BOX SCORE Flash Points:

• Saint Francis made their third appearance in the NCAA tournament
• Sara Suler (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) was stopped by Arielle Schechtman in the fourth minute
• Julia Hernan (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) made eight saves in the match

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Saint Francis women's soccer took the Big East Champion Georgetown Hoyas to the brink on Sunday afternoon, falling 2-0 in a hard-fought NCAA tournament match held at Shaw Field.

"I thought we battled well today, especially defensively," Head coach Brenda van Stralen said. "Overall, this is a great experience for the team and the players. I challenged them to remember the experience and their feeling and use it going forward because we bring a vast majority of this team back ."

The Red Flash pushed out of the gate, countering off an early Georgetown corner kick. Siobhan Bross (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) found room at the top of the goal box and was able to turn and shoot only to have her shot blocked down. Sara Suler (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) was able to collect the loose ball but her shot was stopped by Arielle Schechtman.

Saint Francis' defense was on point all match long. They continually forced the Hoyas into bad angle shots and shots through heavy traffic. It took a perfectly timed run by Georgetown to score in the first half. Grace Damaska timed her run to stay on side and a pass by Rachel Corboz found her in stride. Damaska broke in on Hernan and snuck it by the keeper along the low right side in the 16th minute. The Red Flash defense stayed strong as Hernan made a good save late in the half to keep it 1-0 after 45 minutes.

Georgetown would add a second goal in the 52nd minute off a well-executed corner kick. Marina Paul headed home a set piece just before Hernan was able to punch it free. The Flash countered back after the tally, earning a pair of corner kicks. Off the second corner, Schechtman leapt high and was able to snare the corner before a charging Shannon McGinnis (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) could get there. Hernan would make two solid saves to keep it 2-0 before the Red Flash could counter once again. Alyssa McGhee (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) was able to turn the corner on the Hoya defense on a pair of occasions but her pressure did not result in a shot on goal.

The loss ends the NEC Champion Red Flash season at 10-12. The Hoyas improve to 17-2-3 on the season and will host Rutgers next Friday in the second round of the Women's College Cup.