Slump Plagues Hoyas Toward End of Season

The Georgetown men’s soccer team is limping towards the finish line of the regular season, shut out in two of its past three matches, including a 1-0 loss to Boston College last Friday. The Hoyas’ late-season stumble drops their Big East record to 5-5-1 as they slip to a sixth place finish in the conference regular season standings. As the sixth seed in the Big East tournament, which begins this Sunday, the Hoyas must make the trek up to Chestnut Hill for the second consecutive weekend to challenge the third-seeded Eagles in a quarterfinal matchup.

Against the Eagles, Head Coach Keith Tabatznik opted to place sophomore Brian O’Hagan in goal instead of freshman Tim Hogan, who boasts a 5-1 record this season. O’Hagan played well, collecting six saves on the day while allowing only one goal, but his effort wasn’t enough as the Hoyas’ offense sputtered and was held scoreless for the fourth time this season.

The game’s only goal came in the 14th minute and was the result of some fancy passing by the Eagles. Senior midfielder Jorgen Lie gave a lead pass to a charging Bobby Thompson, who put in his first goal of the season. Junior Chris Cleary also assisted on the goal.

The Hoyas’ best scoring opportunity in the game came early in the second half when sophomore midfielder Tony Soric put a near-perfect shot just under the crossbar, only to be robbed by a leaping Chris Chamblin, who earned his seventh shutout of the season. Chamblin’s efforts against the Hoyas earned him Big East Goalkeeper of the Week honors.

With the loss to Boston College, the Hoyas spoiled their opportunity to play host to a quarterfinal match in the Big East tournament. A Seton Hall win over the weekend bumped the Hoyas down from fifth place to a sixth place tie with Rutgers. Georgetown won the tiebreaker over Rutgers by virtue of its 2-1 victory over the Scarlet Knights in its Big East opener.

Before the Hoyas travel to Boston for their quarterfinal match with the Eagles, they play host to one final regular season contest against regional rival Richmond today at 2:30 p.m. The Hoyas and Spiders are ranked seventh and eighth, respectively in the South Atlantic Region. The Spiders have defeated the Hoyas in each of the past two seasons, including a 1-0 double-overtime win last season.