By Zach Gindi-Chiafullo
The George Washington Revolutionaries (3-5-3) home unbeaten streak came to an end Sunday afternoon as they fell 3-2 to the St. Joseph’s Hawks (5-2-4).
Although the forecast showed showers all day, the weather “wasn’t too much of an effect” for the team, said Revolutionaries Head Coach Jeremy Williams. “In fact, it allowed us to run a bit more.”
It took one half before GW could seemingly make any progress and start running, though, as all of St. Joseph’s three goals and most of their control of the game came within the first 45 minutes.
GW fell to the hawks 3-2 this Sunday, (Photo by: GW Athletics)
Forward Valentina Nardones scored the Hawks’ first goal just under two minutes after kickoff. Nardones also netted a penalty shot attempt with five minutes remaining in the first half and made the score 3-0 in the Hawks’ favor. The team’s second goal was courtesy of forward Sarah Fisher around the eight-minute mark.
“They [St. Joseph’s] were playing at a faster pace. I was disappointed to see us come out to that, especially in those first 10 minutes,” Williams said.
For the entirety of the first half, the Hawks defense was tough for the GW attackers to handle. They allowed zero shots on goal through that period.
The revolutionaries entered the second half down by a score of 3-0, with hopes of mounting a monster comeback in the second half despite the conditions.
“We weren’t playing with championship-level effort. We could talk about all the tactics in the world, but if we don’t bring it from an effort standpoint, we weren’t going to beat anyone,” Williams said as he recalled his thoughts before the second half.
Some new faces aimed to change that. Members of the Revolutionaries’ freshman class, forwards Sophia Michel and Ella Provost-Heron responded. Provost-Heron collected five shots during the game, two of which were on goal, and Michel scored the team’s first goal of the game near the 60-minute mark.
“I think anytime we can get them the ball, faced up into space, they’re dangerous. And to me, it’s about getting them in those positions, Williams said about the two players.
GW came within one with a goal from forward Isabelle Olhmann at the 76-minute mark, assisted by her defensive teammate Sophia Broz.
The Revs won the shots battle, as well as corner kicks, leading the game with 19 compared to the Hawks 5.
A pair of missed shots off the crossbar was not enough from the Revolutionaries, and St. Joseph’s won the tight match 3-2 earning their fifth win of the season, while GW suffered their first defeat on their home field.
“Look how good it can be,” Williams said. “We saw it for portions of the game today, but at the end of the day, everyone’s good in this conference and the margins are thin. It was good to see the response, but good teams initiate, average teams respond.”
GW will look to bounce back when they take on Duquesne in Pittsburgh next Sunday at 1 pm.
