Regardless of postseason shortcomings, the Georgetown University men’s soccer team exhibited talent and grit throughout a dominant 2023 season. An impressive 6-1-1 record in conference play crowned the Hoyas as Big East regular season champions for the fourth consecutive year, and an overall record of 13-3-3 allowed Georgetown to capture the 4-seed and a bye round in the NCAA Division I tournament.

This thunderous run by the Hoyas was soured by back-to-back losses in the postseason: Xavier (9-4-6, 4-1-3 Big East) claimed the Big East title by defeating Georgetown in penalties in the championship game, and James Madison University (10-5-5, 4-2-3 Sun Belt) upset Georgetown with a 1-0 win to eliminate the Hoyas from making a deep NCAA tournament run.

But there is no denying that Georgetown was a regular season juggernaut, and they have the accolades to prove it. Aside from the Big East regular season title, five Hoyas were named to the all-Big East first team: sophomore forward Jacob Murrell, senior defenseman Kenny Nielsen, junior defenseman Kieran Sargeant, senior goalkeeper Ryan Schewe and senior midfielder Marlon Tabora. Two Hoyas, senior midfielder Kyle Linhares and sophomore midfielder/forward Zach Zengue, were recognized on the all-Big East third team.

Additionally, Georgetown nearly swept the Big East regular season awards with multiple Hoyas acknowledged as the most skilled at their positions in the entire conference. As the cornerstone of the best defense in the Big East, Nielsen emerged as a strong candidate to be honored as defensive player of the year.

However, the success of the defense is ultimately at the mercy of the goalkeeper, and thankfully the Hoyas were in secure hands this season with Schewe earning goalkeeper of the year. Defensive leadership on the pitch held Georgetown’s conference opponents to a combined 4 goals this season and resulted in a total of 6 shutouts through all games. Georgetown’s defensive end also boasts a shots-on-goal percentage of 0.364 for their opponents, which speaks to their stifling play style.

Tabora finished the season with 16 points — 12 of which were scored off 4 goals and 4 assists in conference games — and was named Big East co-midfielder of the year alongside Creighton’s Giorgio Probo. Tabora was instrumental in controlling center field and pushing the offense, a powerful unit led by Murrell which finished the season with a total of 41 goals scored on 223 shots. 

Though just shy of the offensive award, Murrell shone brightly for the Hoyas this year and was one of the most prominent players across the conference, producing 11 goals and 4 assists over 19 games.

The brains behind this winning operation were also recognized by the Big East, as Head Coach Brian Wiese’s staff received the coaching staff of the year award. Wiese, who just finished his 18th year at the Hilltop, added to his illustrious resume by becoming the winningest head coach in program history with 224 wins.

These are the fifth consecutive defensive player of the year, fifth consecutive midfielder of the year and third consecutive coaching staff of the year awards won by Georgetown, a testament to the program’s ability to maintain a longstanding winning culture.

With eight seniors on the 2023 roster, the Hoyas will look to rely on returning stars Murrell, Sergeant and Zengue to lead the offense, defense and midfield next season, respectively. Sophomore goalkeeper Tenzing Manske, who recorded 3 shutouts in his 5 games played this year, is expected to start as goalkeeper. 

As for its recruiting class, Georgetown ranks No. 1 in the nation for 2024 according to Top Drawer Soccer, with seven future Hoyas signing National Letters of Intent.

Overall, the 2023 Georgetown men’s soccer season gave fans plenty to celebrate after another strong performance amid tough competition. Though the losses to Xavier and James Madison were disappointing, the Hoyas protected their streak as the undisputed best regular season team in the Big East since 2019, maintaining its reputation as one of the best and most consistently strong teams in the nation.

Murrell and company have no plans to slow down, and Hoya fans can expect similar dominance in 2024, ideally with some postseason hardware to bring back to the Hilltop.