The GW men’s soccer team showcased an offensive arsenal this weekend, amassing nine goals in an opening match against Howard. But the team undermined the effort with a scoreless performance in Sunday’s championship game against American.
American defeated GW 1-0 and won the first annual D.C. Collegiate Cup at Harbin Field in Georgetown.
GW’s Matt Pilkington led the Colonials as he scored three goals over a span of 10 minutes in Friday’s 9-1 victory over Howard. The win propelled GW (1-1) into the championship game with American, which defeated Georgetown 1-0 in overtime Friday.
Neither team’s offense dominated in the championship game. American (2-0) controlled the tempo and created more scoring opportunities, but GW goalkeeper Nick Parypinski was impenetrable. The goal he allowed was a mere flick off a redirected pass that fell into the net.
Parypinski made eight saves on 21 shots by the Eagles, including two saves on breakaways. Parypinski, who had allowed a goal in the team’s opener against Howard, returned Sunday without hesitation.
“For him to come back with that confidence, I was very pleased,” GW head coach George Lidster said after the loss. “I think that will set him up for the season.”
Midway through the first half Sunday, American’s Andrew Herman received a pass just beyond midfield and cruised through GW defenders. Parypinski began edging slowly towards Herman, who was still 20 yards away. Parypinski, crouching low to the ground, dove out and cut off Herman’s shooting angle. Parypinski forced Herman left, stuffed the shot, knocked it away and scrambled for the rebound.
It wasn’t until after American scored a goal in the 70th minute that the GW offense began to assert itself, but they failed to convert any of the team’s seven shots.
The GW offense began to assert itself late in the second half but failed to convert on seven shots.
“We hung in there and sort of matched them at things,” Lidster said. “We were just sort of getting back into things when they scored.”
American’s Shawn Kuykendall, a freshman, scored when he headed a weak cross from Adam Rosen in the 70th minute.
Three GW players were named to the All-Tournament Team: Michael Goldman, Pilkington and Parypinski.
GW defeated Howard 9-1 Friday afternoon before 150 people by capitalizing on Howard’s 18 infractions. At the three-minute mark, Goldman scored GW’s first goal of the season when he hooked a free kick from the right wing over Howard’s goalie Jimmy Hernandez. Osborne added two goals off penalty kicks before halftime.
The Colonials next game will be a home game Thursday against Virginia Military Institute (4 p.m.). The Colonials played a preseason game against James Madison University last weekend, and lost 2-0.
