#18 Georgetown Men's Soccer 2012 Preview

Georgetown Hoyas

Overall Rank: #18
Conference Rank: #4 Big East Conference
Georgetown Men's College Soccer 2012 Team Preview
Georgetown Team Page

 

Georgetown finished the 2011 season without a conference title or an NCAA appearance but they will be looking to change that in the 2012 season. Head Coach Brian Wiese will be looking to captains Ian Christianson, Tommy Muller, Jimmy Nealis, and Steve Neumann to lead the Hoyas to a winning 2012 campaign. Christianson and Muller were both captains for the 2011 season, and Nealis and Neumann are new to the captain spot. GU can’t wait to return to the field to showcase their talent which has been joined by one of the best recruiting classes that the program has seen.  

2011 Record: 10-5-4, 5-3-1
2011 Postseason: None
Coach: Brian Wiese

Strengths:
The Hoyas are welcoming back the top five scorers from the 2011 season including Neumann who led the team last season with 11 goals. Neumann also racked up the most assists with seven. Also returning to the pitch for the offense is Christianson, Andy Riemer, Tom Skelly, and Tyler Rudy, who all contributed goals for the offense last year. The Georgetown defense has some key players returning this year as well. The other two captains, Muller and Nealis, along with Ted Helfrich, will be in the defender positions. Nealis and Rudy spend time helping on offense and defense, listed on the roster in both midfield and defender spots, and Joey Dillon has the ability to make an impact in the same way. Finishing off the defense in the net will be Tomas Gomez and Keon Parsa, who both saw time on the pitch last season, tallying 77 saves allowing only 19 goals.  

Weaknesses:
Few teams are as lucky as Coach Wiese to have such an outstanding set of players return to the field combined with a group of recruits that can help produce wins. The Hoyas talented players however finished the spring season with three wins and three losses and only allowed four goals, which speaks well for the defense. But the offense was unable to produce any goals in a couple of the matches. Neumann and Christianson, along with the rest of the offense, will have to work on their attack skills before the season opener. The Hoyas have a tough schedule this season taking on Old Dominion in their first of two exhibition matches, which will help prepare them then take on Virginia and James Madison in regular season play. The conference matches won’t give Georgetown any slack either when the Hoyas take on Rutgers, Connecticut, Notre Dame, and Providence.

Final Projection:
The Hoyas have the skills to take on anything the Big East or the NCAA can throw their way. And, with such a talented squad, they can finish in the top ten and earn an NCAA bid. Georgetown’s offense will need to be a little more aggressive than they were in the spring and play more like they did in the 2011 season, netting 31 goals in 19 games. The defense will need to continue to stand their ground and allow little or no goals as they showed they can in the spring. With the talented players and the leadership of the captains, the Hoyas can make a run for the Big East title and make an NCAA appearance in the 2012 season.

Projected Postseason: NCAA Tournament

Returning Leaders:
Goals: Steve Neumann, Junior, F/M, 11
Assists: Steve Neumann, Junior, F/M, 7
Shots: Steve Neumann, Junior, F/M, 71
Saves: Tomas Gomez, Sophomore, GK, 60

Madness 2013 MLS Draft Rankings:
#46 Steve Neumann

Madness 2012 Men’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#17 Brandon Allen
#33 Cole Seiler
#56 Melvin Snoh
#133 David Witkoff
#137 Keegan Rosenberry