The American University lacrosse team (0-1) lost its first game of the 2026 season to the Georgetown Hoyas (1-0) on Feb. 6 by a score of 14-3.
This marked the eighth matchup all-time between the Eagles and Hoyas, with Georgetown winning all the previous games. American lost to Georgetown on Feb. 7, 2025 by a score of 12-5 at Cooper Field.
In under a minute of play, the Hoyas opened the scoresheet after winning the draw control to take an early lead. Georgetown regained possession after the draw and charged down the field before sophomore Brooke Hill stepped up, making her first save of her Eagle career. But a second shot attempt for the Hoyas found the back of the net for a second Georgetown goal.
The Eagles found momentum four minutes into the quarter, with senior Kellie Linehan winning American their first draw of the game. Forty seconds later, Linehan’s shot found the back of the Georgetown net and gave American their first goal of the game. Junior Adria Kotzian was credited with the assist.
From there, the Hoyas took over. Georgetown controlled possession for the next nine minutes of the quarter, where they scored four more times before the first quarter ended in favor of the Hoyas 6-1. Hill made three saves on eight goal attempts.
The second quarter started with Georgetown winning the draw control before sophomore Lauren Pramik forced an early turnover. American would lose possession a minute later. Shortly after, the Hoyas were awarded a free position shot, which they took full advantage of to take a 7-1 lead. An eighth goal followed a minute after.
With 10:46 to go, the Eagles were awarded a free position shot of their own with a chance to cut the deficit to 5, but the shot soared just above the crossbar. Three minutes later, Hill made a brilliant save on a Hoya free position shot.
The rest of the quarter was uneventful for the Eagles, as Georgetown held onto possession for most of the quarter. In that span, the Hoyas scored twice, giving Georgetown a 9-1 lead at half. American only managed two shots on goal in the second quarter.
The third quarter began slowly as neither side found the net early thanks to Hill, who made her sixth save of the game with 13:51 remaining. The Eagles could not find goals of their own. On the other hand, the Hoyas scored their 10th goal of the game four minutes later and their 11th a mere 29 seconds later.
The Eagles had a second chance to score with another free position shot late into the third, but the Georgetown goalie saved the shot. The Hoyas would go down the field and find their 12th goal of the game.
In the final seconds of the third quarter, a ground ball was picked up by junior Samantha Buonaccorsi, which led to the Eagles soaring down the field and eventually a second goal for Linehan, who was once again assisted by Kotzian. The score stood at 12-2 with 15 minutes left to play.
Hill picked up her eighth save of the game at the start of the fourth, but possession remained with Georgetown, who scored their 13th goal a few seconds later. After a successful draw control by senior Reagan Murdoch, Kotzian nearly scored American’s third goal of the game, but her shot went right into the Hoya goalie’s glove.
Georgetown’s next possession saw Hill pick up her ninth save of the game. The transfer from the University of South Florida earned praise from head coach Lindsay Teeters after the game.
“She had a little bit of a rough first and second quarter, but I thought she did a great job in the third and fourth, making adjustments and making the saves she needed to make,” Teeters said.
The rough outing for American ended on a positive note, as freshman Julia Pope scored on the final play of the game. Linehan picked up an assist, earning her three goal involvements on the day. As the final horn blew, Georgetown left Jacobs Field with a 14-3 win.
After the game, Teeters emphasized the importance of getting the team flowing in these early games, highlighting their struggles in the opponents half.
“I think our offense has got to figure out how to function as a full unit,” Teeters said. “That’s the biggest focus for us is sharing the ball and really connecting on our passes.”
American returns to the field on Feb. 14 for a Valentine’s Day tilt against the Temple University Owls at Jacobs Field.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Matthias Jaylen and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Arin Burrell and Nicole Kariuki.
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