Under overcast skies, the Georgetown men’s soccer team took to North Kehoe Field on Wednesday afternoon against crosstown foe American. Despite taking an early lead, the Hoyas couldn’t hold off the Eagles, falling 3-1.
The playing conditions were tough, but Georgetown looked solid early, netting the first goal in the 19th minute. Junior defender Ibu Otegbeye threw the ball in to Andy Riemer for a cross. The ball found Jimmy Nealis, who took one touch before depositing the ball in the net toward the far post.
Unfortunately, this was to be the only Hoya scoring play of the afternoon as the breaks started to go American’s way. The Eagles scored their first goal off a corner in the 28th minute.
“It was a good offensive piece by them, but it was a horrible defensive set by us,” head coach Brian Wiese said.
American’s next goal came off a defensive lapse on Georgetown’s part. Due to a miscommunication Hoya goaltender Mark Wilber was caught away from the net, leaving the goal wide open for an easy Eagle goal.
“Giving up the soft goal was tough,” junior forward Jose Colchao said. “It really took our momentum away.”
Before the Hoyas even had a chance to regain that momentum, American scored again early in the second half, pushing their lead to 3-1.
Georgetown struggled to regain offensive rhythm in the second half as the American defense stood strong. The Hoyas were able to get the ball deep into the Eagle zone, but quality chances were scarce as the American back line quickly repelled any ball that entered the box.
Late in the game the Hoya offense started to click. Colchao and senior midfielder Scott Larrabee both beat American keeper Matt Makowski in the last ten minutes, yet each shot found the post, not the back of the net.
With the loss, the Hoyas did not do themselves any favors in terms of building a case for the NCAA Tournament.
“Now we can’t lose,” Wilber said.
Wiese echoed that sentiment, commenting that the team must go on a bit of a streak to salvage the season. The NCAA tournament is not an impossible goal for the Hoyas, currently standing at 9 wins. Wiese remarked that if the team can get it up to 11 or 12 wins, it’s going to be difficult to keep Georgetown out of the tournament.
The Hoyas wrap up the regular season this Saturday, with a Senior Day match against Providence at 1 p.m. on North Kehoe Field.
