Georgetown’s match-up against Marquette last season could not have been much more meaningless.
It was the final match of the season, and both teams had already been eliminated from postseason contention. Although the Hoyas won the contest 1-0 in overtime, the result did not affect the final standings, as Marquette came in dead last with a winless record in the conference and Georgetown was one spot ahead with a 3-8 mark in the Big East.
When the Hoyas head into their match against the Golden Eagles tomorrow night, they will again be one spot ahead of their opponent in the Big East Blue Division, but unlike last season, this game may determine who makes the conference tournament.
Georgetown (4-9-0, 2-5-0) enters the game in sixth place in the conference with six points and only four games to play, while arquette (2-9-2, 1-6-0) has three points and is in seventh place. The top six teams in each division make the Big East tournament.
“A win would go a long way in punching our ticket to the Big East tournament,” Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese said.
The Golden Eagles are in a must-win situation. If they lose, they would fall six points behind Georgetown and Seton Hall, who would both hold tie-breakers over Marquette. With a win worth three points and a tie worth one, Marquette would need two wins and a tie in their final three conference matches. While hapless Pittsburgh may be an easy three points, another win and tie will be hard to come by against No. 20 West Virginia and No. 1 Connecticut.
The significance of the match is not lost on Marquette Head Coach Louis Bennett.
“It’s a crucial game,” Bennett said. “If you crunch the numbers, you can see it may decide who gets the final playoff spot.”
With games remaining against last-place Pittsburgh and fifth-place Seton Hall, Georgetown is looking to not only make the playoffs, but also to be seeded higher than sixth.
Marquette, who has started seven and eight freshmen at times and has no set starting lineup, is led by sophomore forward Nick Kay. His team-leading three goals have come at important times – one in the Golden Eagles 1-1 tie against Wisconsin on Wednesday and the other two in Marquette’s only conference win, a 2-1 decision over Cincinnati.
“We’re a young and inexperienced team,” Bennett said. “We have progressed slower then we would have liked – the team doesn’t have maturity about it.”
The defense, which has allowed 1.54 goals per game for the season, is led by a pair of sophomores, central defender Billy Von Rueden and goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski.
“Marquette is well-organized and hard to break down,” Wiese said. “It won’t be an easy game. Their record belies how hard they are to play against . and they know they need a win.”
Wiese’s squad, fresh off of a 2-1 non-conference win over American on Tuesday, is resting this week to heal the bumps, bruises and aches encountered thus far in the season. They did not practice on Wednesday and have kept training sessions under an hour yesterday and today.
In what promises to be a low-scoring game, the Golden Eagles come in with eight goals on the season, while the Hoyas have netted just seven scores.
Said Wiese: “We’ve got to focus on getting the first goal.”