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Georgetown (2-0, 0-0 Patriot League) won its home opener against Wagner (0-2), 13-10, on Saturday. Junior kicker Matt MacZura paced the Hoyas, knocking through the game-winning 35-yard field goal with one minute and 42 seconds left.
Wagner started out on fire by driving 66 yards and scoring on a passing touchdown to make the score 7-0.
“I think we came out a little flat. I don’t think we were ready to play,” senior linebacker Rob McCabe said. “After that, we corrected it real fast. We knew this game was going to be on the defense.”
The Hoyas used its rushing attack to answer back on the next possession. MacZura finished the drive with the first of his field goals, a 21-yarder that made it 7-3. The junior has punted for the Hoyas since he stepped on campus as a freshman, but his two field goals on the day were the first of his collegiate career.
Georgetown and Wagner went back and forth, but no one could score again until the end of third quarter. The Hoyas were able to pin Seahawks inside their own one-yard line, forcing Wagner to punt from inside its own end zone. Sophomore wide receiver Kevin Macari returned the ensuing punt to the Wagner 12-yard line. On third down, junior quarterback Aaron Aiken ran the ball into the end zone from 12 yards out, tying the game at 10-10.
The Seahawks would kick a field to tie the game at 10-10 with 5:19 left in the fourth quarter.
On the following drive, Georgetown would benefit from a Wagner penalty as MacZura punted the ball away. The penalty gave the Hoyas the ball at the 38-yard line. Aiken moved the ball to the Wagner 19 with a 12-yard pass to junior running back Dalen Claytor. From there, MacZura kicked his game-winner from 35 yards out.
“We have done it so many times in practice,” MacZura said. “I think we were ready for it. You just have to embrace the situation.”
The field goal left the Hoya defense in charge of finishing the game with a little under two minutes remaining in the game. The unit, led by McCabe, forced the Wagner offense into a turnover on downs on what would be their final possession.
“We wanted to be in that position,” McCabe said. “We asked to be in that position from our offense. They took care of their job and we took care of our job at the end.”
The turnover on downs was one of many strong series from a Hoya defense that kept the Seahawk rushing offense to only 94 yards on the day.
Aiken, meanwhile, completed 18-of-38 passes for 146 yards with one interception and a rushing touchdown. It was Aiken’s first career start after taking over for concussed senior quarterback Isaiah Kempf in the season opener.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more exhilarating win. It felt good,” Aiken said. “I think that one of the best thing I experienced was the confidence in the offense.”
“This was a team win. The best team is going to win today or Saturday. And that’s what happened,” Head Coach Kevin Kelly said. “It was a full team effort.”
Photo: Matthew Thees
