The No. 12 Georgetown’s men’s soccer team (10-1-1, 3-0-1 Big East) will face the Xavier Musketeers (5-5-1, 1-3-0 Big East) in their fifth conference game this Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET on Shaw Field. The Hoyas had an impressive outing last Monday against the defending national champions No. 25 Maryland (6-4-2, 1-1-2 Big Ten), collecting the 1-0 victory on junior forward Derek Dodson’s goal in the 65th minute. Georgetown looks to extend their winning streak against a Xavier team that has struggled in the start to their Big East schedule, but earned a valuable tie against No. 20 Kentucky (7-2-3, 1-1-1 CUSA) and a win against then-No. 2 Akron (3-8-1, 1-0-0 MAC).
The Hoyas come into Saturday’s game hot after an excellent road win against the Terps in a hard-fought battle on Monday night. Georgetown made the brief trip north following two solid home wins against Lehigh (8-4-1, 4-0-1 Patriot League) and Seton Hall (5-5, 2-2 Big East). The game started with both teams cautiously taking care of the ball, shying away from taking risks. Nevertheless, the Hoyas dominated the box score, with five shots compared to Maryland’s two, and four corner kicks compared to the opponent’s two. A couple of dangerous crosses from the Terps made the Hoya fans nervous, but freshman goalkeeper Tomás Romero made sure both were taken care of.
The second half was a different story, as Georgetown took over the game as soon as they came out of the locker room, racking up various opportunities before scoring the winning goal. Sophomore forward Zack Riviere dribbled past two Maryland midfielders down the middle, finding junior outside midfielder Paul Rothrock on the left wing. Rothrock then put in a magnificent cross for senior forward Achara to hold off for the appearance from the second wave of Dodson, who put the ball in the net with his left foot, to the delight of the Georgetown travelling fans standing behind the goal. The Hoyas did not stop there, forcing Terps’ freshman goalkeeper Niklas Neumann to make six saves in the second half to keep the deficit at one. The game eventually finished 1-0 for the Hoyas, who took their 10th win of the season, and a victory in this installment of the DMV rivalry.
The Musketeers are headed to the nation’s capital after an impressive 1-0 win against conference rival Creighton (6-4-1, 2-2-0 Big East) last Friday in Cincinnati. Xavier began the game strong, forcing a penalty in the 20th minute that would give them the lead when redshirt senior forward Samson Sergi successfully executed for his sixth goal of the season. After that, the Musketeers started playing a more defensive game, letting Creighton possess while taking limited risks. The Blue Jays controlled the stats sheet, racking up 17 shots to Xavier’s seven during the rest of the game. However, the Musketeers were able to maintain the lead until the final whistle and put a remarkable win in their record.
In last season’s matchup, the Hoyas were beaten 3-2 at Shaw Field, so they will be looking for revenge and to climb back up the national rankings. Contributions from the entire team will be crucial for Georgetown, as junior midfielder Jacob Montes, Achara and Dodson will look to extend their personal goal records. For live coverage of the game follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter, and a live stream and stats will be available at guhoyas.com.
