WASHINGTON, D.C. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer team (1-1-0, 0-0-0 AE) fell 3-0 to the #19 Georgetown Hoyas (1-0-1, 0-0-0 BE) on Sunday afternoon at Shaw Field.
 
Redshirt junior Taylor Burgess (Mendon, Mass.) made her first appearance of the season in goal. Burgess made nine saves and allowed three goals. Sophomore Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) led the River Hawks with two shots on the afternoon.
 
"We came here to play against one of the best teams in the country and they showed why today. I'm very proud of how our team competed today. We had moments where we tried to create and go forward and had some real positives in the game," said head coach Mira Novak.
 
The River Hawks' back line got off to a strong start after coming under pressure early in the game. Georgetown pushed forward earning a few corner kicks in the first 15 minutes, but the defense kept the ball away from Burgess. In the 18^th minute, UMass Lowell had a great chance to open the scoring as Papatheodorou received a ball in space behind the Hoya defense, but her attempt went just over the crossbar.
 
Georgetown continued to press and took a 1-0 lead with 21^st minute after capitalizing on a defensive error. UMass Lowell responded well with a chance on the offensive end but could not tie the game. The Hoyas attack grew in confidence as the half went on and put the visitor's defense under more pressure. Graduate student Dunja Mostarac (Belgrade, Serbia) led the defense with several key inceptions and blocks to keep the score at 1-0. Georgetown doubled the advantage in the 30^th minute after a header from a corner kick.
 
UMass Lowell had another great opportunity to get on the board with just over three minutes to play. Papatheodorou once again got behind the defense and in on goal, but her effort was knocked away. The River Hawks trailed 2-0 and were outshot 14-2 at the half.
 
Out of the break, Georgetown continued to pressure and maintain possession in the opening 15 minutes, but the River Hawks were up to the task. The midfield and defensive lines stayed compact and limited the number of dangerous chances. The Hoyas took a 3-0 lead in the 62^nd minute after Henley Tippins scored her second of the game.
 
UMass Lowell shifted the possession for some time, building the attack from the back again. The River Hawks worked the ball forward with several passes and good movement but could not find the back of the net. Freshman Sophie St. George (Walpole, Mass.) had a great chance in the final minute of regulation, but saw her shot saved and Georgetown held on for a 3-0 win.
 
Freshmen Kirti Craig and Maddie Guthrie returned to the field for the River Hawks, playing 29 and 10 minutes, respectively.
"I'm happy we could get so many players in today against a team like Georgetown. IF we want to go where we want to go this year, we must put ourselves in positions to compete against teams like this," added Novak.
 
UMass Lowell returns to Cushing Field to host Boston University on Thursday, August 25. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.