Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Men’s Soccer: Big East Semifinals Hard to Call

By Michael Medici Hoya Staff Writer

Let’s face it, all year long, the Big East has been as easy to predict as your teacher’s grading curve.

Teams have been doing things that they shouldn’t have been doing in every game. Who could have foreseen the offensive explosion that happened in Morgantown this year that led to West Virginia’s 14-4 record? Then, who could have predicted the Mountaineers’ first-round elimination in the Big East tournament at the hands of Syracuse, in which the Mountaineers could muster just one goal? Or, who thought St. John’s, everybody’s preseason favorite, would fall flat on its face and seemingly sleep through the regular season and get knocked out in the first round?

It’s now down to the final four teams in the Big East tournament and, although there are fewer teams, its anyone’s guess as to whom is going to home with the title.

There are those who would look at Friday’s pairings, Georgetown vs. Rutgers and Connecticut vs. Syracuse and say the top two seeds, Rutgers and Connecticut, will march through to the final. As Lee Corso says, “Not so fast my friend.”

Consider Georgetown, the tournament killer the last two years. Over the course of this year, the Hoyas have effectively proven that they can beat anyone or lose to anyone on any given day. Look at their last game, in which they upset a much more physical St. John’s team that beat them 4-1 in the 1998 tournament final. Or, look at the Oct. 23 game in which the Red Storm lost 3-1 to a Providence team that failed to qualify for the conference tournament.

Now Georgetown is in the semifinals and Rutgers would probably rather play anyone else in the tournament. Last year in the semifinals, Georgetown upset No.1 Connecticut. 2-1 in a game nobody thought they could win. Low and behold, the Scarlet Knights are in the same situation they were last year. Rutgers trounced the Hoyas 3-0 Sept. 28 in New Jersey in what was probably the Hoyas’ worst showing of the year. Last year, on Sept. 20, Connecticut demolished Georgetown 4-0, in what was the Hoyas worst game of the year.

Go figure: The Hoyas have bounced back and shocked the Huskies and are in position to do the same this year.

The Hoyas can win, and they know it, but they have to show up and play strong from kickoff until the final buzzer. Yes, Rutgers has the third-best defense in the league, allowing 0.8 goals per game. But, the Hoyas just disposed of the league’s best defense in St. John’s which allowed just 0.68 goals per game.

Rutgers’ offense is certainly nothing special, much like the Hoyas’, in that the Scarlet Knights scored just one more goal this year than the Hoyas. They don’t have one guy who can kill you, much like the Hoyas. Dennis Ludwig is their scoring leader, and he has just two points more than Georgetown’s sophomore forward Kenny Owens.

Against common opponents, the two are very similar this year. They both beat Notre Dame, Seton Hall and Villanova. Rutgers tied Pittsburgh in double overtime while Georgetown beat the Panthers 1-0 in double-overtime. Rutgers slipped up against West Virginia, losing 2-1 while the Hoyas beat the Mountaineers, 4-3. But Rutgers beat Connecticut 2-1, and Georgetown lost to the Huskies 1-0.

This game will not come down to numbers or averages, but will come down to who wants it more. Intensity, as Georgetown Head Coach Keith Tabatznik says, will be the key to the game: Who has it, when, and what will they do with it. Much like the St. John’s game, this game will be won and lost in the midfield.

Can the midfielders – seniors Kevin Shaw and Mert Incekara and junior Bubba Beyer and others handle Rutgers and win balls to give forwards Owens, and sophomore Jason Partenza and senior Nate Port chances on goal? They managed just six shots against St. John’s, but that was good enough to win. If they make more of fewer looks, it doesn’t matter.

Prediction: Georgetown wins 2-1 in double overtime.

The other semifinal, featuring Connecticut and Syracuse, is just as much a toss up. Syracuse has one seven of its last nine, and is the second hottest team in the tournament. But, one of those losses was a 3-2 overtime loss to the Huskies in Syracuse. The problem for the hot Orangemen is that they are going up against the hottest team in the tournament, perhaps the nation, in Connecticut, winners in their last eight. Dating back to Sept. 19, the Huskies have won 12 of their last 14.

Connecticut has the league’s best offense, scoring 44 goals this year, and second best defense, allowing just 0.71 goals per game. Syracuse has the highest goals against average remaining in the tournament at 1.3, and its defense will have to step up if they are going to contain forwards Luis Arauz, Darin Lewis and others.

All signs point to an easy Connecticut win, but Syracuse played them tough just two weeks ago, so don’t look for the Orangemen to roll over. The Huskies don’t want to exit early like they did last year though, so look for them to come in and try to get on the board early and often.

Prediction: Connecticut wins, 3-1.

More to Discover