The Georgetown University men’s soccer team (3-7-0, 1-2-0 Big East) lost a tough 2-4 game Saturday night against the No. 9 Butler University Bulldogs (8-1-1, 3-0-0 Big East). While the Hoyas finally managed to create offensive scoring chances, defensive breakdowns cost them the match.

Georgetown junior midfielder Arun Basuljevic started the scoring in the 14th minute off a pass from senior midfielder and co-captain Bakie Goodman. Basuljevic shot the ball through a screen of Bulldog defenders, ultimately finding the back of the net.

Butler, however, responded quickly, scoring five minutes later to tie the game at 1-1. Freshman midfielder Issac Galliford took a cross to the middle of the field and fired one into the net off a quick release.

The score stayed tied until the 30th minute where Butler senior forward David Goldsmith connected with a lefty boot to the back of the net. This was the last goal in the first half and put Georgetown in a hole moving forward.

The Hoyas, despite playing hard defense, struggled to contain the Bulldog’s strong offensive attack.  Butler’s spread-out approach worked very well and carried into more scoring later on.

“They’re one of the better teams to keep it and space with good numbers that you’ll play … they will score a ton of goals, they’re pretty comfortably the most efficient team we play in terms of efficient scoring when they get the chances, they just have pieces up there that are efficient, talented, attacking players,” Head Coach Brian Wiese said.

In the second half, Georgetown’s defense continued to struggle against the surging Butler offense. Freshman midfielder Lewis Suddick doubled the Bulldogs’ lead to two goals in the 54th minute. After an intercepted pass and an assist by Galliford, Suddick’s impressive footwork  resulted in another goal for Butler.

Georgetown worked hard to climb back from the 3-1 deficit but lost possession and control of the ball to Butler for long stretches at times.

After 24 scoreless minutes, Georgetown sophomore midfielder Brendan McDonough scored off a deflection from a free kick, chipping away at the Butler lead. McDonough’s first goal of the season put the Hoyas into a desperate situation to tie with less than five minutes left in play.

Georgetown’s comeback hopes were dashed less than a minute later. A defensive miscommunication allowed Butler’s Goldsmith to score his second goal of the night, keeping the game out of the Hoyas’ reach. Goldsmith’s two goals give him 10 on the season, enough to lead in the Big East Conference.

The Hoyas were outmatched in shots on goal by Butler 8-2.

Throughout the game, Georgetown sophomore goalkeeper and co-captain JT Marcinkowski helped the team with four saves. Junior midfielder Christopher Lema contributed with three shots in the game for the Hoyas. Bakie Goodman also had a great shot on goal, missing by about six inches. Wiese described the level of intensity throughout the game.

“[The play felt] like a championship game that if you lose the ball you might not see it for a while and vise versa,” Wiese said. “The difference was [that Butler] buried both their chances, and we buried one and almost the second [in the second half].”

Despite the outcome, Weise was pleased with how the team matched up against a strong Butler team and knows that the team is able to improve.

“[We did a] good job of keeping [possession] for some time” Wiese said. “For as good as they are, if we lined up with them next weekend, the guys would feel really good about their ability to get a result.”

Aware of the tight Big East standings, Wiese described the Hoyas’ upcoming game against Marquette as a challenge due to both teams’ desperate need for wins.

“[We] have six league games left to play and [after being] dealt a really tough start. There’s a lot of [Big East] points there for the taking,” Wiese said of the competitive Big East schedule.

The Hoyas take on the Marquette University Golden Eagles (3-3-3, 0-2-1 Big East) on the road Saturday, Oct. 8th at 8 p.m.