Georgetown's men's soccer team took a 1-0 lead deep into the 90th minute against the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday, but the Cavaliers found a late equalizer with just 52 seconds left and advanced 5-4 on penalty kicks after a scoreless overtime.
The Hoyas took the lead on an absolute rocket from inside the box off the foot of senior Austin Martz in the 52nd minute. With the rain pouring down and the field conditions worsening by the minute, Georgetown dropped into a defensive shell with about ten minutes remaining. This kept the Cavaliers largely at bay for the remainder of the game and they had very few chances as the minutes ticked off. The Hoyas looked all but certain to move on to the Final Four.
That all changed just after the PA announcer gave the one minute warning.
With time winding down, the Cavaliers sent a long ball forward looking for a last shot to even the score. They found it on a deflection in the box as Todd Wharton headed it into the top right corner to tie the game and send it into overtime.
Georgetown controlled the run of play in the first overtime, earning 4 corner kicks, but they could not convert, despite an exceptional header from defender Josh Turnley. The second overtime saw little action from either squad and the game went to penalty kicks.
Despite senior goalkeeper Tomas Gomez guessing correctly three times and even getting his hands on two of the Cavaliers five chances, the wet ball found the back of the net on each attempt. The Hoyas matched the first 4 goals, but freshman Arun Basuljevic saw his rocket of a strike bang off the post, sending the Cavaliers to the Final Four.
It was an excruciating end to a fantastic season for the Hoyas. It was a particularly painful loss for the Hoyas' seniors. They largely dominated the game and on a dry field may have even had one or two additional goals, but the Cavaliers were able to steal the game late. The Hoyas return a ton of talent next season and Coach Wiese has shown that he can bring in exceptional talent year after year so they will be back, but this loss will surely sting for a while.
The atmosphere at Shaw Field was amazing on Saturday. The students circled the entire field and were loud the entire game. The energy in the stadium was unreal and incredible to be a part of. The Hoyas and the fans should be very proud of the effort.