Under intense winds and with an outstanding performance from junior midfielder Mateo Ponce Ocampo and a clutch goal from first-year midfielder Loukas Maroutsis, the Georgetown University men’s soccer team asserted their Big East dominance Nov. 16, securing the Big East championship after having garnered the regular season title earlier this month.

Ocampo paved the way to the Hoyas’ (12-3-4) second consecutive Big East championship with a brace in the 66th and 67th minutes. Maroutsis’ goal in the 73rd minute sealed the deal for the Hoyas’ 3-1 takedown of the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies (11-4-4).

The match got off to a physical start, with both teams receiving fouls in the first three minutes of play. In the second minute, the Huskies sent up the first shot of the day on goal off a free kick directly into senior goalkeeper Tenzing Manske’s well-positioned arms. 

The Hoyas responded with a shot of their own in the fifth minute. Senior midfielder Zach Zengue brought the ball up the pitch on the counterattack, ran it across the box and in a series of good passes — including a skilled header by senior midfielder Julian Barrios Cristales to keep the ball in the box — Ponce Ocampo found the ball for a shot that sailed just wide of the right post. 

Georgetown had another try in the seventh minute, as Zengue sent a powerful shot on goal straight into the UConn goalkeeper’s hands. In the eighth minute, sophomore forward Mitchell Baker was taken down outside the right corner of the box, earning the Hoyas a free kick. Zengue sent the free kick to the far post, where Ponce Ocampo slammed the ball just wide of the near post as the Hoyas continued making early offensive strides.

UConn attempted to get into the mix and sent up a shot on goal off a throw-in near the corner in the 11th minute. Baker, using his height to advantage, headed the initial attempt away from the goal and a return header on goal by Husky midfielder Marco Valentic found its way into Manske’s hands. UConn tried again, but misdirected a corner kick to no one in the 13th minute.

In the 16th minute, Baker took off on the counterattack and forcefully sent a ball straight to the UConn goalkeeper for Georgetown’s second shot on goal of the day. Neither team fired another shot until the 25th minute when Husky midfielder Balthazar Saunders sent a ball sailing high above the goal, as the Hoyas’ defense forced the Huskies into compromised offensive positions.

In the 32nd and 34th minutes, sophomore defender Tate Lampman — named the most outstanding defender in the Big East tournament — had 2 fantastic steals and brought the ball up the pitch to no avail. The Hoyas did not send off another shot for the remainder of the first half, while the Huskies had one good opportunity sweep parallel to the crossbar in the 44th minute.

At the end of the first half, the match remained scoreless without a clear favorite, which changed about 20 minutes into the second half as intensity built.

Georgetown looked for an opportunity in the first minute back from the break but sent the ball into a box devoid of any Hoyas. In the 50th minute, the Hoyas sent up the first shot of the second half as sophomore midfielder Jack Brown sent a shot on goal straight to the UConn goalkeeper, following his counterattack down the pitch with Baker. The Huskies responded with a shot of their own in the 50th minute, as a UConn player crossed the ball to Saunders, who headed the ball far to the right of the goal.

The Hoyas began asserting their trademark offensive dominance as the second half heated up — both in performance and game atmosphere. In the 54th minute, the Huskies head coach argued with the referee over what he thought was a handball, ending in a lengthy disagreement that stopped the clock. 

The intensity of play picked up again as the clock started running; in the 58th minute, Manske made the first skilled save of the day for either team, leaping across the goal to secure the ball. 

Georgetown picked up a pair of corners in the 65th minute, the second of which ended in success for the Hoyas. Zengue sent the ball to the far post and Ponce Ocampo — who later said he did not even know where the goal was — fired the ball into the goal to pull the Hoyas into a 1-0 lead. VAR was called into use for a third time in the span of five minutes for a potential offsides, but the call on the field stood and the goal remained.

The Hoyas continued pushing, and less than two minutes later, Ponce Ocampo secured a brace, beautifully driving a ball toward the upper far post to put Georgetown ahead 2-0. 

The Hoyas looked to extend this lead, as Zengue sent up a shot in the 68th minute which was blocked by a defender and senior midfielder Max Viera sent up a shot on goal straight to the goalkeeper in the 69th minute. 

Instead, UConn found success in the 72nd minute and cut their deficit to 1, as Balthazar sent a ball into the high left corner of the goal, with an unsuccessful leap by Manske for the save.

The Huskies’ fortune did not last long, as Maroutsis had a successful steal in the 73rd minute, going on the counterattack and firing a ball past the UConn keeper into the low left of the goal to pull the Hoyas ahead 3-1.

 UConn continued increasing their intensity, drawing a string of free kicks. Ponce Ocampo ended up on the ground in the 78th minute during a free kick and was taken out of the game for a head check substitution. 

Manske had a pair of saves in the 85th and 87th minute to cap out a stellar performance in goal — assisted by strong performances all around by the backline. The match ended with the Hoyas securing the title and a 3-1 win. 

Head Coach Brian Wiese said that while Georgetown was not playing in favorable weather conditions, the team performed well.

“I’m really, really proud of the team,” Wiese told The Hoya. “You’re playing a really talented UConn team in really hard conditions. The wind was a thing you had to manage, and they almost never talked about it and they just got on with it.”

“It’s just something you have to deal with and I thought they had a wonderful mentality,” Wiese added.

Wiese said that the Hoyas’ response to the Huskies’ goal was a culmination of the team’s efforts this season.

“The best moment was after they scored to make it 2-1, you give the cushion, right, and Loukas with a fantastic goal, to give you the 3-1 lead again,” Wiese told The Hoya. “That response has been something that I think we’ve been waiting for all year, and in terms of not conceding the second and making sure momentum doesn’t shift back in the other direction, so I was really, really proud of the guys. Wonderful for the seniors.”

Ponce Ocampo said both this year’s and last year’s Big East titles were meaningful for the team.

“I know last year was really special for us,” Ponce Ocampo told The Hoya. “It was the first time we won in a couple years, and then this one feels even better. So it’s awesome. Every year is different, but this was a great, great feeling.”

For his clutch performance throughout the match, Ponce Ocampo was named the most outstanding offensive player of the tournament. Baker and junior midfielder Eric Howard were also named to the all-tournament team. 

The win marked the Hoyas’ second consecutive Big East title and seventh in the past eleven years. Added to their Big East regular season title, Georgetown dominated the Big East this year. The Hoyas will now look ahead to the NCAA tournament — which they received an automatic bid to.

The NCAA released the 2025 Division I men’s soccer bracket Nov. 17. The Hoyas received the No. 7 seed in the tournament and a bye to the second round. Georgetown will face either the University of Central Florida (10-6-3, 4-3-2 Sun Belt Conference) or Florida Atlantic University (12-3-2, 5-1-2 American Athletic Conference) Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. on Shaw Field in their 14th tournament appearance of the past 16 years.

This article was updated Nov. 17 to reflect new information.