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

GU Regains City Bragging Rights

It’s safe to call it a winning streak now.

In a road game that couldn’t have been closer to home, the Georgetown men’s soccer team (5-4-1, 1-1 Big East) notched its third consecutive win and its first of the season away from the Hilltop by defeating city rival American University (5-5, 2-0 Patriot League) 3-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Reeves Field.

The victory marks the Hoyas’ first over the Eagles in three seasons and their first road triumph in the series since 2000.

“It’s relieving, I think,” senior forward Jose Colchao said of finally taking down the Eagles. “Coach mentioned it. We were exorcising demons if we beat this team.”

Head Coach Brian Wiese had earlier expressed concern about the team’s ability to prepare mentally for an afternoon game in the middle of a school week, but the Hoyas managed to shift gears from studies to soccer on their way from the classroom to the team bus.

“It was as good as we could have hoped,” Wiese said of the team’s preparation.

The head coach later joked that he would have to talk to the deans about some of his players missing Wednesday’s pre-game meeting because of class commitments.

“That’s part of the challenge of being at Georgetown,” he said. “But I thought the first half we were terrific, so I have no complaints with how we approached the game.”

The Hoyas took a stranglehold on the match in the early going. In the 10th minute, senior midfielder Seth C’deBaca found Colchao on the right side of the 18-yard box. Colchao controlled and fired a low, hard shot to the far post, beating American junior goalkeeper Matt Makowski for his second goal of the season.

Sophomore defender Jimmy Nealis and senior midfielder Chandler Diggs kept the pressure on with driven shots from the left side in the 13th minute, but Makowski turned both chances away. Another shot from Colchao trickled just wide of the left post a minute later.

Georgetown continued to create scoring chances through the half-hour mark. C’deBaca was in on goal in the 28th minute but was dispossessed by a clean slide tackle from American freshman defender Cristobal Soto inside the penalty area. Three minutes later, however, freshman midfielder Steve Neumann found the Hoyas’ second goal, redirecting a cross from freshman forward Gabe Padilla into an open net.

Up two with under an hour remaining, it seemed as though the Blue and Gray had done enough to earn a win in their final nonconference game of the season.

But the Eagles, as they so often do against the Hoyas, were able to keep themselves in the game. American answered Georgetown’s 2-0 lead with a flurry of shots in the final 10 minutes of the half, and freshman midfielder Colin Seigfreid was able to put the home team on the board with a close-range finish from a scrum in the box in the 36th minute.

In front 2-1 at halftime, Wiese told his team that they would need a third goal to win the match; whether American found an equalizer first or Georgetown took a 3-1 lead, two goals would not be enough.

“We’ve had this script before with our AU games,” he said. “I thought AU came out and carried a lot more of the second half. I thought we defended a lot more than I would have liked. But having said that, we still got behind them a bunch.”

The Hoyas had more than a few opportunities to score that third goal in the opening phases of the second half. C’deBaca banged a shot off the right post in the 58th minute, and sophomore forward Andy Riemer followed up with a one-on-one chip shot over the crossbar a minute later.

“We could have put the game away,” Colchao said. “We missed [our chances], and they came back. That’s soccer.”

American tied the score in the 62nd minute when sophomore forward and leading goal scorer Alassane Kane cleaned up a rebound in front of goal. What once looked like a sure win for the Blue and Gray had turned into a contest that was anyone’s for the taking.

“It’s like a professional derby,” Colchao said. “They’re our local rival, so it’s always going to be that kind of game.”

Georgetown’s frustration was evident on the field and translated into more than a few charged tackles and heated confrontations with American players and referee Peter Dhima, but the Hoyas were eventually able to channel that emotion into a game-winner in the 85th minute. Riemer put in a cross to the back post from the left corner, and Neumann ran onto it unmarked and headed home his second goal of the game and his team-leading third of the season.

“It felt good,” the emerging playmaker said of scoring the clincher. “I thought we responded well to going 2-2, and it’s just important to get these wins and get through these close games. I thought we came back and fought well.”

After squeaking past American, Georgetown will enter its Big East contest at Providence on Saturday with a season-long, three-game winning streak on the line. Given that only seven games – all against Big East opponents – remain on the schedule, the last two of which include matches with powerhouses No. 2 Connecticut and Notre Dame, the Hoyas recognize the mounting importance of the results they achieve on each successive game day.

“For whatever reason, the Big East never goes exactly as planned,” Colchao said. “Points are dropped everywhere, and playing away is tough.”

The Friars (5-3-1, 0-2 Big East) will be especially defensive of their home ground tomorrow as they desperately seek their first conference points of the year.

“They’re not going to be a pushover,” Wiese said. “They’re going to give us their biggest and best punch.”

Saturday’s kickoff at Providence is set for 1 p.m.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Hoya

Your donation will support the student journalists of Georgetown University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Hoya

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

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