The Hoyas were up 3-0 over the Musketeers within thirty minutes of the first half, creating dangerous counterattacks and applying constant pressure to the Xavier back lines. That dominant display, however, appeared to be in jeopardy as Xavier University scored just before halftime. An exciting second half soon followed with the teams going back and forth, but Georgetown put on an excellent defensive performance that squashed any hopes of a comeback from Xavier. 

Three first-half goals led Georgetown men’s soccer (5-1-1, 2-0-0 Big East) to a dominant 3-1 win over Xavier (4-3-1, 1-1-0 Big East) in their second conference game of the year.

No. 16 Georgetown, looking to remain unbeaten in Big East play, traveled on the road to face a tough Xavier side. From the very first seconds, it was all Georgetown. The Hoyas’ first chance came in the sixth minute when a shot bounced off the crossbar. After continuous pressure, they finally opened the scoring in the ninth minute, as sophomore forward Jacob Murrell sent a beautiful cross to the back post where sophomore midfielder Zach Zengue was waiting to blast the ball into the back of the net. 

The Hoyas maintained control of the game, using speed and sharpness to repeatedly counter the Musketeers’ slower and more patient approach. Their intensity paid off as Murrell found the back of the net himself just ten minutes later. After a calculated pass from captain and sophomore midfielder Diego Letayf, Murrell put in a beautiful solo effort to move his goal tally up to six for the season.

Despite being up 2-0, the Hoyas did not let their foot off the gas. With twenty minutes left in the half, Zengue scored a brace as he made a brilliant diving header following a floated cross from junior defender Kieran Sargeant. Zengue then almost secured a hat trick, only to have his goal disallowed due to a penalty. 

After their dominant start, the Hoyas faltered in the final minutes of the half, allowing Xavier midfielder Sohei Matsumori to net his second goal of the year following a cross by Xavier defender Jabari De Coteau. The Musketeers maintained pressure throughout the second half, constantly testing the defense. 

The second half took the form of a boxing match, with each team exchanging offensive efforts looking to put another point on the board. In the seventy-third minute, the Musketeers had three consecutive shots, each one blocked until the final one by Xavier forward Guilherme Vivaldini traveled just wide of the goal. 

In a last-ditch effort, Xavier midfielder Cooper Forcellini shot a low-driving ball toward the goal that Georgetown sophomore defender Miles Avery cleanly deflected out for a corner. The Musketeers played the corner short and Xavier midfielder George Waites crossed the ball in, but last week’s Big East defender of the week Kenny Nielsen was able to clear the ball down the field. This strong defensive stand by the Hoyas in the final minutes allowed Zengue to take the ball to the corner and let the final minutes tick away. 

Georgetown’s offense posted impressive statistics throughout the match. In the first half, the Hoyas recorded 9 shots with a 33% conversion rate to the Musketeers’ 2. Zengue recorded his second and third goals of the season as Sergeant moved to 3 assists on the year. Impressively, Murrell netted his sixth goal of the season — double that of any other Georgetown player and tied for first in the Big East. 

Defensively, senior keeper Ryan Schewe proved to be excellent between the sticks, recording 3 saves and only conceding 1 goal. Senior Kyle Linhares served as a consistent force in the midfield, recording 3 shots and creating plenty of opportunities for the Hoyas.

The early offensive dominance and complementary sound defensive performance allowed the Hoyas to advance to 5-1-1 overall and 2-0-0 in the Big East.

Head Coach Brian Wiese told Georgetown Athletics that the victory was a testament to the team’s efficiency in the first half.

“The guys managed a really hard-fought game,” Wiese said. “I thought we had three fantastic goals and were close to scoring more.”

The Hoyas look to continue their unbeaten streak in conference play as they host Butler (1-5-1, 1-1-0 Big East) at Shaw Field on Friday at 3 p.m.