The Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team used a huge defensive effort to pick up the 8-7 victory in a BIG EAST Conference matchup against the No. 22/RV University of Denver Pioneers (7-4, 2-2 BIG EAST) Wednesday afternoon in Denver, Colorado. A late defensive stance secured the win improving the Hoyas to 7-4 overall and 3-1 in league play. The win was the second over a ranked opponent for the Hoyas this season. “Our defense was stellar all day, and Haelle (Chomo) came up big at the end,” said Georgetown Head Coach Ricky Fried. “We’re excited to come away with a conference win on the road, and I’m very proud of our ability to overcome adversity today.” Junior attacker Taylor Gebhardt (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) and sophomore attacker Michaela Bruno (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) both managed a hat trick and an assist, respectively. Junior attacker Morgan Ryan (Maplewood, N.J./Oak Knoll School) also contributed a goal and an assist in the win. On the defensive end, junior defender Josephine Zinn (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy) posted three caused turnovers as the unit tallied nine in the game. Junior goalkeeper Haelle Chomo (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) picked up the win with eight saves in the cage. The Hoyas were outshot, 27-24, but forced 23 Pioneer turnover while committing 16. Denver held the 10-3 advantage on draw controls and the Pioneers managed nine saves to GU’s eight. The Hoyas opened the scoring early as sophomore attacker Emily Ehle (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) found Ryan curling to the right to make it 1-0. Gebhardt then added the man-up score as well as a low shot past the keeper to make it 3-0 ten minutes into the contest. The Pioneers scored a goal, but following a long defensive stance by both squads, Gebhardt freed herself from her defender and received the ball from Ryan behind the cage to make it 4-1 with 11:08 remaining in the first half. Denver cut the lead to two, but Bruno answered right back with a sidearm shot at 6:50 making the score 5-2. Denver added one more with five minutes left as the Blue & Gray went into the break leading, 5-3. Bruno managed her second of the game less than two minutes into the second, but the Pioneers had a quick answer. At 16:39, sophomore midfielder Natalia Lynch (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) powered her way to the cage and score to, once again, make it a three-goal game. Bruno added one at 10:42 to make the score 8-4 as the Hoyas looked to pull away. However, the Pioneers put together a 3-0 run to cut the lead to just one, 8-7, with 3:34 remaining in the contest. Denver had some chances, but the Hoya defense stood strong including a huge save from Chomo in the closing seconds as Georgetown held on for the 8-7 victory. The Hoyas will return home on Saturday for another BIG EAST Conference matchup as the squad welcomes the Butler Bulldogs to Cooper Field. The opening draw has been changed to 11:30 a.m. Live stats and a webcast featuring Monika Moore will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.