On a hot and humid Labor Day afternoon, the No. 12 Georgetown men’s soccer team (1-2-1, Big East) kickstarted their 2015 season by downing No. 1 UCLA (2-1-1, Pac-12) 3-1 in front of 2,159 fans at sold-out Shaw Field. Two goals from junior striker Brett Campbell helped the Hoyas snap their three-game winless streak and notch their first victory of the year.
“Brett Campbell coming in and breaking the ice with two goals for us today was really nice,” said Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese after the Hoyas’ victory. “I’m really proud of the performance from the guys.”
From the opening whistle, the Blue and Gray displayed apparent offensive rhythm, with link play between the attacking duo of junior striker Alex Muyl and senior forward Brandon Allen, who put the pressure on the UCLA back line early and often. Though the game was still scoreless halfway through the opening half, the Hoyas had several dangerous moments, including Muyl’s point-blank volley that was saved by UCLA’s junior goalkeeper Juan Cervantes. After winning several corners and dominating possession in the attacking third, Campbell put his stamp on the game in the 39th minute by curling a left-footed effort past Cervantes and giving the Hoyas a 1-0 lead entering halftime.
After imploring his team during the intermission to continue pressing the UCLA defense, Wiese and the Hoyas were rewarded when sophomore midfielder Arun Basuljevic found the net in the second minute of the second half, giving the Hoyas a seemingly commanding 2-0 advantage over the Bruins.
But despite the Hoyas dictating the pace and possession in the second frame, the Bruins didn’t go away quietly. A few Hoya turnovers in the midfield allowed UCLA to counterattack on several occasions, forcing freshman goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski to make saves on two breakaway attempts and preserve the Georgetown lead. In the 67th minutes, despite Marcinkowski’s best efforts, the Bruins onslaught came to a climax– first with a shot from the outside that rocked the crossbar, and then by a clinical finish from UCLA freshman midfielder Jackson Yuell that pulled the Bruins within a goal, 2-1.
Although the Bruins’ potent attack came alive late, testing Marcinkowski with 12 shots in the second half, a combination in the 88th minute between Allen and Muyl created space in the box for the oncoming Campbell, who slotted home the victory-sealing goal.
When the referee blew his final whistle, the Shaw Field-record 933 students in attendance sang out euphoric cheers and chants in support of the Hoyas.
“The crowd was just as much a part of this result as anything,” Wiese said. “It was special for the guys, and I was really proud to be a part of Georgetown soccer today, and having the support we had was awesome.”
Campbell, whose impact coming off the bench came at a crucial time for the offensively starved Hoyas, believes that defeating one of the nation’s best teams will help Georgetown build some momentum before Big East play begins.
“It definitely gives us momentum going forward,” said Campbell. “Beating the number 1 team in the country, if we know we can do that against them, we can pretty much compete with anyone.”
Senior captains Keegan Rosenberry and Cole Seiler helped anchor the Georgetown defense, which has missed the impact of junior All-American Joshua Yaro, who continues recovering from injury. Though Seiler’s availability was doubtful following an ankle injury in Friday’s 1-0 loss to Akron, he played every minute of the contest and keenly kept UCLA’s strikers from ever truly making a mark on the game.
Following the contest, Rosenberry was effusive in his praise of freshman goalkeeper Marcinkowski, who saved a penalty kick in the team’s loss to Akron on Friday and continued to deny the Bruins from eating into the Georgetown lead. Marcinkowski made six saves total in the contest.
“He’s been unbelievable thus far,” Rosenberry said of the freshman standout. “He’s got great confidence for a freshman, and as a goalkeeper that is huge. The back line sure appreciates him.”
After a slow start to their season, no one is more relieved by the victory than Coach Wiese, who is thrilled that his team will have only one game in the next nine days.
“Playing one game on this weekend is nice,” said Wiese. “We went into this weekend thinking that we weren’t going to have (Josh) Turnley for today, and we went into today thinking we weren’t going to have Cole Seiler. Both of those guys played and both of those guys were terrific. I think that having a little bit of time off and only one game next weekend is wonderful for us for sure.”
Georgetown’s next test will come against the Radford Highlanders (4-0-2, Big South) this Saturday at Shaw Field. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.
