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 | Schropp’s Golden Goal Completes GU Comeback

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On a golden goal in overtime, the No. 16 Georgetown men’s soccer team defeated the Stony Brook Seawolves 3-2 Wednesday afternoon at home.

Georgetown (5-1-1) came back to tie the game after trailing 2-0 and eventually found the game winner off the foot of junior defender Peter Schropp.

The Hoyas won the possession battle in the first half but struggled to find solid scoring chances. The team was without its leading scorer — sophomore forward Achara— due to injury.

“Achara stays high and gets in behind, and we don’t have that right now. We have to adjust our style to make up for the areas where we don’t have speed,” senior forward Zach Knudson said.

The Seawolves (5-2-1) were aggressive, and their push succeeded in the 25th minute. Stony Brook advanced the ball deep into the Georgetown zone, beating the Hoya defenders and sneaking a shot just past a diving junior goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski. The Hoyas had trouble producing any dangerous chances to tie the game up, and the score remained 1-0 going into the second half.

Before Georgetown staged its comeback effort, the team managed to dig itself into a deeper hole. In the 63rd minute, off a free kick, Stony Brook sent in an accurate ball which connected on a header into the far post. The two-goal deficit was the largest Georgetown had faced this season.

“The guys were resilient today, and they knew they weren’t playing well, but they kept themselves pushing and found a way to get some goals. I was pushing for three goals after halftime because I didn’t want them to think after one goal that they had done it,” Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese said.

Soon after, Georgetown stormed back. In the 65th minute, freshman midfielder Foster McCune sent a cross to the left side of the box, which ended up finding the back of the net past a diving Stony Brook sophomore goalkeeper Jacob Braham. McCune’s goal was the first of his career.

With two minutes remaining in regulation, the Hoyas came up with a late surge. They pushed the ball deep into the Stony Brook zone, and, after a blocked shot, Knudson sent off a shot that ricocheted into the back of the net, sending the game into extra time.

“We went down 2-0 in the second half and found a way to come back. The fact that they got the game to overtime says a lot about this group, and that’s something where you can be in the situation again and say ‘you can do it,’” Wiese said.

In a very intense overtime period, Georgetown took control of possession and found its chance in the 98th minute. Junior midfielder Edson Martinez sent the ball into a crowded box, and the ball found Schropp’s feet. After gaining an open look, Schropp sent the ball to the back of the net and stunned the Seawolves with the golden goal.

“I was out for the last 20 minutes of regulation, and the team fired me up and fired the entire bench up to fuel me to score that goal. I was just lucky enough that the ball fell to my feet,” Schropp said.

The Hoyas have little time to recover before traveling to Chicago to take on Big East rival DePaul (3-4-1, 0-0-1 Big East) on Saturday afternoon. The game marks the team’s third in seven days. The team hopes to have Achara back, whose status is day-to-day.

“[DePaul] beat us last year here and two years ago, when I had the best team I think I ever had, in 2015,” Wiese said. “It’s hard to play at their place; it’s a really unique environment. We’re going to have to be a lot better than we were today to have a shot at it.”

The Georgetown players, though tired from two straight games, are optimistic about their chances to grab a win on the road.

“It’s motivating to come back in this game and keep winning. We’re definitely going to need the day off, but after the day off, we’re flying,” Knudson said.

The game is scheduled to kickoff at 4 p.m. this Saturday in Chicago.

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