Coming off a tantalizing takedown of No. 3 University of Pittsburgh (2-1) last Friday, Aug. 29, the Georgetown University men’s soccer team (1-2-1) fought the No. 1 ranked and last year’s NCAA champions, the University of Vermont Catamounts (2-0-2), to a draw Sept. 1 at home.
The Hoyas took a flying start to the match, with sophomore forward Mitchell Baker securing the Hoyas’ singular goal in the 13th minute. Georgetown skillfully maintained their lead until the 86th minute of play, when a ball flew over senior goalkeeper Tenzing Manske’s reach and found its way into the net, landing Vermont the equalizer. Despite ample, impressive attempts, the Hoyas failed to secure a winning goal in the last 4 minutes of play.
With the sun shining, pep band playing and 1,221 fans filling the majority of the 1,625 seat Shaw Field and lining the back of Vermont’s goal, Georgetown — feeding off the stadium’s energy — got off to an electric start. Players on the ground, fouls, free kicks, flying balls and throw-ins defined the opening minutes of the match. The ball ricocheted team to team with the Hoyas seeking opportunities in the form of free kicks by the Catamounts’ goal and Vermont breakaways turning into Georgetown free kicks up the pitch. The ball sailed, bouncing off heads team to team. The riveting running side to side first came to fruition as senior midfielder Zach Zengue fired a shot towards the low center of the goal in the 13th minute of play, which was deflected in a dive by Vermont goalkeeper Niklas Herceg. Baker found the ball at the right post and rapidly sent it back into the lower right corner to the eruption of the crowd, securing the 1-0 lead for the Hoyas.
The remainder of the half continued much like it had begun, with Georgetown proving the slightly dominant force. The Hoyas put up 2 more shots in the first half with 1 on goal for a total of 4 shots, 3 of which were on target. The Catamounts put up a mere 2 shots, 1 of which was on target. The Hoyas secured 2 corners in the first half; the Catamounts secured none. Neither team was afraid of getting a little physical, with Georgetown incurring 7 fouls and Vermont 9. The half ended with the Hoyas holding possession, a reminder of which team was in the lead.
As the second half started, it was clear Vermont was looking to secure the win. The Catamounts worked to control possession, losing any fear, assuming there ever was any, of getting physical. The Hoyas upped their physicality in response; the second half saw Georgetown incur 7 fouls, almost doubled by Vermont with 12 incurred fouls. The Hoyas however managed to draw 4 yellow cards in the second half, while the Catamounts only drew 2.
Vermont propelled the ball around Georgetown’s end of the pitch out of the halftime interval, rarely allowing the Hoyas to venture into Catamount territory. Despite Vermont appearing to maintain the majority of possession, Georgetown put up 4 shots, 2 on target, before the Catamounts managed to send up their first shot of the half in the 84th minute, sending a ball soaring far over the net. Less than 2 minutes later, the Catamounts secured a breakaway, and as Manske stepped out of goal to grab a bouncing ball, Vermont forward Maximilian Kissel managed to tip the ball over Manske into the net to secure the equalizer for the Catamounts.
Despite the groans of the crowd — and maybe inspired by — the Hoyas quickly went on the offense, sending up 2 shots in the final 4 minutes of play, 1 of which was on target. Reminiscent of the first point of the match, Zengue passed the ball to Baker, who headed it straight towards the goal before Vermont’s Herceg dove in for the save in the 87th minute. Georgetown failed to find the back of the net again, and the match ended in a draw despite the Hoyas’ best efforts.
Georgetown ended the match with 10 shot attempts compared to Vermont’s 5 attempts — 6 of the Hoyas’ shots were on target while only 2 of the Catamounts’ were. Despite their apparent offensive and defensive prowess, Georgetown was unable to secure the win. A smattering of offensive errors may have cost the Hoyas some chances, but their defense locked down the Catamounts. Against the No. 1 team in the country and reigning national champions, a tie seems a very successful result for the Hoyas.
On Tuesday, Sep. 2, Baker and junior defender Oliver Stafford, who scored the Hoyas’ winning point in their match against Pitt — the first of his career — on Aug. 29, were named to the Big East weekly honor roll. Another nod to Georgetown’s success this week.
In describing the decision to play Vermont, Head Coach Brian Wiese said playing the Catamounts offered the Hoyas an opportunity to grow.
“It’s tough when you think you have the game wound up and then you lose the goal,” Wiese told Georgetown Athletics. “But we have to learn from that and move forward quickly with Duke rolling in on Friday. This is why we play these games, the margins are small and we know it’s going to be difficult, but the hope is that we learn from it for next time.”
The Hoyas gear up to take on the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils (2-0-1) Friday, Sep. 5 in the fourth match of their six-match homestand. Georgetown will be looking for another victory over a ranked opponent and a chance to earn back a ranking of their own.
