The Georgetown men’s soccer team faced double overtime for the sixth time this season on Saturday night, tying No. 1 Connecticut (13-1-2, 4-1-2 Big East), 0-0, in front of a packed stadium in Storrs, Conn. The No. 24 Hoyas (9-3-4, 4-2-1 Big East) now have just two games left on the regular season schedule.

“It was an NCAA tournament, playoff-type atmosphere against an NCAA tournament, playoff-type team,” Head Coach Brian Wiese said of the game against Connecticut. “We were just a couple inches away from getting the win. I think the disappointment was that we didn’t quite do what we needed to do to control more of the game.”

The teams appeared evenly matched in the opening minutes of play, as the Hoyas managed three shots to the Huskies’ five. UConn tallied two shots on goal in the first half, but freshman goalkeeper Tomas Gomez stopped both, saving Georgetown from falling behind.

Sophomore midfielder Colin Bradley had the first chance to score for Connecticut in the 18th minute after a foul by Georgetown. Junior defender Max Wasserman bent a free kick from the right side, but Gomez punched out the dangerous ball. Bradley then fired from the top of the box, but his shot went high to leave the score tied.

Connecticut’s second chance came on a give-and-go from the left side that ended in a shot towards the bottom-left corner of the net. Gomez stepped up yet again to prevent the Huskies from getting on the scoreboard.

Sophomore midfielder and leading scorer Steve Neumann had the Hoyas’ only chance for a score in the first half. After an impressive run towards the goal, he ripped one from the top of the box, but his shot went wide right and the teams entered the break in a tie.

The Huskies dominated possession for a majority of the second half, but neither team could generate any quality opportunities. UConn took ten shots to Georgetown’s two.

“While we may have gotten chances, it’s much harder to be defending than to be attacking with the ball,” Wiese said. “We had talked about trying to keep the ball a little bit better against them. I think, to UConn’s credit, they pressed well and they made it tough. We certainly would’ve liked to be more calm on the ball and put our foot on it to make them work to defend us. That would have made the difference in the game.”

Despite their struggles with possession, the Hoyas proved their defensive strength yet again, forcing two evenly matched overtime periods. Georgetown’s defense has been a key component in almost every victory this season.

“I thought our back four were terrific,” Wiese said. “They had to concentrate not for 90 minutes, but for 110 minutes against a really potent attacking team, and they did a really good job of it. They really played their hearts out.”

The Huskies nearly broke the deadlock with just six minutes left in regulation on a hard shot from senior midfielder Tony Cascio. Gomez blocked the ball in the bottom left corner to keep the game scoreless. Connecticut saw two more chances in the second extra period, but couldn’t find the finishing touch.

Overall, Connecticut outshot Georgetown, 18-8.  The Hoyas finished the contest without taking any corner kicks while the Huskies tallied five. Gomez finished the game with two saves to his credit, earning his seventh shutout of the season.

The tie shattered the Huskies’ eight-game unbeaten streak at home and marked Georgetown’s seventh overtime contest of the season.

“I think, in all honesty, it’s a good result,” Wiese said. “You go on the road in the Big East and get a point against anybody; whether it’s the best team in the country or the worst team in the league, it’s still not a bad thing to get that point. It’s a hard thing to do in this league, especially against UConn.”

On Monday, Gomez was named Big East goalkeeper of the week after his performances against Connecticut on Saturday and Marquette last Wednesday. The rookie tallied seven saves during the two road games.

Neumann was also honored Monday, earning a spot on the Big East weekly honor roll for the second consecutive week.

The Hoyas will finish regular season play at home this week with two conference matches. The squad will face off against Pittsburgh on Wednesday at 2 p.m. before taking on Providence at 1 p.m. on Saturday.