Stephanie Navarro/The Hoya Connecticut took control of the game late in the first half Saturday night.
The Georgetown men’s soccer team could not recreate last year’s magic this past Saturday night, as the seventh-ranked Huskies of the University of Connecticut simply overwhelmed the team in a 5-1 blowout, a far different outcome than the Hoya’s 1-0 upset of the national powerhouse last season.
A crowd of 5,011 boisterous UConn fans energized the home team on a cool and breezy evening at Morrone Stadium in Storrs, Conn., as the Hoyas made their first road trip in three weeks. The team started off well, going up on the scoreboard first when sophomore midfielder Trevor Goodrich booted a 25-yard free kick that caught the right corner of the goal in the 17th minute.
UConn stormed back, however, showing good ball control and dominating possession time. Within five minutes, Husky junior forward Cesar Cuellar received a pass right inside the box and shot it just inside the right post to even the game. UConn’s offense proved unstoppable for the Hoyas, and Cuellar completed a natural hat trick within the first half, heading in a pass at 33:36 and then clinching the natural hat trick in the 40th minute, leaving the Hoyas trailing 3-1 as they left the field for halftime.
“We had two chances in the first half that were even easier then the one that we scored on. We may have been able to make it to halftime and made it close, but overall it was UConn’s night,” Head Coach Keith Tabatznik said.
The second half saw more domination from the Huskies, as they ran away with the game and scored twice in the second half. In the 67th minute, sophomore back Marcus Svennson took a free kick after Cuellar went down, sending the ball around a five-man Hoya wall and into the goal. UConn senior forward Damani Ralph topped off the scoring with an unassisted goal with 18:25 left on the clock. UConn moved up to 7-2-0 for the season and 3-1-0 in the Big East, where they are currently in second place behind St. John’s University. Georgetown sits in eighth place in the league standings after their record dropped to 4-6-0 for the season and 2-3-0 in the Big East.
“Our inability to keep possession was the biggest key. After we scored the first goal, we had the ball several times and were unable to hold onto it for more than a few passes,” Tabatznik said.
UConn managed to outscore the Hoyas 30-8, as Ralph got off as many shots during the game as the entire Georgetown team. Cuellar made six attempts on the goal, while freshman forward Benjamin Jefferson-Dow led the Hoyas with three shots, followed by Goodrich with two shots. Junior goalkeeper Tim Hogan stayed at the net the entire game for the Hoyas, making five saves and allowing five goals while Husky freshman goalkeeper Adam Scheurman made one save. For the last five minutes of the game, UConn had fully removed all their starters from the field. The Hoyas played a cleaner game than previous ones, amassing only eight fouls to UConn’s 14, while no one on either team received a yellow card.
“It was a lopsided game because how well they played. Connecticut played ninety minutes of probably the best soccer any team has played against Georgetown in my time here,” Tabatznik said. “They clearly proved they are a contender for the National Championship.”
The Hoyas return to action tomorrow at 3 p.m. on North Kehoe Field where they will meet regional foe University of Maryland. Tabatznik feels confident that last weekend’s game will spur them on against the Terrapins rather than dampen their spirits.
“We’ve become a much better team for playing UConn Saturday night. It’s a team you want to beat, but it’s also a team you can learn from as well. I think that will actually make us a stronger team.”
