a corner-kick opportunity. UConn fired off three shots on goal in the next four minutes, and the Blue & Gray made a substitution bringing Trujillo in for sophomore Courtney Kent (Laguna Niguel, Calif./St. Margaret's Episcopal). 22 seconds later, Trujillo was taken down in the box and Durkee scored to give the Hoyas an advantage.
Georgetown continued to apply pressure as Nicole Smith (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) had a try cleared away by a defender at 19:03 and Baker had a second header sail wide at 21:00. Senior Stephanie Zare (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) also had two scoring chances in the first half, going wide in the 26th minute and having a try saved by UConn goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe in the 32nd. The Hoyas managed three shots in the second half with the best chance in the 77th minute when Smith had her header at the far post denied by Labbe. Smith also had a chance go wide in the 65th minute, while Baker had GU's final opportunity saved with four minutes remaining. "We had a number of players do a great job for us this afternoon in a losing effort," Nolan added. "Jackie [DesJardin] made some big saves to keep us in it, Gabby [Miller] and Michaela [Buonomo] were solid in the back and Nicole [Smith] and Stephanie [Zare] gave me what I asked of them in the midfield today also." DesJardin made four saves for the Hoyas, who were out-shot on the afternoon, 14-9. Labbe also made four saves for the Huskies. |
 
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