“You see [junior forward] Mike Glaccum hit the crossbar right off of the bat, and you could easily just see the guys saying, `This is going to be another one of these days when we’re just not going to score,'” Head Coach Brian Wiese said.

But senior forward and co-captain Ricky Schramm would not be denied. In the 21st minute, he wrestled the ball away from a Howard defender in the penalty box and drove a low, hard shot into the back of net. Schramm went on to score two more goals in the contest, leading the Hoyas to an impressive 5-0 non-league victory on North Kehoe Field.

“The whole game was about getting that first goal,” Schramm said. “We came out here and we got it early enough that the rest of the game we were just fighting for that second, third and fourth, which come easier.”

“The first goal settles you, and once you get the lead everybody plays a little more relaxed, and it’s easier to take your opportunities at that time because the game is going your way,” Wiese said.

Georgetown improves to 4-8-0 overall. The Hoyas are currently in seventh place out of eight teams in the Big East Blue Division with a record of 2-5-0 in conference play. Howard drops to 2-9-1 on the season.

“This is a game just to get us ready for our conference,” Howard Head Coach Keith Tucker said. “It was a good time for us to come out and learn how to really play soccer.”

After notching his team-leading sixth goal of the season to get Georgetown on the scoreboard, Schramm struck again four minutes later off of an accurate pass from senior midfielder Daniel Grasso. Schramm took the ball in stride 15 yards out from the goal and beat Howard goalkeeper Chris Taylor to the lower right corner.

“With the way Howard was sorted out in the back, [Schramm] is going to take advantage of teams when they give you those chances,” Wiese said. “He hunts for these opportunities. I think he dreams about these opportunities.”

Grasso tallied his second assist in the game in the 31st minute after sprinting with the ball along the right wing. Grasso found freshman midfielder Scott Larrabee, who was standing in traffic about two feet from the goal line. Larrabee controlled the pass and slammed it backwards into the net with his right heel for his first collegiate goal.

Howard had two scoring opportunities late in the first half. In the 34th minute, midfielder DeVrae Tankard fired a free kick from just outside of the penalty box, but Georgetown senior goalkeeper Andrew Keszler caught the ball after it bounced directly in front of him. One minute later, Keszler made a diving stop to his right to preserve the shutout.

Keszler made three saves in his first start since Georgetown’s 5-2 loss to St. John’s on Sept. 10. After Keszler, the starter the past two season, started the first three games (and the fifth game) of the season and struggled, junior Joe Devine took over in net and performed well, posting a 1.66 goals against average. Wiese said he was unsure which netminder would be in the starting lineup tomorrow at Notre Dame.

Schramm was inches away from notching his third goal of the game in the 44th minute, but his shot from the right side of the field hit the left post. Fortunately for the Hoyas, the ball bounced directly to sophomore forward Richard Frank, who easily knocked it into the wide open goal for his second goal of the season.

Down 4-0 at halftime, the Bison were unable to make successful adjustments, as Georgetown continued to control the game throughout the second period.

In the 71st minute, Schramm once again got past the Bison defenders. As he dribbled the ball down the left side of the field, Howard goalkeeper Adisa Bekoe charged toward him. Schramm got rid of the ball before Bekoe could catch him, and his shot bounced into the right corner of the net for his eighth goal of the season.

With the goal, Schramm completed his second career hat trick. He scored multiple goals for the 11th time in his career.

“I think the style of play was conducive to my style of play,” Schramm said. “I just like to get behind a lot. A lot of what I do is dependant on good service. Guys were playing good balls in to me and I was getting behind.”

“I’m surprised that [Schramm] hasn’t scored more goals, because he’s an excellent striker,” Tucker said. “But he creates a lot of opportunities for other people too.”

Georgetown outshot Howard 21-10 in the contest and held a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks.

“A mental lift basically is what we needed, and hopefully this gives us a little bit of a bounce going into these last games,” Keszler said.

“It was a big win just to get ourselves back into the win column,” Wiese said. “Winning is a habit and losing is a habit. At the end of the day, we broke a habit.”

On Saturday, the Hoyas will take on Big East foe Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., where Wiese was associate head coach last year. The Fighting Irish (8-3-2, 5-2-0) ranked eighth in the latest NSCAA/Adidas national rankings.

“I certainly wish [Notre Dame] the best in every game of the year but this one,” Wiese said. “For us, it’s a huge game. We have to get some points to get ourselves moving up the table in the Big East.”

Game time at Notre Dame’s Alumni Field is set for noon.