Third-Seeded Hoyas to host Charlotte in NCAA tournament on Sunday
WASHINGTON – The third-seeded Georgetown University men’s soccer team will host the UNC Charlotte 49ers on Sunday in an NCAA Tournament second round game at 1 p.m., at North Kehoe Field. The Hoyas received the third overall seed in the tournament of 48 where the top 16 teams are seeded and receive a first-round bye. This marks the squad’s second tournament berth in three seasons.
The Hoyas went 17-3-1 on the season winning the BIG EAST Blue Division for the second time in three years and making it to the BIG EAST Championship where the Hoyas fell to Notre Dame in double overtime, 3-2. Along the way, the Hoyas posted seven-game and 11-game unbeaten streaks and are just one win shy of the program record of 18 victories in 1994.
The Blue & Gray has been in the national polls for much of the season after starting the year unranked. The team is currently No. 6 in the NSCAA poll, No. 6 in the SoccerAmerica poll and No. 4 in the NCAA’s last RPI.
The Hoyas have received a number of accolades this season with freshman forward Brandon Allen (Old Bridge, N.J./St. Joseph’s) earning BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team. Senior midfielder Ian Christianson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Christian Life) and junior forward Steve Neumann (New Hope, Pa./Council Rock North) were both named First Team All-BIG EAST, while Allen was joined by senior defender Jimmy Nealis (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and sophomore goalkeeper Tomas Gomez (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves). Rounding out the All-BIG EAST Third Team was senior defender Tommy Muller (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Trinity Prep).
This is Georgetown’s NCAA Tournament berth is the second under Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese. The Hoyas have been to the tournament on three previous occasions. Most recently, Georgetown won its first round game in 2010 and tied at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, but failed to advance on penalty kicks. The program has never moved beyond the second round of the tournament with previous appearances in 1997 and 1994.
GU hosted first-round games in 1994 and 2010, but has never hosted a second-round tournament game. The Hoyas are 2-2-1 overall in the NCAA Tournament.
Leading the way for Hoyas is Allen who has 28 points with 13 goals including nine game winners as well as two assists. Neumann has 25 points with seven goals and a team and conference-high 11 assists, while senior forward Andy Riemer (McLean, Va./Georgetown Prep) rounds out the top three with eight goals and one assist for 17 points.
In the net, Gomez has appeared in 15 games with 57 saves and six shutouts to his credit.
Behind two goals by Jennings Rex and another goal by Giuseppe Gentile, the Charlotte 49ers (15-3-3) defeated the UAB Blazers, 3-2, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday evening.
The 49ers are making their eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their third appearance in the last four years. Last season, the 49ers advanced to the College Cup Final for the first time in school history. Charlotte has reached the College Cup twice in 1996 and 2011. The 49ers are 6-5-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
This will be the first meeting between the teams.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at North Kehoe Field. Live stats and a free webcast featuring Dan Helfrich and Tom Greaser will be available at www.GUHoyas.com. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $5. Georgetown students with a GOCard will be admitted free of charge thanks to the generosity of an athletics donor.
