While Hurricane Joaquin looms on the horizon, the No. 16 Georgetown men’s soccer team (5-2-2, 1-0-0 Big East) will look to create a storm of their own when they travel to Cincinnati to take on No. 20 Xavier Musketeers (7-1-0, 1-0-0 Big East) Saturday night at 7:00p.m. The game will be televised online on the Big East Digital Network.
This will be the first time the Hoyas play on the road in Big East play. The team is well aware of the potential danger Xavier poses in their quest for Big East dominance.
“Xavier is a really hard matchup for us… you have to get everything right”, Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese said. “They’re a really good combination of a team that makes use of the parts they have.”
The players echoed Wiese’s thoughts.
“Traditionally they’ve been very well-disciplined,” noted Georgetown senior defenseman Cole Seiler. “Their coaches have well thought out gameplans… We’re definitely going to have to think of a way to adapt to whatever style they’re playing”.
Xavier will certainly be a tough matchup for Georgetown. The stalwart Musketeer defense ranks second in the NCAA with a goals allowed average of just .67 per game. In nine games, they have shut out their opponents six times, something the Hoyas will look to avoid on Saturday.
In addition to their tough defense, Xavier is also tied for first in the Big East with 19 total goals on the year. In their past five games, the Musketeers have not lost.
“They make you beat them. They don’t beat themselves,” Wiese said.
Despite facing one of the strongest teams in college soccer, Georgetown is ready for the challenge thanks in large part to the recent undefeated run the team has had. Since September 7th, when the team beat then No. 1 UCLA, the Hoyas have gone 5-0-1. During this stretch, the team has beaten some quality opponents, including former No. 13 Maryland, and former No. 25 Providence.
“I think it’s important for us as a team to focus on each individual game and not worry about a streak or a stretch,” Georgetown senior midfielder/defenseman Keegan Rosenberry pointed out. “I think during this stretch we’ve done a good job of that”.
Since the reshuffling of the conference, the Big East has become arguably the nation’s premier men’s soccer conference. Last year, three teams (Georgetown, Creighton, and Providence) reached the playoff quarterfinals. This competition is something the team looks forward to facing.
“If we have aspirations of getting to the NCAA tournament, and going on a deep run to compete for the national championship, you hope to go to a place like (Xavier) and find a way to get a result, however it comes,” remarked Coach Wiese. “I think we have the pieces that can go to a place like that and win.
