Arnar Johannsson scored four goals to lead the GW men’s soccer team over the Howard Bison 4-0 in the second round of the D.C. College Cup Sunday. The Colonials, who beat Georgetown in their regular-season opener Friday, finished the tournament in second place behind host American University.
GW (2-0) and American (2-0) each won both games in the two-day tournament – the Eagles defeated Howard 5-0 Friday and Georgetown 4-0 Sunday – but American won the tournament tiebreaker with nine goals scored to GW’s eight. Though they did not claim the title, head coach George Lidster said he is happy with his team’s start.
“We’re 2 and 0,” he said. “You can’t beat that.”
Johannsson led the Colonials Sunday. The junior striker is making his presence known early in the season, scoring five goals in his first two games. His team-high five shots on goal Sunday was two more than the entire Bison squad’s total.
This is Johannsson’s first starting season after coming to GW from Iceland last season. Lidster said he did not start last season because he was not in shape.
“He is in shape and stronger this year,” said Lidster. “He came in late last year and missed pre-season, but now he is used to the climate here.”
Johannsson said that he has been running more and is in top shape.
Though the Colonials were out-shot 12 to 5 in the first half, Johannsson put them on the board quickly when he broke through the defense, putting a pass from teammate Matt Osborne past Howard’s charging goalkeeper eight minutes into the game.
Johannsson scored again three minutes into the second half, just inside the box on a double assist from Fabio Andrade and Steve Brown. The Colonials, feeding off the quick goal, out-shot Howard 14 to 2 in the second half.
Johannsson completed the hat trick twenty minutes later when freshman Ben Mortimer faked out a defender and cleared the ball to classmate Frank Ambrosio who set up a clean cross for the forward. Johannsson added the final punch less than two minutes later on an unassisted goal, taking the ball half the length of the field and beatingthe goalie.
Lidster said the quality of freshmen like Mortimer and Ambrosio has added to the team and claims this year’s team to be one of the deepest he has coached at GW.
That depth may prove important early this season, as junior forward Andrade, who started 11 of the 12 games he played in last year, went down with an injury in the second half. Lidster said Andrade, who had to be helped off the field, sustained an ankle injury but he did not know the severity of it.
Despite the injury, Lidster said the weekend boosted the team’s confidence. He also said the local rivalry provided an extra incentive for his players.
During the team’s 3-1 defeat of Georgetown Friday, Osborne, the team’s second leading scorer in 2001, netted his first two goals of the season and Johannsson scored his first of the year.
GW trailed the Hoyas for most of the first half, falling behind early when Georgetown’s Kevin Sindelar got the best of goalkeeper Eric Lund eight minutes into the game. But Osborne pulled off a late goal just before halftime, sending the teams to the locker rooms tied at one apiece.
Neither team could score for the majority of the second half, failing to capitalize on a combined 19 shots. Johannsson finally broke the stalemate with 10 minutes remaining. He was assisted inside the box by Osborne and Ambrosio and placed a hard shot to the left center of the goal past Georgetown keeper Brian O’Hagan.
Osborne added to the lead moments later on a long goal outside the box after a pass from Mike Goldman.
The Colonials’ next game is at Duke in the Adidas Classic Friday at 7:30 p.m.
