VILLANOVA, Pa. – Georgetown University’s men’s lacrosse team defeated Villanova 11-10 in overtime at the BIG EAST Championship, Presented by JEEP to claim their sixth-straight conference championship. The Hoyas earn the league’s automatic bid to the upcoming 2024 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament and will make their 17th overall appearance on the national stage.
Hoya Highlights
- Alexander Vardaro led the Hoyas with two goals and an assist while Patrick Crogan added two goals, including the game winner with 1:20 remaining in overtime.
- James Ball and Jack Schubert both had a goal and an assist while Graham Bundy Jr., Joe Cesare, Dylan Hess, Wallace Halpert and Jordan Wray each had lone goals.
- Aidan Carroll recorded three assists while TJ Haley added another.
- Ball won 18 of 24 (.750) faceoffs and collected nine ground balls.
- Defensively, Ty Banks was credited with a pair of caused turnovers while Will Godine hauled in five ground balls.
- In goal, Anderson Moore (12-3) had 12 saves in the win.
Photo Gallery: Big East Championship Georgetown Hoyas vs Villanova Wildcats 5/4/24
How It Happened
- Georgetown took control of the game early, outscoring the Wildcats 6-1 in the first quarter. All six Hoya goals came from six different goal scorers while Carroll tallied a pair of assists.
- Back-to-back goals to open the second gave Georgetown an 8-1 advantage before momentum flipped to Villanova’s favor. The Wildcats responded with a 7-0 run in the final 11:19 of the half to knot things up at 8-8 going into the break.
- A scoreless start to the second half was broken by Villanova at the 6:44 mark to take its first lead at 9-8. Despite a bevy of shots late in the frame, the Hoyas couldn’t hit the equalizer heading into the final frame.
- Villanova pushed its lead to two and 10-8 with a goal three minutes into the fourth, but it would prove to be its last of the day. Georgetown responded with a man-up goal from Bundy at the 9:01 mark and the game-tying goal from Vardaro with 4:24 to play as strong defensive play down the stretch pushed the 10-10 tie into overtime.
- The Wildcats won the opening faceoff in overtime, but the Hoya defense held strong and killed the possession with a save from Moore. After a timeout on the opposite end, Crogan found an opening to beat Villanova’s goalie and claim another BIG EAST Championship for the Hoyas.
Villanova Notes
- Nicholas Lucchesi and Dan Martin both scored two goals for Villanova.
- Defensively, Stephen Zupicich had three caused turnovers.
- Anthony Wilson had 12 saves in the loss.
Hoya Notes
- Georgetown wins its sixth-straight BIG EAST Championship, tying the Division I record for consecutive men’s lacrosse league titles.
- Aidan Carroll was named the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Ball, Crogan and Schubert.
- The Hoyas will make their 17th appearance in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament.
Photo Credit: Michael Rice
Up Next
The Hoyas earn the BIG EAST’s automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Georgetown will find out its first round opponent on Sunday night on the NCAA Tournament Selection Show at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.