In a week when the Georgetown men’s soccer team (9-3-4, 4-2-1 Big East) desperately needed to prove itself against the Big East’s big guns, the team defeated No. 2 Creighton (11-2-2, 4-1-1 Big East) on Saturday and No. 9 Xavier (10-4-2, 4-1-2 Big East) this past Wednesday with late goals and preserved their hopes of attaining a high seed in the Big East Tournament.
The Hoyas traveled to Omaha, Neb. over homecoming weekend and handed Creighton their first loss in Big East Conference play. Despite a scoreless first half, the Hoyas developed strong attacking play in the second half, however, and with 20 minutes to play, began to threaten Creighton’s defense.
After a defensive takeaway in the 72nd minute, sophomore Joshua Yaro led the counterattack for the Hoyas by finding sophomore striker Alex Muyl near midfield. Muyl connected with senior midfielder Austin Martz who found midfielder Arun Basuljevic open with an opportunity at goal. A composed and clinical finish from Basuljevic gave the freshman his first goal for the Hoyas. The goal was the Hoyas’ first in three contests, having been shutout in both their previous games.
Following their thrilling road victory against the Bluejays, the Hoyas returned home to face Xavier, knocking off the No. 9 team in the nation in dramatic fashion. As the teams took the pitch at kickoff, storm clouds soaked the field with rain. Each team took time to adjust to the slick conditions on the field, but the Hoyas found their rhythm and dominated possession for most of the game. Though both squads had opportunities to strike first, the game remained scoreless at the end of regulation and headed to an overtime period.
In the 96th minute, the Hoyas gained possession and slotted a low cross into the box from the wing. The wet surface caused a Xavier defender to lose his footing and fall on top of the ball. The referee blew his whistle and pointed at the penalty spot, giving Georgetown a chance to secure a second straight victory against a top-10 opponent.
As the referee was momentarily swarmed by Xavier players protesting the call, all eyes turned to junior forward Brandon Allen, who calmly placed the ball at the penalty spot. When the referee blew his whistle, the big lefty struck the shot off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net, notching his 10th goal of the season and sealing a crucial victory for the Hoyas.
“Seasons go in funny directions,” said Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese. “After losing back-to-back games, suddenly everyone starts to get a little bit of doubt. But the ability to get a really gutsy win against Creighton and then to stay disciplined and not get impatient in a game like today’s was really good.”
“This is the Big East—not all games are going to be pretty or easy, but you have find a way to get results. Today, we found one of those ways,” said Wiese. “The fact you get yourself back into the conversation for being in the top two in the league is great. We’re putting ourselves back into the conversation.”
After picking up six points from their dramatic victories this week, the Hoyas sit tied for third in the conference with just two games remaining in Big East play. The Blue and Gray will now try to keep their momentum as they take on the Saint John’s Red Storm on Shaw Field for a contest this Saturday at 1 p.m.
Photo by Elena Plenefisch
