Ian Christianson channels his inner Tim Riggins, playing under the lights. (Photo by Kathy Shabalov)
As the first half ticked down to the final minutes, it appeared that the relatively mundane period would end in a scoreless draw.
Then, in the 42nd minute, sophomore midfielder Ian Christianson’s winding ball found the far post, and freshman Joey Dillon was there to kick the ball into the net with confidence for the first goal of his young Georgetown career. The Hoyas struck again with only eight seconds left in the half when sophomore Tommy Muller was able to put his head to the ball off a set play, which snuck past the Panther goalkeeper to give the Hoyas the two-goal advantage.
“We’ve been playing this well for a while,” head coach Brian Wiese said. “The only difference is that tonight, we converted on two chances late in the half, which makes winning a bit easier.”
Adelphi was obviously displeased with the offensive onslaught and came out of halftime playing aggressively and feeling no shame over getting in the Hoyas’ faces. The play became chippy and physical, and both teams were assessed a yellow card in the first five minutes of the half.
After settling down, the Panthers began to take the game to Georgetown, controlling play for most of the second half. Adelphi went on to outshoot the Hoyas by a tally of 11-0 in the half. Fortunately, senior goalkeeper Matthew Brutto and the defense stayed strong, keeping the Panthers caged, with no goals to show for at game’s end.
The 2-0 victory was important for the struggling Hoyas. Wiese, however, was quick to point out that although a win is a win, his squad needs to step it up in conference play.
“It was awesome to play under the lights, and hopefully this is something the coaches will look to do more of in the future,” Brutto said.
The Hoyas will get that chance to prove themselves in the Big East this weekend when perennial Big East contender West Virginia come to town.
“West Virginia is one of the most athletic teams in the country,” Wiese said. “It is always a close game with them, and I don’t expect it to be any different this weekend.”
Wednesday’s game against Adelphi was notable as the first night game at the Multi-Sport Field in the program’s history.
But on Saturday, it’s back to North Kehoe, where the Hoyas will look to grab their first conference win. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
