Box Score April 5, 2017 Box Score
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Freshman Midfield Liz Trojan rolled a ball into the back of net with 10 seconds remaining in the second half to cut Georgetown's lead to 14-13, but Villanova could not record a goal in final seconds as the Wildcats (3-8, 1-3 BIG EAST) fell to the Georgetown Hoyas (5-7, 2-1 BIG EAST) 14-13 on Wednesday night at Villanova Stadium.
Freshman Kim McDonough (3g, 3 a) registered a season-high six points, while classmate Katie Comerford also tallied a hat trick in the contest. Senior captain Catherine Bendinelli and sophomore Jillian Swikart each added two goals on the day.
The 18th all-time meeting between the BIG EAST rivals constantly went back-and-forth with several momentum swings. The Hoyas jumped ahead by two by scoring the first two goals within the first five-and-a-half minutes. McDonough connected with Comerford for Villanova's first goal 23:44 on the clock, followed by another Villanova goal just over a minute later when McDonough converted on a free position attempt to knot the score at 2-2.
The Hoyas scored twice to retake a two-goal lead at 4-2, but Villanova responded on 5-0 with two goals from Swikart, while Comerford, McDonough and sophomore Devon Brown each logged a goal on the scoring streak to take a 7-5 advantage.
Georgetown ended the run, capitalizing on a 4-0 streak of their own to take a 9-7 lead with 2:39 left in the first half. Bendinelli scored her first goal of the contest on a free position attempt with only 10 seconds left in the first half, as Villanova cut the Georgetown lead to 9-8 heading into the halftime intermission.
The Wildcats started the second half on fire, tying and taking the lead on three consecutive goals within the first eight minutes, as Villanova led 11-9 at the 17:58. Senior captain Sam Scarfogliero notched her first career goal on the run, causing a turnover at midfield, and sprinted to pick up the ground ball and fired a rocket past the Georgetown goalie.
Once again, the Hoyas roared back and seized the lead at 12-11 with 13:14 left in the game. Bendinelli found the back net for the second time to tie the game at 12, but Georgetown answered with back-to-back goals to acquire a 14-13 advantage with just under five minutes remaining.
Villanova could not muster another goal until there were 10 ticks were left on the clock, and ran out of time after winning the ensuing draw control.
The team honored Lilly Ibbotson before the game, as Lilly joins Villanova this season through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation's Adopt-A-Child program. Read more about Lilly's battle with neuroblastoma here.
The Wildcats return to action this Saturday in Philadelphia against the Temple Owls. First draw is set for 1:00 p.m. at the Temple Sports Complex.
