WASHINGTON – The No. 2/2 Georgetown University men's soccer team used a big second half to pick up the 3-0 victory over the Providence College Friars on Saturday afternoon Shaw Field in a BIG EAST Conference matchup. With the win, the Hoyas improve to 5-0-2 on the season and the same in BIG EAST Conference play, while the Friars sit at 4-3-1 overall and 3-3-1 in league play.

Head Coach Brian Wiese

• "Providence is a team that always gives us a lot of trouble and I thought they were really good for the first 45 minutes. I was really pleased that the guys came out with a great mentality in the second half and we executed a lot better. Our depth really helped us today. Trevor Burns getting his debut and playing well, Kyle's (Linhares) first goal was a long time coming so overal it was a good win for the program.

How it Happened

• Georgetown controlled it early, but it was Providence that was the more dangerous team midway through the first half.
• In the 10th minute, a long throw in resulted in a shot to the left post which was saved by a diving Giannis Nikopolidis to keep it scoreless.
• Less than a minute later, the Friars had another chance as a free kick from 30 yards out by Luis Garcia which was again stopped by Nikopolidis who saw it come past the wall.
• As Providence continued to threaten, Nikopolidis and the Hoya defense stood strong with the GU offense getting few chances.
• Late in the half, Georgetown had a chance as a corner kick went to the middle and sophomore Dante Polvara got his head on it but the shot was saved by keeper Rimi Olatunji.
• In the final seconds, PC had one more opportunity but it was Nikopolidis who once again came up big making the save as the teams went into the break in a scoreless tie.
• Possession belonged to Georgetown in the second half as the Hoyas searched for the go-ahead goal.
• That would come in the 77th minute when senior Paul Rothrock served in a corner and it skimmed off of the head of Polvara before falling to the feet of sophomore Aidan Rocha who banged it in to make it 1-0.
• Just five minutes later, the victory was sealed when Providence cleared a ball into their net for an own goal.
• In the waning seconds of the match, the Hoyas kept pushing. Senior Derek Dodson sent a low cross through the box and freshman Kyle Linhares was able to shoot it in for his first-career goal and making the final 3-0.

Of Note

• Georgetown outshot Providence 15-11 with six on goal to PC's eight.
• The Hoyas were awarded nine corner kicks to the Friars' four in the game.
• Nikopolidis managed eight saves on the afternoon.

Up Next

• The Hoyas will continue their homestand hosting UConn on Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup at Shaw Field in GU's final regular season home match of the year. The game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network with Georgetown alums Dan Helfrich and Tom Greaser calling the action. Live stats will also be available at GUHoyas.com.

Fan Information

• All Georgetown men's soccer home games are currently scheduled to be played at Shaw Field. In accordance with Washington, D.C. regulations which limit the size of in-person gatherings, fans are regrettably not permitted to attend home games at this time.