After a solid win over a tough Adelphi squad, the Georgetown mens soccer team looked to last weekend’s matchup against West Virginia to secure their first winning streak since opening weekend. The No. 21/19 Mountaineers fought hard but ultimately fell to the Hoyas on North Kehoe Field 1-0.
The Hoyas got back to their winning ways against West Virginia. (Photo by Jackson Perry)
“WV is one of the better teams in the league because they’re well organized, well coached, and athletic,” head coach Brian Wiese said. “We knew we had our work cut out for us.”
Although both squads were looking for chances early in the game, most of the play took place in the midfield and the first half featured no real breakthroughs.
The Hoyas were persistent, though, and were finally able to break down the tough Mountaineer defense late in the half. Senior Seth C’deBaca showed some great skill in dribbling into the box, and the West Virginia defenders had no choice but to take him down with a foul.
Wiese chose sophomore standout Ian Christianson to take the penalty kick, and he did not disappoint. Christianson calmly converted his second penalty kick of the season, giving the Hoyas the lead at halftime.
The Georgetown offense looked potent and organized in the second half and continued to look especially dangerous off of set pieces. Nevertheless, it was the Hoya defense and senior goalkeeper Matthew Brutto that would deliver the victory for the team.
“Brutto was great, and we kept some of their best players at bay … it was a huge win for us,” Wiese said.
Brutto came up huge for the Hoyas, posting his second straight shutout, his third of the year. His best moment of the game came when a defensive miscommunication allowed West Virginia a clean look at the net. Brutto saved the shot and ended the Mountaineer’s hopes for the equalizer.
His strong performance during the week earned him conference and national honors. He was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s team of the week and earned a spot on the Big East Conference Honor Roll along with Christianson.
The Hoyas wanted to continue their winning streak on Wednesday against American University. Historically, the Eagles have not been kind to the Hoyas. Georgetown has an overall record 21-28-3 against American, including losses in each of the past two seasons. But this time the Hoyas got the best of their cross-town rival, winning 3-2.
The Hoyas controlled the pace early. Sophomore Andy Reimer was extremely active in the early minutes and drew a lot of contact from the American defenders. After Reimer committed a foul, the Hoyas intercepted the ball and countered in the 10th minute.
C’deBaca took the ball toward the American net and was able to find teammate Jose Colchao on the right side of the box. Colchao had a smart finish as he shot the ball across the face of the net, finding the far left corner.
Georgetown’s offense continued to look potent after the goal, but it was a double substitution by coach Wiese that gave his team the spark they needed.
After the freshman duo of Gabe Padilla and Steve Neumann entered for Colchao and Reimer, the Hoyas were able to increase their lead.
Ian Christianson showed serious skill and footwork in setting Padilla free on the left side while sucking in an Eagle defender. Padilla fired and Neumann was able to redirect the shot into the twine, giving Georgetown the 2-0 lead.
As the Georgetown teams of the past have discovered, no matter the score the Eagles do not quit. They finally cracked the Brutto code with just under 10 minutes left in the half.
In the second half, the Hoyas definitely did not stay back, and Georgetown jumped on the Eagles to dominate play at the start the period. The best chance came when C’deBaca ripped a shot off the post in the 59th minute.
Unfortunately, the Eagles were able to tie the game after a shot hit the post behind Brutto and ended at the feet of American’s top scorer, Alassane Kane, who put it back for the goal.
The intensity of the game was palpable after the equalizer, and both teams were assessed yellow cards for tough challenges.
After some great saves from Brutto, Georgetown was able to break through for the game winner with five minutes left in regulation. Andy Reimer put a cross into the box and Neumann was again able to find possession before depositing the ball into the net.
“During our skid we were playing well with no results,” Wiese said. “Winning is a habit, and we’ve been working like crazy to get winning results, and the work has paid off.”
Georgetown will look to extend their winning streak to four this weekend at Providence. Game time is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
