The No. 3 Georgetown men’s soccer team tied 1-1 in Wednesday’s game against Creighton after two scoreless sudden-victory overtime periods left the two teams at a stalemate. This was the Hoyas’ last game of the regular season, and it finished with a slight damper, ending their eight-game winning streak. Despite the tie, the Blue & Gray end the season ranked first in the Big East Conference, while the Bluejays finished as the number 4 seed in the conference.
Georgetown’s (14-1-2, 7-0-2 Big East) goal was scored in the 24th minute from a corner kick routine, with a header from senior forward Ifunyachi Achara finding the back of the net. Junior midfielder Jacob Montes took the corner for the Hoyas, passing to junior defender Sean O’Hearn, who caught the ball in the back post with a headshot that then bounced off of Achara’s hair, giving both O’Hearn and Montes the assists.
Photo by John Picker/The Georgetown Voice Montes has been a threat all season for the Hoyas.Photo by John Picker/The Georgetown Voice
The Hoyas dominated the first half of the game, with most of the game being played in Creighton’s half of the field. Creighton (8-6-2, 4-4-1 Big East) were more aggressive heading into the second half being down by one. Their defense was quick and successfully deflected many Hoya attempts to score, but the Hoyas didn’t lose their cool or control of the game.
The Bluejays came to play, with a consistent defense in the first half and a more forceful offense in the second half. The Bluejays scored their lone goal in the 61st minute when sophomore midfielder Keegan Boyd took a shot that was saved by GU sophomore goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis, but senior midfielder Yudai Tashiro capitalized on the rebound, heading it in to equalize the score.
“We left some goals on the table,” Coach Brian Wiese said in the post-game interview. “When you play a good team like Creighton and you should be up by two or three, but you’re only up by one, things like today can happen.”
The coach noted that while the game may have been tied, due in part to midterm exams his players have and the fact that their position in the Big East conference was already safe, the Hoyas still had a strong performance. They had 27 shots compared to Creighton’s 11, and they obtained 19 corners to Creighton’s 2. The players may not have had their usual competitive edge, but this was not a concerning setback, and still allowed the team to have an undefeated conference regular season.
This home game against Creighton ended the season for the Hoyas as the winner of conference play, but next week they head into the Big East Tournament for a chance at post-season wins. All eyes will be on Georgetown as the men try to defend their title. Wiese said that the pressure to win should help the team and could give them the edge that they were lacking against the Bluejays.
“We’re trying to three-peat. We’re two-time defending champions, and I think it matters a lot to these guys to try to win it,” Wiese said. “I think they’ll have the urgency required on Wednesday. And then there’s this question of can we execute with the chances we create.”
With the number 1 seed, Georgetown has secured a place in the semi-finals of the Big East tournament, allowing them to host the game.. Kickoff for the semi-finals is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET next Wednesday at Shaw Field. Live stats and a stream can be found at guhoyas.com. For continued coverage of all Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter
