WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University men's soccer squad shut out the Radford University Highlanders (0-3), 2-0, on Friday afternoon at Shaw Field in the squad's home opener for the 2018 season.  With the victory the Hoyas improved to 2-1 on the season heading into a showdown with three-time national champion No. 10 Stanford on Monday.
 
"It was important to get the shutout today and there were a lot of guys who went on with the game never really being in hand," said Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese.  "I don't think we handled the details really well and when you play a good team like Radford, they can punish you for that so looking forward we need to tidy up those issues, minimize the lapses and be a little sharper in front of the net."
 
The Hoyas got on the board in the 14th minute as junior defender Dylan Nealis (Massapequa, N.Y. / Massapequa) pulled the defense out wide and forced keeper Dimitrios Valkanos to come off his line.  That allowed Nealis to slip it to a charging Derek Dodson (Aurora, Ill. / Waubonsie Valley) who slid in for the goal to make it 1-0. 
 
The Highlanders answered with a number of dangerous looks as Radford controlled possession and was crafty at the top of the box.  A number of corner kicks gave RU chances, but the Hoya backline and freshman goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis (Athens, Greece / Nea Genia Zirdi) stood strong.
 
In the final 10 minutes of the half, Georgetown grabbed possession and began to get opportunities with three good looks including a header from Foster McCune (Bethesda, Md. / St. Albans School) and a pair of shots from Achara (Enugu, Nigeria / Berkshire School [Mass.]) that were inches from going in the net.
 
That score would stand at the end of the first half.
 
The Blue & Gray began the second half with two quick opporuntities as both Achara and Dodson had breakaways that were thwarted.  On the other end, Radford managed a pair of quick looks as well as the contest opened up.  Minutes later, it was graduate student Matt Ledder (Falls Church, Va. / Gonzaga) who had another shot alone and beat Valkanos but the shot went just wide.  The chances kept coming as a shot from Dodson was blocked but still on target forcing a bicycle kick on the goal line from the Highlander defense to keep it a one-goal game.
 
Following the barrage of shots, the Hoyas finally managed the second goal as Dodson scored his second of the contest.  Nealis began the play at midfield sending it up to Achara on the right side.  Achara knocked it to the middle of the box to a waiting Dodson who spun and fired just under the crossbar to make it 2-0 in the 56th minute.
 
Georgetown kept searching and finding space forcing the Highlanders on their heels.  In the final 10 minutes, sophomore midfielder Jacob Montes (Lake Worth, Fla. / Beaverton [Ore.]) had a brilliant shot saved at the far post.  Radford would look to get back into the game, but the Hoyas held on for the 2-0 final.
 
Georgetown outshot Radford, 22-10, but took just four corner kicks to the Highlanders' eight. Nikopolidis took the win in the net for his second shutout of the season with four saves in the contest, Valkanos was given the loss combining with the defense for five saves on the afternoon.
 
Georgetown will be back in action on Monday as the squad hosts the No. 10 Stanford Cardinal at 1 p.m. at Shaw Field.  Links to live stats and a webcast featuring alumni Dan Helfrich and Tom Greaser will be available at www.GUHoyas.com, or follow live updates on Twitter at @GUHoyasMSoccer.