WASHINGTON – Georgetown University senior defender Dylan Nealis was one of 15 men's soccer student-athletes that were selected on Tuesday as semifinalists for Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) Hermann Trophy, the country's top college soccer honor. 
 
The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented by World Wide Technology, is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967. Three finalists will be named for the award on Friday, Dec. 13 in conjunction with the Men's College Cup in Cary, N.C. The 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 3, 2020 to formally announce this year's winners.
 
Nealis is the reigning two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-BIG EAST honoree.  He was also named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team this season and has earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors three times in 2019. 
 
The defender has started all 21 games for the Blue & Gray and ranks fifth on the team in scoring with four goals and five assists for 13 points on the year.  The GU defense has 12 shutouts on the year. As a team, Georgetown is 17-1-3 and won the BIG EAST Regular Season as well as the BIG EAST Championship for the third consecutive year. 
 
In his career, the Massapequa, New York native has started in 73 of 75 games played and has seven goals and 14 assists for 28 points.  The team has earned three NCAA Tournament berths advancing to the Round of 16 twice, and the quarterfinals once.
 
Nealis is the fifth semifinalist in program history with Brandon Allen earning the honor in 2015, Joshua Yaro being named in 2014 and Steve Neumann as a two-time honoree in both 2012 and 2013.  Allen is the lone Hoya who has been named a top three finalist.
 
The two-time team captain was the only player from the BIG EAST Conference to earn a spot on the prestigious list.
 
Georgetown advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals and will host No. 6 Washington on Saturday at noon at Shaw Field.  A live broadcast featuring Dan Helfrich and Tom Greaser will be available on the BIG EAST Digital Network and live stats can be found in the schedule at GUHoyas.com. Tickets can be purchased here.