| School – Georgetown |
| Conference – Big East |
| Coach – Brian Wiese (9th Season) |
| Background – After a breakthrough season in 2012 in which the Hoyas advanced to the National Championship match, Georgetown entered the 2013 season with a ton of momentum. They were short listed by almost everyone as a team with a good shot at making a return trip to the College Cup. That didn't happen but it is clear that this is a program that is now among the upper echelon of college soccer in terms of talent. The Hoyas were 14-5-2 last year with a 6-2-1 mark in conference play. They had a top ten ranking throughout the season rising as high as the number four spot in the College Soccer News poll. Georgetown was awarded the number six seed in the NCAA Tourney and topped Old Dominion 3-0 before being upset by eleventh seeded Michigan State 1-0 in the Sweet Sixteen. College Soccer News named forward Steve Neuman a First Team All-American and forward Brandon Allen a Second Team All-American. The NSCAA named both Neumann and Allen Second Team All-Americans. Georgetown might be described as among the "nouveau riche" of college soccer which is a tribute to what Brian Wiese and his staff have accomplished in a relatively short period of time. You don't have to go back very far in time to find a time in which the Hoyas were not a likely candidate for a berth in the NCAA Tourney. In fact, when they returned to the tourney field in 2010 they had been absent since the 1997 season. All that means is that while the future is bright at Georgetown, this is a program that may still experience a few growing pains before they consistently play to their potential in the really big games. |
| Offense – Let's begin by saying that anytime you lose a player like forward Steve Neumann, who had 41 career goals and 34 assists, was the 2013 Big East Offensive Player of the Year, a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist as both a junior and senior, and a Big East First Team selection for three seasons, you have some big shoes to fill. A very persuasive case could be made that Neumann, more than any other player, had the greatest overall impact on the rise of the program since he arrived on campus in 2010. His departure leaves a void to fill but the Hoyas will continue to have a lot of firepower up-top beginning with junior All-American Brandon Allen who has placed the ball in the back of the net a total of twenty-seven times for the Blue and Gray over the past two seasons. Sophomore Alex Muyl (4g, 9a), a 2013 Big East All-Rookie Team selection, is a prime timer who is likely to join Allen up-top. Sophomore forward Brett Campbell (2g, 1a) who saw action in eleven contests last year is among other returning players who is likely to play a much greater role in 2014. The Hoyas will have to replace midfielder Joey Dillon who was a four year stater and was named the 2013 Big East Co-Midfielder of the Year but a very talented and deep group of midfieders are slated to return. Senior Tyler Rudy (2g,3a) who has three years of starting experience under his belt will likely fill the holding midfielder role. Seniors Tom Skelly (1g, 3a) and Austin Martz (0g, 2a), junior Melvin Snoh and sophomores Bakie Goodman (4g, 3a) and Jon Azzinnari are among other returning linkmen who look to be in the mix. Incoming freshmen midfielders Christopher Lema and Arun Basuljevic who played with the New York Red Bulls Academy and were ranked by College Soccer News as the number twelve and twenty-first players respectively in the class of 2013 should also compete for playing time in the center of the park. |
| Defense – Senior Tomas Gomez, the 2013 Co Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, returns in goal. Gomez has been the starter for the past three seasons and is among the top netminders in the country. The entire starting back four consisting of sophomore Joshua Yaro and juniors Keegan Rosenberry, Josh Turnley, and Cole Seiler return to give the Hoyas a very experienced and tenacious backline. In fact this group looks to be among the best in the country. Rosenberry was a 2013 Big East Second Team selection while Yaro, who many consider to be among the best defenders in the country, was a 2013 Big East All-Rookie Team member. |
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Newcomers – Five Star Recruiting Class Coach Wiese stated, "This is another great recruitig class for the program. Even though we only graduated two starters from last year's team, they will leave two big holes to fill. The expectation is that this group will help fill those holes, and continue to push us toward our goal of winning a national championship." Arun Basuljevic – Midfielder – Mahopac, N.Y. – Mahopac High School – Played for the New York Red Bulls Academy. Ranked by College Soccer News as the 21st player in the class of 2013. 2013 NSCAA Youth All-American. U.S. U-20, U-15, U-14 National Team member. Region I ODP team. Brian Kane – Defender – Chicago, Ill. – Brother Rice High School – Played for the Chicago Magic PSG Development Academy. All-State kicker on his high school football team. Matthew Ledder – Midfielder – Falls Church, Virginia – Gonzaga College High School – Played for the Behesda-Olney Academy and the McLean Soccer Academy. Ranked by College Soccer News as the 89th player in the class of 2013. WCAC All-Conference selection. Christopher Lema – Midfielder – Ridgefield, N.J. – Ridge Memorial High School – Ranked by College Soccer News as the number 12 player in the class of 2013. Played for New York Red Bulls Academy. Played with the U.S. U-17 National Team earning 24 caps. Declan McCabe – Midfielder – Midfielder – The Rivers School – Ranked by College Soccer News as the number 87 player in the class of 2013. Played for the New England Revolution Academy. In residency program for U-14, U-15, and U-17 U.S. National Team. Devin Vondrak – Defender – Palos Verdes Estate – Palos Verdes High School – Played for the Fram Soccer Club. Four year letterman and two-year captain of high school team. First TEam All-CIF selection. Region IV ODP 2012 team. |
| Prognosis for 2014 – Big things are expected from Georgetown in 2014. With a solid core of talented players returning including nine starters, and another highly regarded recruiting class coming on board, the Hoyas will again be in the thick of the Big East Conference race and will enter the season with a high national ranking. The six member Georgetown recuriting class includes four players ranked by College Soccer News as among the top one-hundred players in the class of 2013. Allen, who will be the Hoyas go-to guy, is a proven goal scorer. He and Muyl should compliment each other up-top and give the Hoyas a multi-dimensional attack. The midfield will be very deep providing Wiese with the opportunity to keep fresh legs on the pitch. Last year Georgetown recorded a program best fourteen shutouts. With an experienced backline slated to return along with Gomez in goal the Hoyas will again have a defense that will be difficult to penetrate. This looks to be the most talented and the deepest roster that Wiese has had since coming to Georgetown. As a result he will have a lot of different lineup options. The competition for playing time should be fierce which is a good thing but along with that comes the inevitable challenge of finding the right combinations and of maintaining the team chemistry that is needed to succeed at the highest level. If everything falls into place, the Hoyas will again win a lot of contests in 2014 and chances are pretty good that the chant "We are Georgetown" will again be heard at the College Cup sometime in the near future. |
