Time and time again, Georgetown’s stout defense continued to stifle the usually steady Orange attack. And unfortunately for the Orange, Hogan’s impressive effort in goal ultimately came up a tad bit short.

 

As a result, No. 12 Georgetown (11-5, 8-0 Big East) defeated No. 9 Syracuse (12-5, 6-2), 10-9, on Senior Day at the Carrier Dome to capture the Big East conference regular-season title. But because of Hogan’s stellar play in goal, the Orange was able to stay in contention until the final minutes of action. 

 

‘She’s been playing well all year long,’ head coach Gary Gait said. ‘She made a lot of great saves and gave us opportunities. I thought both goalies played well today and gave their team opportunities. It just came down to one extra shot that went in.’

 

The two teams were neck and neck in the contest from start to finish. And the stat sheet reflected that. The Hoyas outscored SU 6-5 in the first half, and the two teams scored four goals apiece in the second. Georgetown took 35 shots and Syracuse took 33. The Hoyas caused one more turnover.

 

With each team having ample opportunities to score, it was the two goalies that shined in this regular-season finale. Georgetown goalkeeper Caitlin Formby limited Syracuse, mainly in the second half. Though SU didn’t take advantage of many of its good looks, Formby rose to the occasion, causing the Orange to miss all four of its free-position shots.

 

But for how good Formby was in this game, Hogan stayed right on par with her. In many respects, Hogan was better than her counterpart. She had 16 saves to Formby’s 14 and held Georgetown to just 2-for-7 in free-position attempts. 

 

Hogan’s value was on display at the conclusion of the first half. With Georgetown leading 6-5 with roughly 1:30 left before halftime, the Hoyas held possession, letting the clock run in an effort to get one final shot before heading into the locker room. With 15 seconds remaining, Georgetown made its move. A Hoya player rushed toward the goal, saw the opening and fired it toward the cage.

 

Hogan got her stick up just in time, ending the Hoyas’ threat and avoiding what would have been a devastating dagger heading into the break.

 

‘Our defensive communication was working well, so I knew where they were going to come from,’ Hogan said. ‘It wasn’t like I was completely blindsided. We had some huge stands that lasted four, six minutes long. You can’t ask anything more from your defense, so I’m really proud of them.’

 

The Hoyas led for the majority of the second half, but whenever Georgetown would threaten to run away with the game, it seemed Hogan would make a crucial save and shift the game’s momentum. The Hoyas never led by more than three goals and didn’t score in the final 16 minutes of the game. 

 

Though Hogan acknowledges she was seeing the ball particularly well on this day, she is quick to credit the defense for her success. She believes that the defense’s ability to work as a unit improved her chances to be in prime position to make saves.

 

The Orange’s strong defensive performance was on display during those final 16 minutes. As SU surged back, the unit would stymie Georgetown’s attacks for minutes at a time, making it possible for the offense to mount a comeback.

 

Senior defender Eileen Finn was disappointed following the loss but was pleased with the way the defense frustrated the explosive Georgetown attack. With senior defender and co-captain Lindsay Rogers on the sideline injured, Finn said holding the Hoyas to just 10 goals proves this team can handle any offense in the country.

 

But as impressive as the defensive unit was as a whole, it all ultimately came back to Hogan and her knack for protecting the cage.

 

‘Liz has been solid,’ Finn said. ‘You couldn’t ask for anything more from her. She is a great leader and she talks a lot. And obviously she bails us out all the time with the saves she comes up with.’