In a very physical and high-stakes game, the Georgetown University men’s soccer team defeated the Villanova Wildcats 2-0 at home on Wednesday afternoon. 

The Hoyas (9-2-1, 5-1 Big East) earned a hard-fought victory over the Wildcats (1-7-4, 1-4-1 Big East) with two second-half goals that further solidified their top position in the Big East conference standings and a high seeding in the Big East Championship. 

The Wildcats had a locked-down defense throughout the first half of the game, only allowing two shots on goal for the Hoyas. Head Coach Brian Wiese said Georgetown responded well to Villanova’s stout defense.

“They had huge numbers behind the ball and we spent the first 45 minutes trying to get into dangerous spots to unlock their defense,” Wiese told The Hoya. “I’m proud of the guys that they didn’t get frustrated, and found a way to get through a stubborn, organized Villanova team.” 

The Hoyas were able to unlock the Villanova defense twice in the second half, allowing for a game total of six shots on goal with two making it into the net. The first was scored by sophomore forward Jacob Murrell in the 64th minute of the match. 

Senior forward Marlon Tabora assisted Murrell and passed the ball to sophomore midfielder Zach Zengue, who gave a perfectly set up give-and-go pass to Murrell. The sophomore forward then took the ball to the back of the net making the game 1-0. 

The Hoyas would soon get another opportunity to score in the 73rd minute when junior midfielder Joe Buck looked up from a fast break down the field to see junior defender Kieran Sargeant making a run toward the goal. Buck passed the ball over to Sargeant who, in a flop-like move, redirected the ball to bounce right over the Wildcat goalkeeper’s head to score the final goal of the match for the Hoyas. 

Other notable players included Georgetown’s sophomore goalkeeper Tenzing Manske, who would have a shutout day with four saves. 

The Hoyas also earned 14 corner kicks to Villanova’s zero on the day. Though there were no goals scored on the corners, Coach Wiese still felt proud to have earned them. 

“I think it’s not so much that we didn’t score the corners, I think it was like ‘well that was a really good thing that we earned 14 corners,’ because that sort of indicates where the game was being played,” Wiese said, which proved true, as the Hoyas were able to stay in the offense for the majority of the match.

With the win, the Hoyas moved to a record of 9-2-1 and 5-1 in the Big East, and with the loss, the Wildcats moved to 1-7-4 and 1-4-1 in the Big East. Looking forward to the weekend, the Hoyas will continue their home game streak and will take on the St. John’s Red Storm on Saturday at 1 p.m. 

“It’s a traditional rival for us and I think the guys understand if we win then we clinch the league,” Wiese said. “So there’s a lot at stake there and they’ll be very motivated to have a good performance. It’s St. John’s, it should be a game worthy to try to win the league with.”