The Georgetown University men’s soccer team (1-2-2) fought the Duke University Blue Devils (2-0-2) to a 2-2 draw in a Friday night match Sept. 5 on Shaw Field. After a scoreless first half, the Hoyas scored twice in the 67th and 78th minute and looked to have pocketed the win. Just 13 seconds apart in the 85th minute, the Blue Devils scored twice, blowing the Hoyas’ lead. Neither team was able to find the winning goal.
The currently unranked Hoyas took on the 14th-ranked Blue Devils squad in their third consecutive home match against a ranked opponent. A rough start to the season saw the Hoyas lose their No. 25 preseason ranking after falling to then-unranked High Point University and University of Maryland. Since then, Georgetown has been working to slowly regain their national prominence — the Hoyas took down the then-3rd-ranked University of Pittsburgh on Aug. 29 and tied the then-1st-ranked University of Vermont on Sept. 1. Friday’s draw to Duke — while ultimately disappointing — continues Georgetown’s upward trend.
The match got off to a slow start as a downed Duke player stopped play twice in the first 3 minutes, with one episode requiring medical attention. A snail-like pace became a theme as, after the game’s slow start, neither team was quick to put a score on the board.
The pace of play, nonetheless, quickly picked up after play resumed on the pitch. Both teams had ample breakaway and scoring opportunities. Duke was the first to capitalize on this, firing off a shot in the 5th minute that was adeptly saved by a dive to the right by senior goalkeeper Tenzing Manske. The Hoyas put up their first shot in the 11th minute, as junior midfielder Matthew Van Horn fired one to the left, but it was saved by the Blue Devil goalkeeper Eryk Dymora.
The buzz of the crowd — like the buzz of the gnats — fueled the Hoyas’ play. Potentially drawn in by the offer of free tacos, students lined the back of Duke’s goal and the entire side of the pitch while local families and fans filled the stands. The 1,625-seat Shaw Field stadium saw 2,210 attendees Friday night; many prepared to heckle the Blue Devils keeper, denounce the referee’s egregious calls and roar and moan to the Hoyas’ triumphs and tribulations.
The first half was rife with intensity and missed opportunities. Georgetown and Duke both put up 3 shots — 1 on goal for the Hoyas compared to 2 for the Blue Devils An offside call in the 19th minute ruled a Georgetown breakaway ineffective. Senior midfielder Zach Zengue found another promising opportunity in the 22nd minute, but a Duke player held him from moving, picking up a yellow card in the process. An attempted bicycle kick off a corner by junior midfielder Eric Howard sailed high and to the right in the 28th minute. In the 29th minute, sophomore forward Mitchell Baker looked like he was about to pull the Hoyas into the lead, chipping a ball over Blue Devils goalkeeper Eryk Dymora, but ultimately failing to regain contact as the ball flew far to the right of the goal. Some well-executed passes found junior midfielder Jack Heaps with a clean line to the goal in the 35th minute, but too much upward force sent the ball sailing high above the goal. The first half ended in a scoreless draw.
The second half of the match got off to a very similar start: missed Hoya opportunities, Manske saves, downed Duke players rolling on the ground requiring AT intervention and pulling, holding and shoving on all ends. After a turbulent 20 minutes of play, the Hoyas found the back of the net for the first time in a perfectly executed team play. Senior midfielder Julian Barrios Cristales sent the ball up the pitch to Van Horn who stopped the ball before being taken down to the ground by a Duke defender in the 67th minute. Zengue, however, swooped into the open space, and sent the ball forcefully into the back of the net, sending the crowd into uproarious cheers.
In the 78th minute, Georgetown found the back of the net a second time. On a free kick, Baker received a pass to the middle of the box from Zengue and redirected the ball right over Dymora’s hands, putting the Hoyas up 2-0. After the second goal, it appeared Georgetown had the game in the bag despite the Blue Devils’ upped offense.
In the 85th minute, Duke found the back of the Hoyas’ net for the first time, sending a ball past Baker toward the near post. Manske was unable to dive far enough to reach the ball in time, and Duke scored, leaving the Hoyas still up 2-1. Just 13 seconds later, though, Duke again sank a ball, this time past four Georgetown defenders and Manske, tying the match at 2-2.
With less than 6 minutes left in play, the Hoyas became frantic, and sloppy offensive errors overran any chances they had of retaking the lead. Neither team found the net again, and the match ended in a disappointing draw.
Despite throwing away what seemed to be a hard-fought win in the span of less than 15 minutes, the Hoyas performed well. Manske recorded 5 saves against Duke’s 1, despite both teams letting in 2 goals. Baker scored in his second consecutive match. Zengue was named to the Big East weekly honor roll for the fourth time in his career. Overall, the team still appears on the upward trajectory.
The Hoyas will next take on the James Madison University (JMU) Dukes (0-3) on Sept. 9 on Shaw Field. Georgetown has played JMU 4 times over the last three years and lost 3 of those matches, the most devastating of these being during the 2023 NCAA tournament. The Hoyas will be seeking redemption this time around, and — with a home crowd to cheer them on and the Dukes’ lackluster record thus far — a win is a real possibility.
