If you cannot score, you cannot win. It is a simple tenet of sports, and while it is observed by all teams, none are more aware of it than Georgetown.
The Hoyas have only managed three goals in nine games and have already suffered a 377-minute scoreless streak this season. Georgetown (2-7, 1-4) will look to break its current 245-minute scoreless skid when they welcome Providence (5-3-1, 2-1-1) to North Kehoe Field tomorrow afternoon. Georgetown has lost five matches by a score of 1-0.
“It’s almost easier if you lose 3-0 rather than 1-0,” Head Coach Brian Wiese said.
Like the Hoyas, only three Friars have tallied goals. Unlike Georgetown’s scorers – junior midfielder Corey Zeller, sophomore midfielder Scott Larrabee and freshman forward Chandler Diggs – each in the Providence trio has scored more than once. In fact, with five and four scores respectively, sophomore forward Jonathan Medcalf and senior midfielder Ryan Maduro have outscored the entire Hoyas side this season. Maduro has as many game-winning goals as Georgetown has total goals.
“We won’t make any adjustments [defensively], but we will always be aware of where he is on the field,” Wiese said of Maduro. “If Providence wins, it will be because Maduro scores or is involved in a score.”
Maduro, a first team all-American last year, comes in as the reigning Big East offensive player of the week after notching two goals and an assist in a 3-1 win over Syracuse (4-3-3, 1-1-0) a week ago.
“We’ve been getting a lot out of his game,” Providence Assistant Coach Craig Stewart said of Maduro.
The Friars are in the middle of the pack in the Big East, ranking either eighth or ninth in the four major offensive categories – shots, goals, assists and points. The Hoyas, on the other hand, rank last in all four. As Wiese insists, the scoring chances have been there. Georgetown ranks fifth in the conference in corner kicks with just under five and a half per game.
Providence is coming off of a scoreless double-overtime tie against St. John’s (4-4-1, 2-1-1). The Friars, who are 1-2 on the road this year, are third in the Blue Division, while the Hoyas check in at sixth in the same division.
“We’ve had some decent performances where we haven’t gotten results, and we’ve had some games where we haven’t played well but have gotten results,” Stewart said. “So we’re doing all right, and the guys are in good spirits and want to do even better.”
Last season, the Friars handed the Hoyas their worst loss of the season with a 4-0 pasting.
While the Georgetown offense has sputtered early, the squad’s defense has been a different story altogether, shutting out two teams and holding the opposition to one goal five times this season. Senior goalkeeper Joe Devine has a 1.27 goals against average and 25 saves in his seven matches, and freshman atthew Brutto has allowed just one goal in his two games. Brutto, with 11 saves, has started two of the last three matches for the Hoyas.
Sophomore Len Coleman has anchored the backline with his physical play, and junior Alex Pangraze has provided consistency and experience to the group. Freshman Mostafa Ebrahimnejad, one of three Hoyas to start all nine games, and classmate Ibukun Otegbeye, who has seen significant minutes as a reserve, have provided a spark with their play on the outside. The two have bolstered the offense with their nifty ball handling and well-placed crosses. Otegbeye assisted on Larrabee’s game-winning goal against Louisville (5-4, 2-2) after Otegbeye overlapped the midfielder on his side and got open in the corner for the feed.
Wiese noted that having a week of practice and only one game this weekend helps the team recover from a few nagging injuries, bumps and bruises. Senior forward Mike Glaccum, who sprained his ankle last Friday, will play this weekend, and 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Justin Kondos will be available to play after sitting for a month with a high ankle sprain.
“If we can piece things together, get Lady Luck on our side, and string a few victories together, I think we can make the playoffs,” Wiese said.
“If we’re playing our best soccer in November, I wouldn’t want to play us.”
Kickoff is set for tomorrow at 1 p.m. on North Kehoe Field.
