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

Somewhere, in a Land Far, Far Away the Soccer God is Smiling

He is looking down and shaking his finger at us and saying, “See, I told you so.” And Georgetown soccer fans are looking up with disbelief wondering if what happened this weekend on Harbin Field really happened. “Pinch me,” they are saying, “for this can’t be real.” For those of you lucky enough to stay for the end of [both games on Friday and Sunday, you saw two of the best games in recent memory played on Harbin Field](https://www.thehoya.com/sports/long-weekend-sees-hoyas-on-top/), and trust me, they were 100 percent real. Soccer isn’t supposed to be like this, according to the gross majority of the sports population. Soccer, according to them, is a boring game where you should feel lucky if your team scores one goal. Sorry, soccer naysayers, this weekend belonged to the Soccer God, and like any god, he rewarded the believers and punished the skeptics. Let us forget the great game that took place on Friday, featuring two of the top teams in the country, and focus on an even better match between Syracuse and [Georgetown](https://www.thehoya.com/sports/no-11-hoyas-shut-out-pittsburgh/). In college sports lore, Syracuse and Georgetown belong on the hardwood. There lies Allen Iverson and John Wallace, Patrick Ewing and Rony Seikaly, Alonzo Mourning and Derrick Coleman. There lies the zones, the rebounds, and the trash-talk that comes with this Big East battle. No more. For those who were there on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the `Cuse and Georgetown will be remembered for one damn entertaining soccer game. I mean, honestly, what other game can you think of where a team came from three down in the second half to win? (Except of course, that one game during the third grade we all had when we scored five goals in three minutes to win the neighborhood one-on-one, under-11 national championship). Who scores four straight goals to win a game 5-4 in overtime? Even more amazing was that the Hoyas did it coming off the most emotionally, mentally and physically draining game of the year when they lost 2-1 in overtime to St. John’s. You could tell even the fans were still tired from Friday’s game on Sunday. Even the beloved Soccer God appeared against Georgetown in the early going. Let’s face it, scoring on Hoyas’ goalkeeper Tyler Purtill is one daunting task. And if you are outside the 18 people looking to score on Georgetown’s all-time shut out leader, forget about it. So what’s this, Syracuse, hitting the post twice and scoring all four goals on shots Ronaldo would have been proud of? (That is, if Ronaldo actually sucked it up and played instead of worrying about getting his pretty little mug on every billboard). Well, they did it, and the Hoyas fell down 4-1, only the second time thy trailed at home all year long (the first of which was Friday). Even the Pots’n’Spoons looked a little nervous heading into the final forty minutes. Someone forgot to tell the Georgetown players, though, for they kept the faith, and played truly divinely inspired ball from that point out. Eric Kvello, who gets picked on by two or three defenders at a time, somehow freed himself and scored. If you gave Kevin Shaw a bag of balls and a twenty-dollar bet, he probably couldn’t place one better than he did in the second half. And Kyle Rakow, who routinely smokes defender after defender up the side, was finally rewarded after with the most important goal of his year to tie it. In overtime, you knew. This team had played much too hard on Friday to lose to St. John’s but did. That wasn’t going to happen again, not this time. Especially when you leave Kvello as open as that. The Pre-season Big East Offensive Player of the Year and last week’s Big East Offensive Player of the Week wasn’t going to miss when he had the ball in the box. Big players step up in big moments in big games, and he did. Now the team that had watched as St. John’s piled on top of each other on Friday was jumping on top of each other in celebration. Ahh, how sweet victory is. As everyone was filing out of the stands Sunday, you could see them looking around in astonishment. Somewhere, the Soccer God is smiling.

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