No. 1 Georgetown men’s soccer defeated DePaul University 3-1 on Oct. 2, securing their eighth consecutive win. 

Junior forward Stefan Stojanovic scored twice in the first half for Georgetown (8-0-0, 2-0-0 Big East), and DePaul (5-4-0, 1-1-0 Big East) was unable to mount a sufficient comeback. With the victory, the Hoyas remain one of just four Division I teams that has yet to lose or draw a match this season, alongside No. 2 Washington, No. 6 New Hampshire and No. 7 Tulsa.

In the early minutes of the game, the Hoyas managed to keep possession and forced DePaul to play more defensively. In the fifth minute, it looked as though the Hoyas would open the score early as sophomore midfielder Kyle Linhares shot the ball towards the top half of the goal, but Blue Demon goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz made a clutch save. 

Stojanovic continued to put pressure on DePaul. In the seventh minute, he took a shot that flew over the crossbar. He followed up with three more shots in the 19th, 23rd and 25th minutes, but failed to find the target. 

In the 28th minute, Stojanovic was finally rewarded for his efforts. Senior midfielder Zach Riviere dribbled the ball into the penalty box and passed a through ball to Stojanovic, now clear on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. He shot the ball grounded towards the far post, earning a 1-0 lead for Georgetown. 

The Hoyas’ second goal came only a minute after their first. Sophomore forward Marlon Tabora dribbled the ball down the right flank and gave a grounded pass to sophomore midfielder John Franks, but the ball fell for Stojanovic. Stojanovic found the back of the net once again from within the penalty box, making the score 2-0. 

The Blue Demons started to get back into the game, earning their first shot of the game in the 37th minute, courtesy of forward Santiago Rodriguez. This was followed with another shot by midfielder Kristian Malinich, but senior goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis swiftly secured the save. 

In the 41st minute, DePaul midfielder Jake Fuderer passed the ball to forward Omar Thompson Jr. who buried it past the Georgetown goalkeeper. This goal, just the third allowed by the Hoyas all season, cut the lead to 2-1 and gave the Blue Demons more confidence as they dominated possession.

The score remained 2-1 at halftime. The Hoyas outshot the Blue Demons 10-3, and committed five fouls to DePaul’s four. 

The second half was looking better for the Blue Demons as they did not let the Hoyas dominate possession. Still, the Hoyas managed to get a couple of shots away in the early stages of the second half. In the 70th minute, Georgetown first-year midfielder Blaine Mabie took a powerful strike towards the bottom center of the goal, but Cruz did not let the ball go in. This attempt was followed by a shot from Georgetown senior midfielder Sean Zawadzki, but his shot missed the target. 

Then, in the 72nd minute, Fuderer committed a foul inside the Blue Demons’ penalty box. The referee blew the whistle for a penalty. Georgetown junior midfielder Dante Polvara stood up to take the penalty kick. He took a grounded shot towards the left corner of the goal. Cruz dove the correct way, but the ball had enough speed and force, and just skidded past his gloves. Polvara’s goal changed the score to 3-1. 

By the end of the second half, the Hoyas had outshot the Blue Demons 17-4, a large difference that points to Georgetown’s dominance in the match despite a tighter score. For the remainder of the game, both teams committed several fouls and the Hoyas had a shot on target but the score remained unchanged. The game ended with a 3-1 scoreline in favor of Georgetown. 

The Hoyas will play Seton Hall (4-3-2, 0-2-0 Big East) on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. on the road in South Orange, N.J. The matchup is the first between the two squads since the Pirates defeated the Hoyas in the Big East Tournament championship in April, denying Georgetown’s attempt at an undefeated season and marking the first time since 2016 that the Hoyas did not win the conference tournament.