Every week, the Voice will supplement our daily soccer coverage with a wrap-up that includes news, notes, and observations on the men’s and women’s soccer teams. This week covers September 19-September 26. With this week in the books, Georgetown is now the only school in the country with both undefeated men’s and women’s soccer programs.
WSOC Game Recaps
1-1 vs Creighton on Sept. 23
- The Hoyas came into conference play against Creighton after having put on a clinic against William and Mary in a 6-0 win.
- In particularly close games, Georgetown has been struggling to find breakthrough goals late in the match. This match against Creighton proved to be a prime example of just that. Georgetown, while firmly in control, struggled to break down an opposing backline and put the game away.
- In the 3rd minute, Creighton took advantage of a slow start for the Hoyas as Abigail Santana bent her shot around junior goalkeeper Allie Augur, giving the Blue Jays an early 1-0 lead.
- The Hoyas did not panic and fought hard to get back into the game, with the squad’s best opportunities coming in a dominant second half. Freshman Cyanne Doyle had the clearest chance of the game off a corner, but the shot was cleared off the line by a Blue Jays defender after getting by the keeper.
- Georgetown finally broke through in the 59th minute with a shot from senior midfielder Maya Fernandez-Powell which took a deflection and got by the Creighton keeper to knot the match at 1-1. Neither team could break the deadlock, and the Hoyas’ opening Big East clash ended in a draw.
- The 19 shots for Georgetown to Creighton’s six show the Hoyas’ continued struggles with finishing, but demonstrate the tremendous potential this already top-25 squad has.
2-1 vs Xavier on Sept. 26
- A quick turnaround from Omaha, Nebraska to Cincinnati, Ohio and facing the #21 team in the country was a challenge, but this Hoya squad is tough.
- The Hoyas came out strong, peppering the Xavier goalie with shots early and often. They did not have to wait long to reap their rewards as junior forward Gia Vicari found the back of the net off of a deflection from an initial shot by freshman Eliza Turner at the top of the box. 1-0 Hoyas, 12 minutes in.
- The rest of the half was something of a stalemate with staunch defenses struggling to break each other down. After the initial goal, there was not another shot for either team until nearly 20 minutes later.
- Xavier would find the equalizer in the 40th minute off a free kick by the Musketeers’ Ella Rogers, levelling the game at 1-1 going into the half.
- The second half was tense, as there were few chances for either team, and no shots recorded for the Hoyas; overtime was inevitable.
- While the second half might have been slow for Georgetown, the Blue and Gray came out firing on all cylinders to start the first overtime period. Shots by junior midfielder Julia Leas and continued pressure from Vicari put Xavier on defense quickly. Leas found Vicari just outside the box, and Vicari was able to get into the 18-yard box to finally slot in the game-winning goal. The game would end 2-1 for the Hoyas less than six minutes into overtime.
- Gia Vicari is continuing her impressive run, having tallied seven goals so far this season. If she can continue her progress and maintain support from fellow forwards Maya Fernandez-Powell and Eliza Turner, we can only imagine the goal-scoring potential this offense still has to unleash.
News: Gia Vicari named to Big East Offensive Player of the Week–Vicari was rightfully recognized for her two-goal, game winning performance which included the overtime finisher to cap her stellar outing.
Upcoming Schedule:
Sept. 30 vs DePaul
Oct. 3 vs Providence
MSOC Game Recaps
3-0 vs Dartmouth on Sept. 25
- The Hoyas were coming off a thrilling 2-1 last minute win at Creighton in their first Big East clash, and on a week’s rest this squad looked ready to get back on the field.
- The Dartmouth Big Green were 0-4-0 coming into this matchup, having lost three of those games by one goal. This matchup had the potential to be a classic trap game where the #1 Hoyas became too comfortable against a much lower-ranked team.
- Georgetown played in a well-executed fashion. The squad came out strong, controlling possession and flow of the game for most of the half. This domination paid off relatively early. Sophomore midfielder Chris Hegardt put in a cross off a free kick which found the head of junior defender Daniel Wu. Wu deflected the ball across to junior midfielder Dante Polvara, who tapped it in for the go-ahead goal ten minutes in.
- Continued pressure from the Hoyas allowed for another clear chance to be created just two minutes later. Wu was involved again, sending a beautiful ball across the field and into the box where senior midfielder/forward Zach Riviere was running in at full pace to shoot it in and make it 2-0 in the 12th minute.
- The Hoyas continued to dominate, but Dartmouth refused to collapse. The Big Green had several clear chances, including a breakaway one-on-one which was saved by graduate student Ethan Koehler in goal.
- Dartmouth would have a few more chances throughout the game, but all were shut down by the strong Hoyas defense and Koehler, who tallied five saves by the end of the game.
- Georgetown’s final goal came in the 62nd minute, as junior forward Will Sands put in a beautiful pass to senior midfielder Sean Zawadzki in the 6-yard box who easily put the ball away in an open goal.
- Dartmouth would continue pushing for a goal and would actually finish with one more shot on goal (5) than Georgetown (4). However, Georgetown finished with 16 shots to Dartmouth’s 9 and would ultimately hang on for an impressive showing on defense and a clean sheet.
- Scoring support from three different players is a promising sign; the attack is coming not just from one or two forwards. Like with the women’s team, there is tremendous attacking potential looking to be unleashed with this already #1 in the country Hoya squad.
News: Daniel Wu named to Big East Weekly Honor Roll–Daniel Wu received the first Honor Roll distinction of his career after a strong performance, tallying two assists and getting involved in the attack throughout the game.
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 2 vs DePaul
