For the second straight year, the No. 8 Georgetown men’s soccer team has advanced to the NCAA tournament. The draw for the tournament, which was announced Monday afternoon, granted the team (13-4-2, 6-2-2 Big East) the No. 6 seed and a bye in the first round. Should the Hoyas advance beyond their first match against Old Dominion, likely opponents include No. 3 Notre Dame (12-1-6), No. 12 Wake Forest (9-5-5) and No. 14 Michigan State (12-5-3). The bye and the high seed were expected for the team, which has been consistently ranked in the top 10, but coaches and players are not taking either for granted.
“We are really happy to be a seeded team, and the bye is massive,” Head Coach Brian Wiese said. “Just to get to the round of 32 without having to kick a ball is nice.”
The Hoyas will play their first game of the tournament Nov. 24 against the Old Dominion (10-5-1). The Monarchs are one of a trio of representatives from Conference USA. New Mexico and Charlottle also will represent C-USA, and both earned a first round bye. The Monarchs defeated Charlotte in overtime but fell 3-0 against New Mexico. The matchup will favor Georgetown, but even the most favorable matchups don’t guarantee an easy game.
“At this stage, everyone is either a champion or very good – or both. You’re playing teams that are used to winning and every team has got some good weapons at this level,” Wiese said.
Old Dominion is 0-1 against the Big East after losing a matchup against Creighton 2-1 in two overtimes. Old Dominion and Georgetown have already met once this season in an exhibition match played on Aug. 18, with the Hoyas falling 2-1. That meeting was the season opener, meaning that key freshmen players such as defender Joshua Yaro and midfielders Bakie Goodman and Alex Muyl had no college experience. The team has played 1,678 minutes of soccer over three months since the preseason and has improved immensely.
“It’s night and day since then,” senior midfielder and captain Joey Dillon said. “We’ve gotten a lot better, and I’m sure they have as well.”
Old Dominion handled the Drexel Dragons easily in the first round, going up three goals by the half en route to a 5-1 win. The result was expected against a team that made the tournament after upsetting No. 22 William and Mary in the Colonial Athletic Assosciation finals. Senior forward Tim Hopkinson scored the opening two goals for the Monarchs, and junior forward Ivan Militar had three assists.
After the disappointing loss to Providence in the Big East semifinals, the Hoyas are anxiously awaiting their next opportunity. The nine-day break in between games will be the longest the team has seen all year. Some of its biggest games are right around the corner, and the entire roster will certainly face a range of emotions.
“At this point everyone is mostly excited and wants to get out there and start playing. Sure there will be some nerves early on in the games, but overall, everyone is excited to get going,” Dillon said.
Dillon is one of six seniors on the team who will be entering the tournament for the final time. They have played the NCAAs three times but will look to finish their careers with a championship. From star senior forward and captain Steve Neumann to reserves like senior defender Nick Van Hollen, the postseason has left a lasting impact on all those who will be playing their final games.
“There is nothing like it,” Dillon said. “It’s a different atmosphere playing in the tournament. It’s definitely the best part of the season.”
Georgetown will have its entire 31-man roster available next Sunday for its opening tournament game on Shaw Field at 1 p.m. From top to bottom, it will need every player to be performing at his best from the opening kickoff to the final minute of the last game. Wiese emphasized the lack of room for error in the single elimination tournament.
“There’s no one part that will be more important than the others,” Wiese said. “Every part has to be working and working well. … All the parts have to be good. All the parts have to be sharp.”