With a 1-0 loss to the Boston College Eagles in Chestnut Hill, Mass. on Sunday, and a dramatic 2-1 victory against the Virginia Tech Hokies yesterday afternoon at home, the Hoyas’ record stands at 1-2 in the Big East
Georgetown played well despite Sunday’s loss to Boston College. Georgetown kept the action focused in the middle of the field, preventing the Eagles from attacking the goal. Boston College came into the game with a record of 2-3-0, although their record did not play into the Hoyas’ preparation for the match.
“Records mean nothing in the Big East,” said Head Coach Keith Tabatznik. “It’s a Big East game, so you have to play well regardless.”
Despite the Hoyas’ superior effort on the defensive end, the Eagles managed to score in the 27th minute, when Eagles’ first-year midfielder Jarryd Goldberg netted a shot off a throw-in from midfielder Jamen Amato. Senior goalkeeper Tim Hogan and the rest of the Hoyas defense kept Georgetown in the game, but when the final whistle blew Boston College walked away with the 1-0 victory.
The Hoyas played much better against the Eagles than in their first Big East match last week against the St. John’s Red Storm. Georgetown posted 15 shots on the Boston College defense.
The Hoyas had some fouls, including one yellow card for first-year Tim Convey. Convey has been playing more minutes, attempting to adjust to the team after being hampered by injuries earlier in the season.
“His injuries in the beginning of the season held him back,” said Tabatznik. “He’s just trying to get into the lineup.”
The Hoyas rebounded on Wednesday afternoon with a 2-1 overtime win against Virginia Tech on North Kehoe Field. It was a much different game than last year’s 4-0 Hokies win.
“Going into last year’s game we knew it was a turning point, but we weren’t focused and ready to play,” said Hogan. “This time we knew it was a turning point because if we didn’t get the win ,we would be in a hole in the conference.”
In the beginning of the first half, play resided in front of the Georgetown goal due to a very strong Hokies offense. As play continued, the Hoyas pushed the ball into the Virginia Tech zone. Even though they finished the first half with only one shot on goal, while the Hokies had six, the Hoyas were confident with their offensive attack.
“We mentioned at halftime that we needed something more on attack,” said Tabatznik. “We had people in the right places but we just didn’t have any shots on goal.”
Hogan and the Hoyas defense made several quality saves against a tough Virginia Tech team.
“The defense played solid,” said Hogan. “We didn’t have too many lapses, everyone just played well.”
The Hoyas’ first goal came in the 76th minute with an unassisted score from sophomore forward Dan Pydo. After Virginia Tech tied the game late in the second half, the game went into overtime. Six minutes into the overtime period, Pydo scored the game-winning goal with an assist from junior defensive back Dan Gargan and senior midfielder David Eder.
“It was destiny, I guess,” said Pydo. “It just happened, I can’t really explain it. Going into overtime I knew we needed a win … my mindset was just to score a goal.”
The Hoyas travel to South Bend, Ind. this weekend to face Big East opponent Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are 1-1 in the Big East and 4-1-2 overall after two wins against Indiana and West Virginia. The Irish advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year.
“Notre Dame is a very good team and we had great battles both times we played them last year,” said Tabatznik. “South Bend is a very hard place to play and it should be another great Big East battle.”
