For the first 96 minutes of their game Saturday night, Georgetown looked like a heavyweight challenger, withstanding blow after blow from No. 4 Connecticut. But the Hoyas’ offensive woes caught up with them once again, and, at the 96:52 mark, the Huskies hit the beleaguered Hoyas with a knockout punch.
Junior midfielder Akeem Priestly found an opening at the top of the Georgetown box and, off of a pass from the left sideline, ripped a shot into the upper right corner of the net to give UConn a 1-0 win in overtime.
It was the fourth time in five games so far this season that the Hoyas have been shut out. The Hoyas, who fell to 1-4 with the loss, have now not scored in their last 289 minutes of play.
The Huskies have only allowed two goals all season and have shut out their last five opponents.
“We’ve shown a grit and fighting ability that I haven’t seen since I’ve been here,” Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese said. “We just didn’t create enough on Saturday.”
The Hoyas (1-4, 0-1) were on their heels all night, as the Huskies (6-0, 1-0) took 16 shots and put six on goal.
UConn junior forward O’Brian White, the reigning Big East player of the week, attempted seven shots during the game and had two good scoring chances in the first half. In the 17th minute, White had the right side of the net open, but his shot ricocheted off of a Georgetown defender. In the 41st minute, White took a pass from senior forward Chukwudi Chijindu in the right corner of the box, but sent the ball just over the crossbar.
The Hoyas could only muster one shot in the first half, an attempt by junior midfielder Corey Zeller that was not on goal.
The second half was more of the same. UConn took seven shots and put three on goal, while Georgetown did not manage a single shot. The Hoyas’ senior goalkeeper Joe Devine kept his team in the game, making five saves and sending the match to overtime.
“Joe played possibly the best game of his career,” Wiese said. “He was great. He made some special saves.”
With a sense of urgency in the overtime period, the Huskies finally beat Devine on Priestly’s well-placed shot to keep their record perfect. Priestly had scored a game-winning goal one week earlier with nine seconds remaining in regulation against Florida International.
Wiese said he is looking forward to the return of junior Peter Grasso, who came on as a reserve but usually starts. Grasso is recovering from an injury and will start at forward when he returns, which will allow junior Sean Bellomy to move from forward to midfield.
“We defended a bit more than we wanted to, but on the other hand, I think we were sharp and organized,” Wiese said. “I think we gave ourselves a shot to get a result. I’ll take responsibility for the fact that we might not have given ourselves as much of a chance to win.”
Experience may have played a role in the overtime period, as six freshmen played in their first Big East match for the Hoyas, while the Blue and Gray only had two seniors on the field. The Huskies’ soccer spirit group, the Goal Patrol, did not make the young Hoyas feel anymore at home – 3,275 fans packed UConn’s Morrone Stadium to cheer on the home team, more than the 2,674 that attended the Georgetown-Yale football game at the ulti-Sport Facility on Saturday afternoon.
“UConn is a legitimate No. 2 team in the country,” Wiese said, referring to the Huskies’ No. 2 ranking in the weekly Soccer America publication. “They’re at home with a big crowd in a great atmosphere. They’re a veteran team with juniors and seniors. I don’t think too many teams will score off them.”
The Hoyas will stay on the road next weekend, as they travel to Cincinnati on Friday and Louisville on Sunday. The Bearcats (1-4, 0-0) are a young team and have already allowed eight goals this season, while the Cardinals (3-2, 0-0) are coming off of a 1-0 loss to No. 1 Wake Forest.
“I think if we apply that fight to the rest of our schedule, we’ll be just fine,” Wiese said. “Our sense now is if we score a goal, we’re going to win the game.”