In win, Hoyas preserve tournament hopes

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By Patrick Stevens

Georgetown finally snared victories in consecutive weekends. If the Hoyas get another, they might secure an improbable NCAA tournament berth.

Scott Kocis scored three goals as No. 18 Georgetown blasted error-prone Rutgers 15-7 on Saturday at Multi-Sport Field to maintain its postseason chances.

Jake Samperton added two goals and two assists, and Jack Davis made 10 saves for the Hoyas (7-6, 3-3 ECAC), who have never lost in 12 meetings with the Scarlet Knights.

"I'd say this is probably our best offensive game," Kocis said. "In recent games in the past, we haven't been able to put together a full game of putting goals in the back of the net."

It was a rare display of consistency from the Hoyas, an up-and-down outfit with a proclivity for stumbling against teams from the bottom of their conference.

Rutgers (4-10, 2-4), well on its way to missing the tournament for the fifth straight season, is precisely the sort of team Georgetown permits to linger - often to disastrous consequences. Losses to Hobart and St. John's helped derail the Hoyas' season and prevent the establishment of any consistency from week to week.

But not this time -- not after securing a surprise at conference leader Massachusetts a week earlier.

The Hoyas, not always paragons of pinpoint shooting, shredded Rutgers goalie Peter Pentages from the start. Georgetown matched season highs for goals in a quarter (six in the first) and a half (eight). Kocis was particularly slick, dissecting the Scarlet Knights from outside to secure his second straight hat trick and match his career high in scoring.

The junior's surge, which came after his potentially game-tying shot was saved in the final seconds against Loyola on April 11, coincided with the Hoyas' revival. Georgetown appeared doomed to missing the NCAA tournament for the second straight season after that setback, a considerable hiccup for a program coming off an 11-year streak of postseason appearances.

Yet the Hoyas' strength of schedule and RPI numbers have them in contention to play beyond the first weekend of May, and a victory Saturday against Penn State could present the chance for Georgetown to pull out an improbable NCAA trip.

"After the Loyola game, I think a lot of them thought it was maybe the end of the road," coach Dave Urick said. "As coaches, we've tried to explain to them there's opportunities out there. We probably need some help. ... We need to keep playing until someone tells us we're not playing anymore."

The rout, which matched Georgetown's largest margin of victory this season, featured just one harrowing moment. Junior pole Barney Ehrmann aggravated a left ankle injury late in the first half after twisting it while chasing a loose ball.

Ehrmann angrily tossed down his stick and his gloves and hobbled off, relegated to watching the second half from the sideline. He wasn't needed as the Hoyas rolled up what ballooned to a 15-4 lead in part because of Rutgers' 25 turnovers.

Urick said Ehrmann will likely play in the regular-season finale, a game that has grown in importance for the Hoyas (and the tournament selection committee's consideration) thanks to Saturday's pummeling.

"I know a lot of it has to do with the computer, but I feel like they can look and see who's playing the best at the end of the year," Samperton said. "Hopefully a win like this can help us out."