Eve Caron
Georgetown men's soccer extended its winning streak to five games, taking down the St. John's Red Storm.
The Georgetown University men’s soccer team (6-2-2, 2-0-0 Big East) defeated the St. John’s University Red Storm (4-3-3, 0-1-1 Big East) under the lights at Shaw Field Saturday, Sept. 27.
The Hoyas charged into the match hot off a four-game win streak in which they netted a total of 18 goals. The first half of the game saw the majority of the action, where the Hoyas found a way through with a St. John’s own goal in the 28th minute. Despite increased pressure from the Red Storm offense, the Hoyas controlled the second half and comfortably maintained their two-goal advantage.
St. John’s has seen mixed results this season, drawing some tough teams like at-the-time No. 5 Wake Forest (5-2-3) in August and at-the-time No. 2 Marshall (3-1-4) in September. The Red Storm came into this Big East contest looking to improve their conference record after a 1-1 tie against Xavier Sept. 19, but came up short against the Hoyas. Georgetown has now won five consecutive games, netting a whopping average of 4 goals per game. Saturday’s clash proved this impressive momentum is anything but accidental.
The Hoyas quickly established control in the first half as first-year center back Will Caldwell tested the Red Storm backline with several well-placed lofted balls, causing early trouble for the defense. Senior co-captain midfielder Julian Barrios Cristales set the tone in the midfield, playing a lovely trivela in the eighth minute to sophomore striker Mitchell Baker, who struck a solid effort at goal and had another shot on target five minutes later.
The Hoyas struggled to find a final spark in the offensive third until a lofted ball saw junior fullback Matthew Helfrich rush into the box, pressure the defense, and cause an own goal for the Red Storm in the 28th minute. Visibly rattled, the Red Storm backline struggled to contain the Hoyas’ offense — St. John’s keeper Alec McLachlan received a yellow card in the 33rd minute for dissent.
Two minutes after McLachlan’s caution, Zengue managed to control a dangerous cutback in the box and fire a shot into the upper left corner with his back to the net, marking his ninth goal of the season. Zengue was assisted by Helfrich and junior midfielder Jack Heaps. Last week, Zengue received offensive player of the week honors for his excellence and consistent production in the final third — his performance against St. John’s was no different, helping him earn the honor for a second time this week. With the own goal and Zengue’s strike as insurance, the Hoyas headed into the second half with an air of calm and control.
Coming out of the locker room, the Red Storm found more offensive momentum at the beginning of the second half. They nearly found the net in the 50th minute but were thwarted by senior goalkeeper Tenzing Manske, who expertly tipped the powerful close-range effort over the bar. Manske continued to dominate the box, claiming several crosses as the half progressed and resetting the game’s tempo. The Hoyas nearly found a third goal when senior midfielder Max Viera barreled a shot towards the upper-right-hand corner, but his effort was thwarted by the woodwork.
The Hoyas and the Red Storm each had a few more chances in the half, with Manske making a great save low to his left in the 70th minute and junior midfielder Matthew Van Horn driving the offensive momentum with his work through the middle. After claiming a corner in the 74th minute, Manske landed awkwardly and took a knee, giving way to sophomore keeper Charlie DeMarco. DeMarco finished out the match and maintained the Hoyas’ clean sheet, settling the tempo in the final minute of the game with a well-held catch off a St. John’s cross.
Head Coach Brian Wiese said team veterans have set the tone while younger players have put in strong performances and gotten valuable minutes.
“The old guys are continuing to do a really good job for us,” Wiese told The Hoya. “Matthew Helfrich was really influential in both goals, and Zach Zengue continues to be important.”
“Different guys have to step up when their names are called, and they’ve been doing it,” Wiese added.
The Hoyas continue Big East play against Seton Hall (4-2-3, Big East 2-0) on Friday, Oct. 3, in South Orange, New Jersey. There, they’ll seek to retain their strong momentum and claim their sixth consecutive win.