Men’s soccer falls to No. 13 Georgetown at home

Coming off a thrilling 5-4 victory over Seton Hall University on Sunday afternoon, the men’s soccer team (1-2-1) came out strong against No. 13 Georgetown, but three second-half goals for the Hoyas propelled them to victory in a 3-1 loss for the Tigers on Wednesday night. The loss puts the Tigers at a 0-6-2 disadvantage in the all-time series against the Hoyas, and makes it the fourth consecutive season that Georgetown has won the matchup between the two sides.

In a widely hyped match televised by ESPNU, the Hoyas came out firing on all cylinders as they outshot the Tigers eight to five during the first 45 minutes of play. Junior goalkeeper Ben Hummel tied his career-record saves in a game during the first half alone, as he was forced to make seven saves before reaching the halfway mark. Amid his seven saves in the first half came arguably the save of the game in the 12th minute as Hummel saved a rebound shot by Georgetown forward/midfield Austin Martz off the line. Georgetown also dominated the corner kick game, as the Hoyas had six opportunities in the first half, compared to the Tigers’ one in the 28th minute.

Despite Georgetown’s offensive domination during the first half, the Tigers entered halftime with the lead, as senior forward Cameron Porter received a cross from the left side of the field in the box, which he fired low and to the left to notch his fourth goal of the season. Porter’s goal in the 36th minute would be the final shot taken by either side until the 45th minute came to a close.

Despite four more threats from the Hoyas to start the second half, the Tigers maintained the lead into the 61st minute, when they lost it for good as All-America forward Brandon Allen finally got Georgetown on the board with just under 30 minutes left in regulation. After receiving a pass on the right side of the field, Allen created space with a deke to his defender, giving himself space to dribble up the field and put the ball past Hummel on a shot to the far left post. Midfield/defender Tyler Rudy gave the Hoyas the lead for good just two minutes after Allen’s goal, after he intercepted the ball and fired one home from 25 yards out. A 78th-minute goal from Martz solidified the Hoyas’ victory, as the Tigers struggled to produce offensively over the last 45 minutes of play. The second half shot total ultimately fell in the Hoyas’ favor by a margin of 11-0.

As disappointing as the loss came, the Tigers see a number of takeaways from playing one of the best teams in the country.

“I think it was clear that we struggled to keep that ball, but beyond that our counterattacks were not as effective as they usually are,” Porter said. “Ultimately, it is still a good stepping stone to play a team of that quality. Hopefully we can take this experience and use it in the coming games to push us forward.”

“They were a very good team,” junior defender Josh Miller said. “Better than the Georgetown teams we’ve seen in the past two years. Individually, their players were athletic and very good on the ball. They were able to space us out and find the gaps in our formation. Their pressing left them exposed at the back for the counter, but we were not sharp enough to take advantage of those moments.”

With just two weeks until the beginning of the Ivy League season, the Tigers will travel to Boston, Mass. this weekend to take on Boston University. Kickoff is set for Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.