The Georgetown men’s soccer team (11-7-2 overall, 5-4-1 BE) heads into Friday’s Big East semifinal looking to repeat its last performance against Seton Hall (11-6-2 overall, 5-5-0 BE). With a win, the team will advance to the its first final since 1999.
In their Oct. 30 regular season matchup, the Hoyas and Pirates were deadlocked at 0-0 after the first half. Georgetown, needing to beat Seton Hall if it wanted to earn a berth in the Big East playoffs, came out shooting in the second half and easily handled the then-18th ranked Pirates 4-0. The two teams will square off again this Friday at Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. at 7 p.m. with a chance to play for the Big East title.
“We haven’t changed anything we do all year,” Head Coach Keith Tabatznik said. “We just sharpen what we do. I expect that Seton Hall won’t change either.”
Seton Hall must change something if it wants to crack one of the Big East’s top stoppers in sophomore Andrew Keszler, who leads the league with 79 saves. Keszler performed magnificently in the fifth-seeded Hoyas’ quarterfinal win over fourth-seeded Villanova (7-5-6 overall, 5-3-2 BE) last Saturday.
Tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, the teams went through two overtimes without netting the decisive goal, setting up a dramatic penalty kick finish. Keszler saved two Wildcat penalty kicks and Georgetown eventually prevailed 4-3 to secure the upset and set up the rematch against Seton Hall.
“The game was definitely nerve-racking,” senior captain Kevin Sindelar said. “But that’s done with, over with.”
Seton Hall, the eighth seed in the tournament, had a dramatic game of its own. The Pirates advanced to the semifinals by knocking off Notre Dame (13-2-3 overall, 8-1-1 BE) in penalty kicks 8-7.
“All four teams left are in the same situation,” Tabatznik said. “They all had huge emotional wins [in the quarterfinals].”
The game should be energetic, as both teams have a legitimate shot at taking the title if they win. Georgetown is the highest seed remaining after all the favorites were ousted in the quarterfinals for the first time in conference history. It is also the first time that any eighth seed has won a game.
“Everyone knows the tournament is wide open,” Tabatznik said. “Notre Dame wasn’t so far removed from everyone else. This speaks great of the Big East conference. It’s solid from top to bottom.”
“No one looks at seeding anymore,” Sindelar added. “Every team is capable of winning.”
However wide-open the tournament may be, the Hoyas are not taking anything for granted. Seton Hall will be looking to avenge the rout they suffered two weeks ago.
“The most important thing is that we must be mentally prepared,” Tabatznik said. “We know for sure we must be motivated, but an event like this should be self-motivating.”
“This game should be the same as the first one,” Sindelar said. “It will be a complete battle physically. The four goals we scored last time is a little deceiving. They let down after we scored the first two back-to-back.”
For Georgetown an NCAA Tournament birth is on the line for the first time since 1997. The Hoyas’ possible opponents in the finals on Sunday afternoon are either West Virginia (12-6-1 overall, 5-4-1 BE) or Connecticut (10-7-2 overall, 5-4-1 BE).
The game against Seton Hall will be broadcast tape-delayed on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on College Sports Television (CSTV). The Big East Championship will be played on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 12 p.m. The game will be carried live on CSTV and Comcast Sports.
