Mother Nature had her say in the Georgetown Men’s Soccer season-opening exhibition on Tuesday, providing a slick stage for the Hoyas’ 1-0 loss to Penn State.
The majority of the first half was spent in the midfield until Lions junior midfielder Barkley Miller had the game’s only breakthrough just before halftime. In his first game since a season-ending hip injury last October, Miller collected a pinpoint cross from sophomore midfielder Diego Correa and slotted a shot past Georgetown senior co-captain Joe Devine for the eventual game-winner.
“I thought we played pretty well,” Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese said after the game. “We had a little bit of a miscue on the goal, but I think the wet conditions had something to do with that.”
Georgetown had two solid chances to equalize in the second half. Sophomore Mark Zeman’s shot was denied by diving freshman Warren Gross with 15 minutes left to play, but the Hoyas’ best opportunity came in the closing minutes. Freshman forward Chandler Diggs crossed a ball from the wing and through the legs of junior midfielder Corey Zeller to wide-open senior forward Mike Glaccum, who sailed his shot over the crossbar.
“It would have been a fabulous game-tying goal,” Wiese said of the play. “I was really happy that the buildup was as pretty as it was.”
Despite the score, the match was a success for a team looking to provide real-game experience to a large freshman class.
“I thought this was a great foundation for our first time out,” Wiese said. “We got seven of the newcomers in and I think it’s clear they’re going to give us some good depth.”
Any experience is good experience for the young Hoyas, who will have to rely heavily on 16 underclassmen, including 11 untested freshmen. The team is anchored by a small but solid core of returning upperclassmen, including co-captains Devine and Glaccum. Junior midfielder Corey Zeller will revive his role as central midfielder, while sophomore Len Coleman and junior Alex Pangraze will control the center of the defense.
The young team faces a tough schedule, including nine teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Hoyas begin the 2007 regular season with seven straight games away from the hilltop, beginning on August 31 against UNC Greensboro in Harrisonburg, VA.
