Freshman forward Mitchell Baker picked the perfect time to score his first goal at Shaw Field. On a rainy day on the Hilltop, No. 16 Georgetown men’s soccer (2-1, BIG EAST) could not find a breakthrough goal for most of the game against No. 18 UNC Greensboro Spartans (2-1, Southern). As time ticked down though, Baker broke through the Spartan defense with just five minutes left to secure a 1-0 victory in Georgetown’s home opener.
On a day ruled by defense, the Greensboro Spartans offense never looked threatening, recording zero shots on goal. The Hoyas had far more chances throughout the game, but could not take the lead until Baker’s heroic goal. He has three goals in three games, making him the only Georgetown player to score so far this season.
In the first half, goalscoring chances came few and far between. However, the Hoyas had the majority of the attacking opportunities, limiting the Spartans to just two shots. Junior forward Zach Zengue had the first in a long series of half-chances for the Hoyas in the seventh minute. Zengue made a sharp run across the face of goal to meet a driven cross at the front post, but the angle was too tight and his shot sped wide of the post.
Zengue’s shot sparked a dominant phase for Georgetown, as the Hoyas controlled the ball and created many chances on offense. Sophomore midfielders Matty Helfrich and Matthew Van Horn both forced Greensboro sophomore goalkeeper Seth Wilson to make two impressive diving saves, but the opening goal still eluded the Hoyas. Despite Georgetown’s dominance in and out of possession, the Hoyas never found the right combination to completely break down the Spartan defense. Greensboro’s “bend don’t break” defensive method allowed the Hoya offense only difficult shots with defenders in the way of the goal, holding Georgetown scoreless in the first half.
In the second half, the Hoyas continued their search for a goal that would open the scoring but, early on, it was more of the same from both teams. In the 59th minute, Zengue crossed the ball into the penalty box, and Baker rose above the Spartan defense to head the ball toward the bottom right corner of the goal. Wilson reacted quickly, and made a diving save to parry Baker’s header and preserve the deadlock—but just barely.
The Hoyas continued dominating possession, putting together solid attacking moves that created more half-chances. Still, it wasn’t enough to break the tie. As time dwindled down, it seemed increasingly likely that the Spartans would escape Shaw Field with a draw.
However, with just under four minutes left in the match, the Hoyas finally seized their moment. Senior midfielder Joe Buck played a perfectly weighted pass over the top of the Greensboro defense for Baker to run on to. Wilson came out of his penalty box to try and stop Baker, but the Hoya forward got onto the ball after it ricocheted off Wilson. Baker collected the ball, took it past a defender, and poked it into the empty goal.
After the goal, the Spartans pushed forward, but didn’t create any chances that troubled the Georgetown defense. In the final seconds of the match, Zengue fired a hopeful shot from near the half-field point. His shot went over Wilson’s head, hit the crossbar, and bounced down, seemingly crossing the goal line with one second left on the clock. The Hoya fans behind the net certainly believed Zengue’s shot went in, but a review from the officials determined that the goal would not stand.
Although Zengue’s strike would have been a contender for Georgetown’s goal of the season, had it counted, the lack of a-buzzer beating half-field shot did not put too much of a damper on the excitement of this game. The Georgetown defense shut down the Spartans from start to finish, with a near flawless performance from a unit led by senior defender Maximus Jennings. The Hoyas also impressed on offense, although the final piece of the puzzle was often missing. Baker, who has already solidified himself as a star player in just three games as a Hoya, found the right key that unlocked the staunch Greensboro defense. The freshman forward is already finding success at his new home stadium, Shaw Field, and Georgetown fans are hoping that he continues his strong goalscoring form.
Georgetown men’s soccer will stay at home for a Labor Day matchup against Florida International University (0-3, American) at 1:00 PM on Shaw Field. For continued coverage and updates on Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
