Junior defender and co-captan Keegan Rosenberry has a goal and an assist this season, including the game-winner against DePaul. He has helped the team record 10 clean sheets and allow just 0.53 goals per game.
The No. 11 Georgetown men’s soccer team will travel to the Philadelphia area to play the Villanova Wildcats (8-6-3, 3-3-2 Big East) on Friday in its final regular-season game. With four teams packed at the top of the conference standings, the match will have serious implications for the Hoyas’ postseason schedule.
Georgetown (10-3-4, 5-2-1 Big East) currently sits at fourth in the conference and has already clinched a spot in the Big East tournament. If it wins Friday and No. 14 Xavier (11-4-2, 5-1-2 Big East) loses or ties, then Georgetown will finish second in the conference. That runner-up position means a first-round bye in the conference tournament and an automatic spot in the semifinals. A Xavier win or a Georgetown tie or loss will leave the Hoyas outside of the top two places. In that case, Georgetown will play Villanova again on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. for a first-round Big East game, this time hosting the Wildcats at Shaw Field. Only six teams out of 10 make the tournament.
“We try not to think about it as much as we can,” junior defender and co-captain Keegan Rosenberry said of the postseason scenarios. “It is in the back of our minds. … We try our best to keep our minds off it, but, at the same time, we are trying our best to end at the top.”
The team has also all but clinched a place in the NCAA tournament. Georgetown has never dropped below 17th in the coaches’ poll, and its current spot at third in the Ratings Percentage Index rankings, which are based on record and strength of schedule, should have the team confident about playing games after the conference tournament. Nevertheless, a poor performance against Villanova or in the Big East could prevent Georgetown from earning a seeded spot and a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament.
“When you talk about being number three in the RPI, you have put yourself in a really good opportunity, so make sure that you are able to follow through. You have done a lot of the hard work, but that can all very quickly follow through and finish it off right,” Head Coach Brian Wiese said.
Before making it to the postseason, however, Georgetown needs to make it past Villanova. Last time the two teams played, a goal by then-sophomore forward Brandon Allen helped the Hoyas win 1-0 and clinch the 2013 Big East regular-season title on the last day of the season.
That game was a highly physical affair that included 19 fouls and five yellow cards given to the Wildcats. This year’s Wildcats team has maintained that physical, aggressive style of play. It has earned 42 yellow cards and one red this season, compared to just 13 yellow cards and no ejections for the Hoyas. Two Villanova players, senior defender Colton Bryant and sophomore midfielder Max Kroschwitz, will be ineligible during Friday’s match because they have accumulated too many yellow cards over the course of the season.
“Villanova is a physical team. If you look at their stats, they have a lot of fouls, they have 42 yellow cards. They are a physical group and an emotional group, and they are a really talented group. When things are going well for them, they are as good as anyone in the country,” Wiese said.
While Villanova is reeling from a 2-0 loss to Xavier last Saturday, Georgetown is in the middle of a three-game winning streak in which it has not conceded a goal. If the team extends this run of shutouts to four, then the Hoyas will better their outstanding goals-allowed mark from last season. Senior goalkeeper and co-captain Tomas Gomez has already recorded 10 shutouts in just 17 games played.
“It is something we are proud of,” Rosenberry said. “It is something that we like to pride ourselves, especially as a back four. It is a group that has played together for a couple years now. … It is something that we can pride ourselves on on the stat sheet.”
Rosenberry is one of five Georgetown players from Pennsylvania and one of four from the eastern half of the state. Junior midfielder Melvin Snoh and sophomore forward Brett Campbell hail from the immediate area surrounding Philadelphia and Villanova.
“It is pretty nice to play close to home to get a bunch of family there,” Rosenberry said.
Georgetown will kick off at the 1,500-seat Villanova Soccer Complex Friday at 2 p.m.
