It’s heartbreak for Villanova after an overtime loss to Georgetown in the Big East men’s lacrosse final

Fifth-year midfielder Stevie Jones crouched near the goal with his head in his hands, staring at the turf. Colin Michener, a redshirt freshman attacker, sat near the midfield line, watching blankly. The rain drenched them both.

Between both of them, Georgetown’s entire roster whooped and hollered and mobbed one another in celebration. The Hoyas couldn’t have cared less about the weather.

Such was the aftermath. One team’s jubilation is another team’s heartbreak. For Villanova, Saturday was the latter.

The Wildcats’ bid for their first Big East tournament championship was ended by Georgetown, as the Wildcats fell, 11-10, in overtime in the final at Villanova Stadium. The Hoyas won their sixth consecutive Big East lacrosse crown and will advance to the NCAA Tournament, which concludes May 25-27 with the semifinals and final at Lincoln Financial Field. Villanova’s season is over.

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“It was right there,” Villanova coach Mike Corrado said. “[There’s] the reality that this is the end of the season, and then for my fifth-years and a bunch of seniors, it’s the end of them playing college lacrosse. That’s a tough day.”

The second-seeded Hoyas (12-3) battered the fourth-seeded Wildcats (9-7) through the first 16 minutes, scoring the first four goals of the game and eight of the first nine. They looked and played like the five-time defending Big East tournament champions and seemed set to cruise to a sixth.

The early dominance was summarized by James Ball, a fifth-year player for the Hoyas. Ball, a faceoff specialist, won seven of the first eight, rarely giving Villanova possession. He opened the second quarter by winning a faceoff effortlessly, then ran down the center of the field, fired, and scored to put the Hoyas up, 7-1. The Hoyas bench, which sprinted to the corner pylon and celebrated after every goal, looked jubilant and even tired from its regular runs.

After another Georgetown goal, Villanova found something. It started with a goal by midfielder Lucas Kopecky. Then goalkeeper Anthony Wilson made consecutive saves. Attacker Dan Martin scored through a Georgetown penalty, and on the ensuing play, Michener put one in. The momentum swung, fans in Villanova Stadium got involved, and the previously lifeless Wildcats found a spark.

“They jumped all over us,” Corrado said. “And then, we were able to scratch and claw, started competing a little better at the faceoff X, started to ride them pretty hard, shots started to fall, defense came around a little bit.”

Villanova ended up scoring nine consecutive goals and holding Georgetown scoreless for 35 minutes, 27 seconds, turning an 8-1 deficit into a 10-8 lead. Georgetown scored the final two goals and Villanova’s final possession was unsuccessful, sending the game to overtime.

The Wildcats had the first chances to end the game with a sudden-death goal, but Georgetown’s defense held. The shot clock reset controversially after a Georgetown shot hit a Villanova defender, and with the additional time, Hoya forward Patrick Crogan’s attempt from a tight angle sneaked in. The goal sparked Hoyas celebrations — and Villanova agony.

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“I thought it was obvious to everyone in the stadium that it didn’t hit our goalie,” Corrado said, although he added that he doesn’t think the team noticed it. “But you know, that was their call and we’ve got to overcome that.”

Villanova, which lost to Georgetown, 12-4, last Friday, can be proud of how it played this weekend. Defeating top-seeded Denver, one of the best teams in the nation, and pushing Georgetown is no easy feat. The Wildcats have lost 11 consecutive games to the Hoyas.

But close doesn’t count for much. There’s a Hoya-sized hill to get over, and Villanova hasn’t figured out the way up yet.

Georgetown will be losing 13 seniors and graduates, and Corrado thinks that could close the gap. Villanova regularly starts six freshmen, including Michener and Wilson. There’s reason to believe for the Wildcats.

Still, this defeat is bitter. At the end, all Villanova could do was stand in the rain and watch.