The No. 7 Georgetown men’s soccer team ended its nonconference schedule on a high note, defeating the University of Maryland Terrapins (3-4-2) 1-0 on Tuesday. The Hoyas (6-1-3, 1-0-0 Big East) returned from College Park, Md., with only one loss in a nonconference schedule that included No. 1 Notre Dame University (5-1-2), No. 3 University of California, Irvine (8-0-1) and No. 16 Indiana University (6-1-3).

“If you had told me that out of our nine nonconference games, [we] would have only lost one going in to [the Big East schedule], I would have been very happy with that,” Head Coach Brian Wiese said.

Georgetown began the game promisingly, with sophomore forward Alex Muyl nearly scoring twice in the first three minutes of the game. His first opportunity came from a cross into the six-yard box by junior defender Joshua Turnley that was just slightly too far in front for Muyl to be directed into the goal. Minutes later, a long kick from senior goalkeeper and captain Tomas Gomez bounced over the defense and found the head of a sprinting Muyl. The forward’s header would have found the back of the net if not for the long reach and quick reaction of Maryland sophomore goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

“I think we would have been very unlucky to have lost the game,” Head Coach Brian Wiese said. “I thought we deserved the result. We had two, three, four pretty good chances, and I think we kept Maryland to situations that were not as dangerous.”

The second half continued much as the first had, with the Hoyas creating four shots in each 45-minute period. Despite these opportunities, the match remained scoreless until the 78th minute, when sophomore midfielder Bakie Goodman battled through traffic on the left sideline and found himself in a four-on-two breakaway with Muyl, junior forward Brandon Allen and freshman midfielder Arun Basuljevic.

A series of short, precise passes gave Allen an open look at goal that he converted by sliding the ball to the left of the goalkeeper. That would be the only score that the Hoyas would need to win the game.

“Maryland’s record is deceiving. They play a hard schedule. They are trying to find ways to score goals, but they also make life very hard. They were more difficult to figure out and get a rhythm against than anyone we have played all year,” Wiese said.

The win over Maryland had all the markings of a classic 2014 Georgetown performance. The Hoyas earned a shutout, created the majority of dangerous opportunities in the game and got the game-winning goal from Allen.

Even the goal itself seemed familiar, with assists coming from regular providers Goodman and Muyl and the clinical finish provided by Allen. The junior forward is fourth in the country with eight goals in just 10 games, including three in the last two games. Those impressive numbers would not be possible without Muyl, who is fourth in Division I soccer in assists and who has been involved in half of Allen’s goals this season.

Allen is clearly enjoying his recent run of goal-scoring success.

“It feels like my freshman year when I had 16 goals, so hopefully this continues. I’m looking forward to the rest of the games and the Big East tournament,” Allen said.

One major difference in the Maryland game was in the Hoya back line. Junior defender Cole Seiler missed his second straight game, but he was replaced by senior and Big East Defensive Player of the Week Jared Rist. Rist has appeared in eight games this season, starting the last two for the injured Seiler. Both of those starts resulted in shutouts for Georgetown.

With its nonconference schedule completed, Georgetown will begin its Big East slate with a match against No. 12 Marquette University. The Golden Eagles (6-2-0) have been one of the top teams in the country over the last month, winning six games in a row and outscoring opponents 11-0 since August. Its schedule may not have been as impressive as Georgetown’s, but Marquette will be one of the most difficult conference games the Hoyas will play all year.
Nevertheless, Allen and the Hoyas are excited for the conference part of the season to begin.

“It gets more and more exciting every game. … It’s a challenge every year to get to the Big East semifinals, so let’s just get back there and see what happens,” Allen said.