The third-seeded Hoyas (18-2, 8-2 Big East) blazed past Providence (12-5-4, 5-2-3 Big East) 4-1 to advance to the Elite Eight in a physical match-up Sunday afternoon on Shaw Field.
The majority of the first half saw few scoring opportunities for both teams, with the exception of a failed bicycle kick attempt from the Hoyas’ junior forward Stefan Stojanovic. With ten minutes to go, however, senior Zach Riviere was fouled right outside of the penalty box, leading to a free kick for the Hoyas, taken by sophomore forward Marlon Tabora. The kick led to a shot for Georgetown that rebounded off of sophomore goalkeeper Lukas Burns’ chest to junior midfielder Dante Polvara and found the back of the net.
With less than thirty seconds to go, the Hoyas had a nearly sixty-yard run from freshman midfielder Joe Buck, who was fouled by Providence’s Paulo Lima. The Friars’ senior midfielder picked up a yellow card and gave the Hoyas another free kick opportunity. The Hoyas were able to get a shot on goal, but were blocked by Burns to close out the half.
To begin the second half, Providence graduate forward Davis Smith collided with Georgetown senior goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis while trying to head the ball. A foul was called on the play, although Nikopolidis still got the save and no yellow card was issued.
The Hoyas found the back of the net for the second time of the match seven minutes into the second half with a goal from Tabora off of an assist from Stojanovic to put Georgetown up 2-0. Just five minutes later, the Blue and Gray had another shot on goal, which Burns deflected onto the crossbar and back into play. Tabora got the rebound and scored his second goal of the game.
Georgetown had another scoring opportunity just moments later, but Burns was able to get his fingers on it and redirected the ball away from the goal. The game became progressively more physical, with a couple of fouls called against Georgetown.
Just five minutes after his second goal, Tabora found the back of the net yet again, placing the ball beautifully into the bottom of the near corner, assisted by junior midfielder Aidan Rocha and sophomore midfielder Kyle Linhares. Tabora’s goal secured a hat trick, the first of his collegiate career.
The rest of the half saw some phenomenal goalkeeping from Nikopolidis, who racked up four saves over the course of the game, and increasing panic from Providence, as evidenced by more fouls, yelling at the ref, and a faster pace. The increased pace paid off, as sophomore forward Breandan McSorley managed to score one for the Friars with two minutes to go. However, their offensive push was too little, too late, and the Hoyas advanced to the Elite Eight with a 4-1 win, thanks to what was so far the best game of Tabora’s collegiate career.
The Hoyas will face No. 11 West Virginia on Saturday, December 4 at 12:00 p.m. on Shaw Field. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+, and live stats will be available on guhoyas.com. For continued coverage of all Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
