Photo credit: GW Men’s Soccer
By Matthew Brooks (@brooksie1219)
Heading into the 75th minute with the score sitting at 0-0 and only a few strong chances in the match on either side, GW men’s soccer seemed destined to end their third game of the season the same way they ended the first two: in a draw. But freshman forward Ben Hissrich had other plans. He has wasted no time at the beginning of his collegiate career, scoring a goal in each of the opening two games of the young season coming into Saturday’s matchup with Iona. In the 78th minute of the Revolutionaries home opener he extended that scoring streak and secured the Revolutionaries’ eventual 1-0 victory.
The game started with the visiting Gaels in the driver’s seat. GW came out looking to play fast and direct but missed on a lot of their long passes and struggled to hold onto possession. Iona was the opposite, slowing down the game frequently with short passes and utilizing their backline to start possessions. But around the 30th minute, the tide shifted for the Revolutionaries. They started to connect on passes, and frequent defensive steals led to more effective counterattacks from GW, but indecisiveness on offense prevented them from getting any strong chances in the first half.
Heading into the second half with momentum, the Revs were looking to capitalize on it. They occasionally looked strong on the counterattack, but they were plagued by indecisiveness in the final third which prevented them from making any noise in the first 15 minutes of the half. However, strong defensive efforts and cleaner passing allowed them to remain in control of the match aside from a few weak attempts from the Gaels. In the 63rd minute, GW gave the home crowd something to cheer for with big chances from freshman midfielder Yago Torres and senior midfielder Tim Neumann. Unfortunately for the Revs, both shots were blocked by Iona defenders.
In the 77th minute, the game stopped for a sizable chunk of time while Iona forward Aly Camara pleaded his case on a yellow card he was eventually awarded. The referees were quick to whistle in this match, calling 17 fouls and six yellow cards. Much to the dismay of the GW fans, the Gaels tested the patience of the refs on a few instances and danced the line on simulation, but were never called for it.
After the break and a pair of saved shots from GW’s redshirt senior goalie Duncan Wegner, Torres took it quickly down the field and gave it to Hissrich. Hissrich made the short pass back and put himself in a great position inside the box. After a cross was deflected from freshman forward Louis Saville, Hissrich was able to complete the one-touch finish and put away the only goal of the match in the 79th minute.
A major part of the turnaround in this game for the Revs was graduate student and captain Roee Tenne. He played a huge role in the second half in the midfield, helping connect the defenders to the forwards. Sophomore forward Alex Nicholson also stepped up his game in the second half. After not making much noise in the first half, he became much more active on the attack and would put in several crosses that put Iona in danger.
The defensive effort from GW was team-wide, but freshman defender John Matlock stood out with two excellent slide tackles that got GW out of dangerous situations. Wegner also had a solid 10-save outing in goal, seven of which came in the second half. While he didn’t face a ton of pressure, he did everything that was asked of him and made some nice long passes.
The home crowd was present for the Revs. Lots of GW students including many members of the new freshman class made the trek out to the Vern to catch the Saturday afternoon game. Among the fans was much of the men’s basketball roster who were out supporting their fellow student-athletes as they gear up for their own season in November.
The Revolutionaries look to continue their success at home on Tuesday when they face the 1-2 Stony Brook Seawolves. That game can be streamed on ESPN+ and starts at 3 PM.
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