Georgetown men’s soccer team posted a perfect weekend in California with a 3-1 win against California Polytechnic State University on Friday coupled with their fourth straight win of the season against UCLA on Monday.
The Hoyas did not waste much time getting started. In the sixth minute against Cal Poly (0-3, Big West), sophomore forward knocked in a shot past the right corner of the net to put the Hoyas up early.
After Achara’s goal, the Hoyas continued to push ahead. After missing two shots in minutes 20 and 21, Georgetown (4-0, Big East) found a way to convert. Achara again stepped up big for the Hoyas as he beat the last defender and snuck a ball in the net to bring the score to 2-0.
“I feel good. I’m really healthy and I’m enjoying my game and I just want to take advantage of every opportunity out there, score goals and have fun,” Achara said.
The Hoyas controlled possession and pace for the majority of the first half. However, it was not smooth sailing for the Blue and Gray for the entirety of the match. In the 29th minute, a defensive mishap allowed a long throw into the box, and Cal Poly’s Sean Goode finished the ball past a diving junior goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski.
From this point, the Mustangs made much more noise and played tougher with the Hoyas. Georgetown tried to extend its lead but unfortunately missed a goal line opportunity in the 36th minute. Cal Poly responded a minute later with a dangerous opportunity, only to be blocked by sophomore midfielder Davey Mason, keeping the score 2-1 going into the half.
After a quiet first five minutes of the second half, things got choppy. Senior Zach Knudson got tangled up with Cal Poly’s Freeman Dwamena, leading to a small fight between the two teams. Knudson was given a yellow card, and Dwamena was given a red card because it was his second yellow card of the game.
The physicality remained, though. In the 10th minute, as Achara sprinted toward an open run to the goal, his jersey was pulled and Georgetown was granted a free kick. Senior midfielder Christopher Lema came up short as his shot was saved by the Cal Poly keeper.
Georgetown kept pushing for a goal to take a strong hold of the game. Finally, in the 73rd minute, the Hoyas found the net again. Junior midfielder Edson Martinez passed the ball to junior midfielder Kyle Zajec at the top of the box. Zajec then sent in an excellent high ball to freshman forward Derek Dodson who headed the ball into the right side of the net and extended the Georgetown lead to 3-1.
“Dotson got a really brave goal, and he’s been very good. It’s tough when you have someone like Dotson as a forward, and in order to get him on the field, I need to take off Achara or Knudson,” Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese said. “But when I have hungry attacking pieces [like him] and give them those minutes, they’re ready.”
The Hoyas cruised from here and rode along to another impressive win. For the game, the Hoyas outshot the Mustangs 25-8 while controlling a large majority of total possession.
Coach Wiese has not solely relied on his seasoned players thus far, but looking also to young newcomers to make an impact.
“We’ve got good players. I have a hard time with every game because the young guys have been really good for us. It’s always refreshing to see because you’re not sure how they’re going to come in,” Wiese said.
Georgetown continued its three-game home stand as the men took on No. 15 UCLA (1-2-0, PAC 12) on Labor Day, Sept. 4. The Hoyas stayed undefeated with a 1-0 win over the Bruins, which marks their second win over a ranked opponent this season and their third shutout.
Georgetown’s goal once again came from Achara, who hustled to track down a ball at the left end line and shot a ball past the UCLA keeper just to the left of the right crossbar. Achara now has five goals in only four games.
“Achara’s been dangerous so far, so it’s just good to see him converting some chances and continuing to be a problem for defenses,” Wiese said.
The Hoyas outshot the Bruins 15-9, including an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal. Marcinkowski had one save in net in the contest, and the Hoyas forced UCLA keeper Kevin Silva to come up with seven saves on the afternoon.
The victory sums up Georgetown’s perfect three-game home stand. The team will travel to Storrs, Conn. to take on the University of Connecticut Huskies at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats and video will be available at GUHoyas.com.
