Andreas Jeninga/The Hoya University of Delaware goalkeeper Kyle Haynes takes a foot to the face from Georgetown midfielder Daniel Grasso while making one of his five saves in the game. Despite Haynes’ effort, the Hoyas prevailed 2-1.

The Georgetown men’s soccer team, which rallied to put away Delaware 2-1 in the home opener, showed composure and motivation that could forecast a positive swing for the Hoyas this season. With 13 players in their junior or senior year, the team’s experience will stand out as its strength as it looks to shake off a weak past season.

“One of the strong points of the team is that two years ago I was talking about how a lot would have to do with how they mature, and this team is now a mature team,” Head Coach Keith Tabatznik said, using evidence from the team’s most recent contest. “I think that yesterday’s game is a pretty good example where I think that a couple years ago our team would have panicked being down against a team they knew they were better than and not had the experience to know that you keep playing and doing the right things so that the goals will come.”

Last year’s 50th anniversary season hoped to commemorate the program with a strong finish but was ultimately worth forgetting. Despite some early success, the team struggled for much of the season, posted a losing 8-9-2 record and finished 11th in the Big East ( 3-7-0 ), failing to qualify for the postseason tournament. Several months have passed now since the team’s season sputtered out last November, and Georgetown is back looking to reclaim its spot in the top tier of the conference.

“I don’t think anyone has to mention the fact that there is a burning desire to get back in the Big East [tournament]. We haven’t said it because we know it,” Tabatznik said. “It hurt last year. We plan to be a team that starts another streak of years in the tournament.”

While squads in recent years have fielded younger players, this year the team will bank on its development and maturity. Ten of the Hoyas’ top 12 scorers from last year are returning, as the team only lost three players to graduation.

The only area where Georgetown could use experience is in front of the net, where sophomore Andrew Keszler will have to replace Tim Hogan ( COL ’04) as the starter with only 80 minutes – which adds up to less than a game – worth of experience.

“We recruited Andrew [Keszler] in mind that he would be able to have a great chance as the keeper. I think Andrew is a very good goalkeeper and I think we’re pretty good in that spot right now,” Tabatznik said.

The Hoyas hope to benefit from the addition of four freshmen, who are already showing their presence. Richard Diaz started on defense against Delaware while forward Mike Glaccum gave the assist on the game-winning goal. They are joined by goalkeeper Joe Devine and midfielder Max Blume.

Sophomore Ted Shanahan also joins the team after spending a year with the men’s club soccer team and may see time in goal. The team also welcomes the return of Benjamin Jefferson-Dow, a junior forward who transferred to Southern Methodist last year but is now back in blue and gray. He will have to sit out the year following NCAA regulations.

Anchoring the team in the backfield will be junior Jeff Curtin, a preseason all-Big East selection and one of the best defenders in the conference. Senior midfielder and co-captain Dan Gargan also lends his talents to both the backfield as well as on offense, where he was the team’s second-highest scorer last year. Sophomore Ricky Schramm, who finished last season with nine goals, heads the charge on offense.

“I think we have some of those intangibles that are in place this year with experience, with leadership, with depth,” Tabatznik said. “Our young guys are good, but it’s kind of great to say that there’s just one freshman starting. It’s been a while since I said something like that.”

Georgetown will need its combination of talent and confidence to take on a strong Big East which currently boasts four teams ranked in the preseason NSCAA/Adidas poll: No. 2 St. John’s, No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 10 Connecticut and No. 12 Rutgers. The Hoyas will also face No. 3 Maryland in an early season tournament. The path to the conference tournament and any NCAA ambitions go through these teams, as well as other challenging programs such as Seton Hall and Boston College .

“Say any name in the Big East and it’s a tough game. It’s a great conference. It gives us a lot of opportunities to beat good teams and put us in a position for the NCAA tournament,” Tabatznik said.

But before Georgetown squares off with the Big East’s best, the team will warm up with two tournaments. They vie for soccer supremacy in the District at the D.C. College Cup this weekend before heading to College Park for the University of Maryland Tournament . The Hoyas look to keep their record perfect and defend their title when the College Cup starts with a matchup against George Washington at noon on Reeves Field at American. Georgetown faces the hosts in the final game of the tournament at 2:30 p.m. on onday.

“We’re not defending a title. We’re trying to get a title. We made that real clear with the team,” Tabatznik said. “We’re not going out there like `Hey, we’re the champions, come beat us.’ We’re going out there to get another trophy hopefully. I think it’s a wide open Cup this year.”