Georgetown wins NCAA Men’s College Cup Final in PKs after thrilling 3-3 draw vs. Virginia

CARY, N.C. – The Georgetown University men’s soccer team made history on Sunday winning the 2019 NCAA Division I National Championship at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

The back-and-forth affair ended in a 3-3 tie after 90 minutes of play and then went to penalty kicks where GU got the 7-6 win as freshman goalkeeper Tomas Romero came up with the save to give the program its first national championship and the third in school history.

How It Happened
• The Cavaliers struck first with a goal in the 10th minute as Joe Bell took a shot from 25-yards out through traffic which deflected into the net to make it 1-0.
• Georgetown didn’t wait long to answer back.  In the 16th minute, Zach Riviere popped a ball into the box that was chested down by a UVA defender.  Paul Rothrock was lurking right behind and fired into the net to tie the game at one.
• The Blue & Gray added a second on a setpiece in the 22nd minute.  Zach Riviere passed a ball in and junior Rio Hope-Gund managed to get a head on it.  Freshman defender Daniel Wu was right there to finish it with his head to put the Hoyas on top.  It was Wu’s first-career goal and scored in his hometown of Cary.
• The Hoyas kept pushing in the second half as junior Derek Dodson had a dangerous shot and senior Dylan Nealis’ header was saved.
• Virginia equalized in the 58th minute as the ball was passed at the top of the box Daniel Steedman fired to the far post which was just wide of freshman Romero’s fingertips to make it 2-2.
• The scoring continued as senior Achara got free on the left side and passed it into Dodson who finished perfectly to put GU back on top 3-2.
• In the 86th minute, the Cavaliers tied it up off a setpiece. The first header was saved off the line, but the rebound went right to Daryl Dike who put it back into the net tying the game once again.
• The first chance in overtime belonged to Rothrock as his laser to the near post was saved.
• Romero came up with a big save as Virginia was pressuring late in the first overtime.
• Georgetown had numbers with five minutes to go in the game as freshman Aidan Rocha had a wide open look blocked as the UVA defender slid to knock it out.
• In the finals seconds, the Blue & Gray had a chance but it wasn’t meant to be as the game ended tied 3-3 going to penalty kicks.
• All 10 shooters made their kicks in the first five rounds as injuries made the Hoya lineup different than previous games.
• In the seventh round, Rocha buried his kick with confidence setting the stage for Romero to make the save and send the stadium into a frenzy.

Of Note
• The Hoyas set a new program record for wins in a season finishing the year with a mark of 20-1-3.
• Georgetown snapped a 10-game unbeaten streak by the Hoos.
• This was the highest scoring championship game since 1980.
• GU finished the season on a 17-game unbeaten streak dating back to September 24 at Louisville.
• Sunday marked the first time since 1959 that two teams from the Washington, D.C. region have faced each other in the finals.
• This is the third NCAA Championship in program history with men’s basketball (1984) and women’s cross country (2011) winning the other two.
• Nealis was named the Defensive Most Outstanding Player, while Dodson, Rothrock, Wu and sophomore Sean Zawadzki earned spots on the All-Tournament team.