PROVIDENCE – The top two seeds secured victories Thursday night at Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium.
 
In the first semifinal of the 2026 BIG EAST Championship Presented by Jeep, No. 1 seed Georgetown took advantage of a high scoring third quarter to move past No. 4 seed Denver, 11-8. Immediately following, No. 2 seed Providence took down No. 3 seed Villanova, 14-7.
 
Georgetown and Providence will meet in the championship game for the first time, with the start time scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The winner will earn the conference’s automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.
 
No. 1 Georgetown 11, No. 4 Denver 8
Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
 
Georgetown (9-4, 5-0 BIG EAST) jumped out the gate with BIG EAST Player of the Year Rory Connor finding the back of the net just 12 seconds into regulation. However, Denver’s defense locked down the Hoyas prolific offense the other 14:48 of the opening quarter to hold a 2-1 advantage. Cody Malawsky and Chase Brown both found the back of the net for the Pioneers (6-8, 2-3 BE) to take the early advantage.
 
After being held scoreless for 20:05 minutes, Georgetown evened the game in the second quarter off the stick of BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Jake Bickel. Georgetown’s Jack Schubert then pushed the Hoyas in front 3-2, before Denver’s Chris Merageas tied it back up with a tally of his own. Liam Connor found himself on the scoresheet with just 16 seconds remaining in the half, to give the Hoyas the 4-3 lead heading into the locker room.
 
Between the pipes, the 2026 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Grayson Manning had eight saves and a .667 save percentage for Denver, while the 2025 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Anderson Moore registered eight saves and a .727 save percentage for Georgetown in the opening 30 minutes.
 
Georgetown caught fire out of the break, with three goals in the opening four minutes, off the sticks of Bickel, Schubert and Lucas Dudemaine, to take a commanding 7-3 lead.
 
After a goal by Denver to cut the deficit back to three goals, Georgetown scored two more in quick succession, as Bickel scored his third of the game, while L. Connor scored his second of the contest, to jump in front 9-4.
 
For the game, Moore posted a .619 save percentage with 13 saves, while Bickel and Schubert both had hat tricks. At the X-Spot, Roy Prince went 13-for-19 (.684) with seven ground balls.
 
No. 2 Providence 14, No. 3 Villanova 7
Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
 
Providence (8-8, 3-2 BE) ran out to a 2-0 lead behind the sticks of Rhett Chambers and Richie Joseph. Chambers struck first 2:40 into the opening quarter, off an assist by Chris Matia, tallying his program-tying 66^th point of the season.
 
Villanova (6-8, 3-2 BE) cut the deficit in half when David Link scored a man-up goal with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter.
 
The stanza was capped with a PC goal, when Chambers connected with Joseph to put the Friars in front 3-1. Dishing out the assist, Chambers etched his name in the Providence record book as the program’s new leader in points scored in a single season (67).
 
Luke Raymond of Villanova struck back with a goal of his own just 35 seconds into the second quarter, his 33^rd of the season, to pull back within a goal, 3-2.
 
Providence pushed the lead to three goals, after Matia found the back of the net off an assist by Sam Brazell with 8:43 remaining in the half. Chambers then scored his second goal and third point of the game with just under five to play in the second quarter, as the Friars jumped in front 5-2.
 
At the break, both goalies had over .600 save percentages, as Villanova’s Anthony Wilson made nine saves with a .643 clip, while Providence’s Cam Sterritt had five saves and a .714 save percentage.
 
The Friars carried momentum into the second half when Charlie Smith took advantage of an open goal, as the defender launched a 50-yard shot into the back of the net to push the lead to four goals.
 
After Luke Raymond scored a man-up goal for the Wildcats, the Friars poured in five straight goals to end the fourth quarter, taking a 12-4 lead into the final 15 minutes.
 
For the game, Chambers (2G, 3A), Brazell (4G, 1A) and Joseph (4G, 1A) led the way with five points each. In net, Sterritt finished with 14 saves and a .700 save percentage. On faceoffs, Jack Cooper went 15-of-17 (.882) with 11 ground balls.