The last game for the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (7-6, 3-3 Big East) on Friday night did not have a Big East Tournament berth on the line, nor was the team looking to bolster their résumé for the NCAAs, with the tourney already far out of reach. But to say that it didn’t matter is to be wrong on so many different levels.
In fact, in a contest won by the Blue and Gray 13-8, the simple box score does not even begin to do the game’s impact justice.
The Hoyas faced a 2-0 hole in the early going of the first quarter before junior attack Brian Casey got his team on the board at the 6:13 mark. A goal by Rutgers to start the second restored the Scarlet Knights’ two-goal cushion, but two straight by Georgetown in response to end the half assured a tie game at the intermission.
Coming out of the locker room, GU broke it wide open.
Five straight by the Blue and Gray to start the half (including two from junior attack Zac Guy) made it a 7-0 run for the home team and put the game out of reach. The two teams would trade goals back and forth over the rest of the game, but the Hoyas’ dominant 3rd would prove the difference and give them the season-ending win.
Above all, the game was an extremely meaningful one for senior Brian Tabb. Like most face-off specialists, the Maryland native fights to deliver possession for his team game in and game out without receiving anywhere near the same kind of press as the high-scoring attacks and middies.
That was not at all the case on Friday, which was, without a doubt, Tabb’s day.
After going 12-21 on faceoffs for the night—including a crucial 6-7 in the 3rd quarter—Tabb eclipsed the 400 faceoff wins mark and ended his career second all-time on the Georgetown list. In addition, with just nine seconds remaining in the game and thus his college career, Tabb stuffed the stat sheet further by recording his first career goal, going out in just about the best possible way.
The second milestone on the night was Georgetown Head Coach Dave Urick’s successful defense of his winning-seasons streak on the Hilltop. During his 21-year tenure, Urick has never had a single year below .500, but a big threat to that mark came Friday, with his team coming into the game at an even 6-6. That record appeared in serious jeopardy with two games left on the Hoyas’ schedule (especially with one being 14th-ranked ‘Cuse), but an improbable two straight W’s to close out the season saved things for Urick.
Replacing Tabb, goal-leader Zack Angel, captain Gerry Reilly, and goalkeeper Winters, among other key contributors, is sure to be no easy task for Georgetown.
However, with five of the top six points leaders returning for the Hoyas—including high-men Casey and Guy—the offense appears to be in extremely good shape for next season.
Perhaps then, in 2013, a long-awaited NCAA Tournament appearance may finally be in the cards for the Blue and Gray.
[...] Tabb, Men’s Lacrosse – While Tabb undoubtedly played a large role in the Blue and Gray’s 13-8 Senior Night win over Rutgers on Friday, he’s found himself a well-deserved position on this list more for his [...]