No. 14 Men’s Soccer Hosts No. 5 Georgetown

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The No. 14 Providence College men's soccer team hosts the No. 5 Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday, March 6. The game is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence, R.I. This contest marks the first time the two teams have met since the 2019 BIG EAST Championship game where Georgetown won, 3-1. For the first time this season, a maximum of 250 students will be allowed to attend the contest following guidance from the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Series History vs. Georgetown
First Meeting: Georgetown - 4, Providence - 3 (OT) (1990)
Last Meeting: Georgetown - 3, Providence - 1 (2019)
All-Time Series: Georgetown leads series, 18-13-3

Scouting the Hoyas
Georgetown started its spring 2021 season going 2-0. The reigning NCAA National Champions defeated Villanova, 3-0, in their season opener on Saturday, Feb 27. In their second contest, they topped Seton Hall at home, 2-1, in overtime on March 3. Dante Polvara, BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (March 1), scored both goals in the victory over the Pirates. Polvara leads the team in points (8) and goals (4). Chris Hegardt earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (March 1) accolades, and recorded two points off a goal. Aidan Rocha and Will Sandshave both have tallied an assist for one point each. In net, Ethan Koehler and Giannis Nikopolidis have each recorded a win. Both keepers have one save and one shutout on the season.

Scouting the Friars
Providence holds a 3-0 record with a 2-0 mark in BIG EAST Play. The Friars topped Villanova, 1-0, in double-overtime on March 3. Gevork Diarbian (Cranston, R.I.) scored the golden goal in the 106th minute of play. In the Friars' season opener they defeated Rhode Island, 4-0, at home on Saturday, Feb. 20. The following week they defeated UConn, 2-0, in their BIG EAST opener. Seven Friars have racked up points in the opening three matches. Diarbian, who earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (March 1), leads the pack with seven points. He scored a goal in each game and gathered one assist. Christopher Roman (Glastonbury, Conn.) gathered three points in the Friars opening game against URI with one goal and one assist. Gage Raftery (Seattle, Wash.), Aidan Melville (Cumberland Foreside, Maine) and Paulo Lima (Lisbon, Portugal) all have tallied two points off a goal. Kevin Vang (Cranston, R.I.) and Gil Santos (Parede, Portugal) have recorded an assist for one point. Junior keeper Rimi Olatunji (Brampton, Ontario) was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (March 1). The victory over Villanova marked his third consecutive shutout. He has made 14 saves in the first three games.

In the Polls
Providence made its season debut in the United Soccer Coaches' Top-25 on March 1 with a No. 14 ranking. They ended the 2019 season with the same placement in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, No. 12 in NCAA RPI and a No. 11 ranking from TopDrawer Soccer.

Stacking Up Shutouts
Providence has recorded three shutouts in its first three games, all credited to Rimi Olatunji.

Providence Starts Strong
The Friars have started the season 3-0. This marks the first time the team has won their first three games since the 2014 season. With a victory on Saturday, the Friars would move to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1993 under head coach Bill Doyle.

Success in OT
The Friars have played in one overtime game so far this season that resulted in a win. Providence bested Villanova, 1-0, on Wednesday, March 3.

Fresh Friar Faces
The Friars' roster welcomes 11 newcomers for the 2021 spring season. Samuel Biven (Atlanta, Georgia), Lukas Burns (Cinnaminson, N.J.), Gevork Diarbian (Cranston, R.I.), Ryan Gallagher (Safety Harbor, Fla.), Brendan McSorley (Randolph, N.J.), Aidan Melville (Cumberland Foreside, Maine), Jason Pereira (Bloomfield, N.J.) and Armaan Wilson (Kleinburg, Ontario) make up the group of incoming freshmen. Luis Garcia (Gran Canaria, Spain), Jonny Nixon (Cheshire, England), Adam Riis (Hellerup, Denmark) are incoming transfers.

Preseason Poll and Awards
Paulo Lima was voted to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team entering the spring 2021 season. With one first-place vote, Providence was voted to finish second (20 points) in the East Division of the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Friars finished in third place last season with an overall record of 16-7 and 6-3 in BIG EAST play. Georgetown, the reigning tournament champion, was selected to finish first with five first-place votes (25 points). Behind PC, St. John's, who finished second in regular season play last season, was picked third (17 points). Connecticut (13 points), Seton Hall (8 points) and Villanova (7 points) finish out the standings for the East Division.

Up Next
The Friars take on the St. John's Red Storm on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium. Kick off is set for 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10 in Providence, R.I.

2020-21 Providence College Award Winners

Gevork Diarbian
-BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (March 1)

Paulo Lima
-Preseason All-BIG EAST Team

Rimi Olatunji
-BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (March 1)

Christopher Roman
-BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (Feb. 22)

For any questions regarding attendance to games, please visit Friars.com for more information.

For more updates on the Providence men's soccer program, follow the team on Twitter @PCFriarsMSoccer.

-GO FRIARS!-

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Samuel Biven

Lukas Burns

Gevork Diarbian

Ryan Gallagher

Luis Garcia

Paulo Lima

Brendan McSorley

Aidan Melville

Jonny Nixon

Rimi Olatunji

Jason Pereira

Gage Raftery

Adam Riis

Christopher Roman

Gil Santos

Kevin Vang

Armaan Wilson

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Seton Hall on September 19, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Brown on September 23, 2025 , Tie , 1, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Xavier on September 27, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Villanova on October 3, 2025 , Win , 5, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at St. John's on October 11, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 3

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Marquette on October 17, 2025 , Win , 1, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Connecticut on October 25, 2025 , Tie , 0, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at DePaul on November 1, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Georgetown on November 7, 2025 , Tie , 2, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus #15 Georgetown University on November 13, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 2

Providence College Athletics

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