DePaul Held off by No. 1 Georgetown

Saturday, October 2

Washington, D.C.

Noon CT

DePaul University

5-4-0, 1-1-0

#1 Georgetown

8-0-0, 2-0-0

DePaul

Georgetown

10/2/2021 1:49:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER

Box Score

Hoyas claim 3-1 win in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - DePaul men's soccer was held off by the nation's top-ranked Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C., falling 3-1 on the road. After two Hoya first-half goals, DePaul's Omar Thompson Jr. scored his first-career goal to cut into the Georgetown advantage. However, Georgetown added an insurance tally in the second half and went on to win 3-1.

In the early going, DePaul (5-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) settled in to defend against the top squad in the nation. The Blue Demons kept an organized shape defensively to hold off Hoya attacks. Meanwhile, the Blue Demons were able to possess the ball forward in the midfield, picking their chances against the Hoyas (8-0, 2-0 BIG EAST).

Georgetown's first quality chance came on the right wing when a high shot was fired on goal by Kyle Linhares. Gandhi Cruz made a leaping save to knock the ball away and negate the chance. The Hoyas kept up the pressure, picking their chances against the Blue Demon backline.

In the 16th minute, the Blue Demons moved forward on the counter attack. Jake Fuderer led the attack on the left wing, sending in a cross that deflected off of Jack Richards. The ball was wrangled in by a Hoya defender and cleared out of danger.

After the Blue Demons fended off attack after attack on the defensive end, Georgetown finally broke through. Stojanovic scored in both the 27th and 28th minute to give Georgetown control of the match. Stojanovic got loose behind the DePaul defense after a slipped pass threaded through the DePaul backline. Stojanovic converted, making it 1-0.

Just over a minute later, Stojanovic was found on a clearance and was able to knock home his second goal. With the Hoyas' high-powered offense leading by two in the first half, DePaul faced an uphill battle to stay in the match.

The Blue Demons chipped away at the deficit with time winding down before halftime. In the 41st minute, Jake Fuderer looked to create again on the left wing. Fuderer cut inside and slipped a pass to Omar Thompson Jr. who was settled in front of the net. Thompson Jr. knocked in a quick shot for his first career goal and made the score 2-1.

Six minutes into the second half, Georgetown tried to extend the lead with a flurry of offense. A Hoya chance was deflected away by Cruz before a second shot was rifled off of the goalpost. The Blue Demons escaped unscathed, keeping the deficit at one.

In the 72nd minute, the Hoyas were awarded a penalty in the box. The foul, which came on a DePaul clearance, gave the Hoyas a chance to pull ahead. Dante Polvara executed, doubling the Hoya lead. Polvara's shot went to the bottom left corner, just past the diving Cruz.

Georgetown was able to close out the match, claiming a 3-1 win to improve to 8-0. The Blue Demons fall to 1-1 in BIG EAST play after winning the opener versus UConn last weekend.

KEY STATS

Cruz made four saves on Saturday afternoon against the No. 1 Hoyas. Cruz and the rest of the DePaul defense were under constant duress by the Georgetown offense.
Fuderer, who helped the Blue Demon offense on multiple attacks, assisted on the Thompson Jr. goal. Fuderer has now tallied assists in three of the last six matches and leads the Blue Demons with three this season.
Thompson Jr. is the third Blue Demon this season to score a first-career goal.

UP NEXT
DePaul returns to Wish Field after two-straight road matches. The Blue Demons host Creighton at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 6 in Lincoln Park. The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports presented by SoFi.

For all of the latest on DePaul Men's Soccer, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.