The No. 10 Georgetown University men’s soccer team notched its third straight win Saturday, defeating the Marquette University Golden Eagles 2-1 at Shaw Field.
The Hoyas remain undefeated at home, with five victories at Shaw Field this season.
Georgetown (7-1-1, 2-1 Big East) struck first on a breakaway chance in the ninth minute. Freshman forward Derek Dodson sent a ball to freshman midfielder Jacob Montes, whose shot was saved. Junior forward Ethan Lochner was there for the rebound and sent the ball easily to the back of the net.
It was the second goal of the season for Lochner, who stepped up to his offensive role to replace injured senior forward Zach Knudson. The Hoya offense outshot the Golden Eagles (1-7-1, 1-2 Big East) 17 to 8.
“Our offensive line is always a threat no matter what. [Sophomore forward] Achara, with the speed he has, Lochner, [and freshman midfielder Jack] Beer are all really creative players, so the threat is always going to be there,” Montes said. “We’re all feeling really good.”
Marquette did not waste time cutting the deficit. Thirty seconds after Lochner’s goal, Marquette took the ball from midfield deep into the Georgetown zone. A misstep from Georgetown’s defense led to an easy goal from 15 yards out, tying the game at 1-1.
In response, Georgetown immediately created several dangerous opportunities on offense. In the 16th minute, the Hoyas found the net for a second time. Montes served an excellent ball to senior midfielder Declan McCabe, who, in a one-on-one situation, buried a strike past the Marquette keeper to the right post.
Montes recorded four shots, two of them on goal, and assisted on both of the Blue and Gray’s goals.
“I was just trying to do what was best for the team. When I get the opportunities to try and do something individually, it’s always nice. But it’s always about team first no matter what, and I’m happy to get the ‘W,’” Montes said.
Georgetown’s leading scorer Achara, who suffered an injury prior to the team’s game against Xavier University on Sept. 16, returned to action late in the first half. Achara provided a boost to the Hoyas’ offense by creating several scoring opportunities. In the 30th minute, he almost scored off a steal, and in the 33rd minute, his backward pass almost resulted in his teammate finding the net.
“It’s just nice having [Achara] back out there. You can see he needs some time still, but he needs these games to get his form and fitness back. If he was 100 percent, he probably would have had a really fun day today,” Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese said.
After the break, Marquette came out strong to split possession with the Hoyas. But in the 64th minute, Georgetown saw an opportunity to extend the lead. Senior midfielder Christopher Lema’s free kick bounced around in the Marquette box, landing at the feet of Beer. Beer took a strong shot and missed just high, keeping the score 2-1.
Later in the 76th and 78th minutes, the Golden Eagles came close to tying the game. The first chance saw the home defense stop the Golden Eagles’ possession in the Hoyas’ penalty box. Soon after, junior defender Peter Schropp came up big for the Blue and Gray by blocking a surefire goal near the end line.
“Marquette had two great balls coming right through the six. Schropp made a fantastic play on the clearance, and that was a resilient moment for our team. It’s a Big East game, and it’s good for the guys to be able to navigate a one-goal game late,” Wiese said.
With about seven minutes to go, Georgetown had its best chance to extend the lead to two goals. After driving deep in the Marquette zone, Lema managed an excellent look at the goal, but his shot bounced off the post. Ultimately, the 2-1 score held, and the Hoyas notched their second Big East win of the season.
“The team has shown a lot of resilience with injury,” Wiese said. “Today, without Zach Knudson, it was Achara, Dodson and McCabe playing really well. When we needed someone to step up, someone has stepped up, and I’m really proud of the guys when they got their chances so far. It’s really satisfying.”
Georgetown takes on Butler (7-2, 3-0 Big East) at home this Friday, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. at Shaw Field. Live streaming of the game will be available on the Big East Digital Network.
