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 | GU Extends Shutout Streak

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

The No. 9 Georgetown men’s soccer team (9-2-1, 2-0-1 Big East) had luck on its side Wednesday afternoon, beating No. 25 Providence (7-2-2, 2-1-0 Big East) 1-0 in a closely contested 90 minutes. Freshman midfielder Bakie Goodman delivered the goal in the 69th minute on a cross from the right side by junior midfielder Tyler Rudy. Providence pressed on defense early in the game, quickly recovering possession and preventing Georgetown from stringing passes together. The Friars had eight shots in the first half and forced junior goalkeeper Tomas Gomez to make three saves. The Hoyas, in contrast, had only four shots, one of which was on goal. According to Head Coach Brian Wiese, the play of the opposing team prevented Georgetown from establishing its style of play.

“The first 30 minutes they made it very hard for us. We had a hard time building, getting behind, and switching to be dangerous in the first third of the game,” Wiese said.

Freshman defender Joshua Yaro was injured in the fourth minute of the game and had to be substituted for his roommate and fellow freshman defender Jared Odenbeck. The seriousness of the injury will not be clear until the team returns to campus, and Wiese was reluctant to discuss his condition without more information. The backline will certainly miss the speedy center back if he does have to miss a considerable amount of time. With or without Yaro, the defense will look to extend a streak of 380 consecutive scoreless minutes. Georgetown’s next shutout will tie the school record for scoreless games in a season at 10.

Providence started out the second half much like the first, taking several shots and corners without allowing the same to Georgetown. A shot by senior forward Steve Neumann forced a save from junior Friar goalkeeper Keasel Broome in the 58th minute as Providence’s fortunes began to change. The breakthrough for the Hoyas came when Rudy made a run on the right wing and got in behind the defense. He then cut the ball back to the middle of the 18-yard box, where Goodman received the pass and buried it in the back of the net. Though another of Goodman’s shots hit the post in the 79th minute, there were no goals to be had on either side for the remainder of the game.

Goodman missed the last game against Seton Hall after suffering an injury against Creighton and just recently felt close to 100 percent. He came off the bench against Providence and had an immediate impact on the game.

“Goal aside, Bakie was the difference in the game,” Wiese said. “He did such a good job keeping the ball for us and causing problems. He was very slippery.”

Georgetown will continue its Big East schedule against the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. in Cincinnati. Xavier (5-5-2, 1-2 Big East) picked up its first Big East win this season against DePaul after losses to Marquette and Creighton. This is the Musketeers’ first season in the Big East after leaving the Atlantic 10 conference, and the game will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.

With just two days between Big East games, the Hoyas will have little time to prepare for their next opponent. The short rest period also means that players with injuries, including Yaro, will have a limited amount of time to rest. Depth on the roster will be vital as the team moves through the heart of its conference schedule.

“We are at a time in the season where we have injuries and nicks and some things we have to address with the team. This is where we need our depth to be good, and we need our special players to be special on the road to get three points,” Wiese said.

The players also have off-the-field concerns that could affect their preparations for the game against Xavier. Playing on the ninth-ranked team in the nation does not exempt these student-athletes from the same classroom stresses as the rest of the student body.

“We missed class all day today. We’ll get a flight back tonight and spend a day on campus tomorrow, and then we’ll turn around and get on a plane Friday afternoon to get to Cincinnati,” Wiese said.

Despite being closer on the schedule to the end of the regular season than to the team’s last loss, the team still feels that they have room to improve.

“If we can continue to get better, the sky is the limit for this team,” Wiese said.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *