In scoring goals first, the Georgetown men’s soccer team is second to none.
It is the rest of the game that is the problem.
The Hoyas (3-4-0) went up 1-0 for the sixth time this season, but once again could not hold onto the lead as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1-1) broke away for a 4-1 victory Saturday night in South Bend, Ind. In another disappointing trend, No. 14 Notre Dame is the third ranked team to vanquish Georgetown this season.
“We scored first in every game except for Delaware and we haven’t scored second in any game except for Towson right at the end,” Head Coach Keith Tabatznik said. “We need to find a way to score both first and second.”
The Fighting Irish held the advantage on early shots and continually held the advantage, but this did not keep the Hoyas from notching the first score.
Georgetown lit up the scoreboard on an assist from sophomore forward Ricky Schramm, who dished the ball to junior midfielder Danny McAnally. McAnally finished the play by sending the ball into the lower left corner of the goal for his first two points of the season.
The Hoyas’ lead was short-lived as the Fighting Irish evened the score 90 seconds later. Pressing hard after the first goal, Notre Dame pushed the ball into Georgetown territory. Freshman forward Alex Yoshinaga scored off a cross from sophomore midfielder Greg Dalby, sending the ball arcing over sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Kezler’s head from outside the box. Neither team would get a chance to go ahead in the final 10 minutes of the first half, exiting the field with a 1-1 tie.
“We played a very good first half. I thought it was a very bad goal we gave up to tie it. We deserved to be up at the time and we played very well,” Tabatznik said.
The Hoyas were outshot 7-2, but once again managed to keep pace with their opponent through solid defense and one well-placed shot. Georgetown’s luck ran out in the second half, however, as Notre Dame’s offensive output overwhelmed its opponent.
The Fighting Irish broke out from the beginning, deluging the Hoyas’ goal with shots in the early minutes of the second half. Notre Dame put Georgetown on the defensive, forced to react to the pressure in their half of the field. While the Hoyas stifled their hosts’ scoring chances for 25 minutes, eventually they unraveled to give the Fighing Irish their breakthrough. Freshman forward Joe Lapira took a pass and then scored off a one-on-one with Keszler to bring the score to 2-1 in the 72nd minute.
The Georgetown team had little time to regroup before Notre Dame was downfield again looking to score. Only four minutes after the previous goal, Yoshinaga garnered his second goal from the right corner off assists from senior midfielder Luke Boughen and sophomore midfielder Ian Etherington. The fourth and final goal came off the heals of the prior one as junior Tony Megna netted a goal from 10 yards out at the end of the 79th minute to wrap up the scoring.
“It was a lapse in focus. We had been defending the whole half, so you hope things don’t break,” Tabatznik said. “With the cumulative effect of Notre Dame coming at us and coming at us, we broke. It’s bad. You should never give up three goals.”
In seven minutes, Notre Dame knocked out the Hoyas by putting the game beyond their reach. Georgetown had two shots late in the game, but they were hardly enough to keep the team’s hopes alive. While the two teams have maintained a close rivalry in recent years, the Fighting Irish had a clear advantage in this year’s 4-1 romp.
The Hoyas felt the sting on offense, coming up with five shots to their opponents’ 22. Keszler saw plenty of action, grabbing five saves and allowing four goals. Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Chris Sawyer, who took top Big East honors last year, did not have much of a workout as he faced one shot on goal through 90 minutes. The Fighting Irish also led in corner kicks, 7-2. The game opened the Big East season for both sides.
“Notre Dame is a very good defensive team always. They always make it difficult for you to get good chances,” Tabatznik said. “We’ve beaten Notre Dame a number of times, but I don’t think we’ve ever necessarily outshot them.”
Georgetown has a chance to even its conference record tomorrow, but it will have to take out No. 7 St. John’s (4-1-1) to do it. Both team played in the University of Maryland/Adidas Classic early this season, and both lost to the host team. The Red Storm advanced to the finals of last year’s NCAA College Cup, and while the team lost two of its top players, it still is a very deep and talented squad.
“We’re coming off a very disappointing loss in the Big East opener. It’s not the end of the day. We’ve got a long Big East schedule ahead of us. We need to come out with a lot of emotion,” Tabatznik said.
The Hoyas will need to show marked improvement from last weekend’s effort if they hope to take down their fourth ranked team this season, the Red Storm, when they come to North Kehoe Field at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. It will be Georgetown’s first home game since playing Delaware in the season opener on Sept. 1.
“I think the guys are really looking forward to it. It’s a great schedule we’ve had. It’s tough, but it’s great,” Tabatznik said. “I think that the guys would rather do this than play people at the bottom of Division I.”