The Georgetown men’s soccer team (5-3-2, 1-1-1 Big East) will take on Butler (2-6-2, 0-3-0 Big East) Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET in Indianapolis. Coming off a loss to No. 6 Louisville (6-1-2, 3-0-1, ACC) last Tuesday followed by a draw against Marquette (3-6-1, 1-1-1 Big East) on Saturday, the Hoyas will be looking to pick up all three points for the first time since defeating DePaul (4-6-0, 1-2-0 Big East) on September 21.
The Bulldogs, who won 14 games last season, have gotten off to a rough start and currently sit at last place in the Big East standings. They have lost all three of their Big East matchups this season, most recently falling to St. John’s (6-3-1, 2-0-1 Big East) last Saturday. On Tuesday, Butler managed a draw against Evansville (1-4-5, 0-0-1 MVC), as redshirt junior midfielder Jared Timmer chipped in with two goals.
Butler’s season appeared to be headed in the right direction after defeating then-No. 16 Western Michigan (6-4-1, 0-0-0 MAC) in its third game, but it has been all downhill from there. The Bulldogs, who advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament last season, have been woeful on the defensive end, allowing 20 goals in 10 games, the worst defensive record in the Big East.
In contrast, scoring has been much less of an issue. Butler has scored 14 goals this season, tied with Georgetown for second-best in the conference. Junior forward Brandon Guhl has led the way on the offensive end, with five goals and two assists to his name. Junior defender/midfielder Alex Lehtinen has also been a threat from deeper in the formation, with two goals and three assists.
Georgetown head coach Brian Wiese’s squad will be looking for answers on the offensive end after scoring just one goal in the last two games. Sophomore forward Derek Dodson scored his fifth goal of the season in the Louisville loss, but his attack pairing with junior Achara has yielded nothing since then, despite many opportunities.
On the defensive side, the Hoyas have looked better as freshman goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis picked up his fourth clean sheet of the season against Marquette, good for second in the Big East.
The game will be streamed on Big East Digital Network. Follow @GUVoiceSports for continuing coverage of Georgetown fall sports.
