Aug. 29, 2005
The seniors on Georgetown's 2005 men's soccer team have tasted success in their previous three seasons but not the type of success they hope to accomplish this year. In two of the past three years the Hoyas have advanced to the BIG EAST Championship Semifinals and fallen just short of advancing to the NCAA tournament. This year's squad hopes to buck that trend and make a statement in the BIG EAST and in the nation. Georgetown lays claim to the 2005 BIG EAST Preseason Defensive and Offensive Players of the Year in senior Jeff Curtin and junior Ricky Schramm, and they are rejoined with six other starters from last year's 11-8-2 squad. A total of 15 letterwinners from last year are on the roster for Head Coach Keith Tabatznik's 22nd season, and they are grouped with eight newcomers to try and build upon the past three seasons of Hoya success.
DEFENSE
The key cogs to Georgetown's defensive effort last year return this season. All-America candidate Jeff Curtin returns to his starting center back position for the fourth consecutive year. He has been an All-BIG EAST Second Team performer the past three years and has proven to be one of the best defensive players in the nation. Curtin takes over co-captain duties this season and outside of his defensive shutdown ability he also brings offense to the table, standing 20th on the Hoya all-time goals scored list with 11.
Junior Tim Convey has been a starter from day one and played in 20 games last season. He and Curtin may be the only defensive duo in collegiate soccer that have two brothers currently playing professionally, as Jim Curtin plays for the MLS' Chicago Fire and Bobby Convey is with Reading FC and both are in the player pool of the US National squad.
The other returning starter is sophomore Richard Diaz, who as a freshman emerged immediately as a solid wide defender and did not miss a game. Another veteran defender is senior Ethan Caskey, who sat out all of 2004 with an injury but saw 18 games of action in 2003. Three newcomers will be battling for backline time as freshmen Sean Bellomy, Harri Halonen and Alex Pangraze all sport Hoya Blue and Gray for the first time.
FORWARDS
Offensively all eyes focus on junior forward Ricky Schramm who as a sophomore earned the BIG EAST's Offensive Player of the Year Award and All-BIG EAST First Team honors, plus led the league in goals and points with 13 and 32 respectively. Schramm is a proven scorer and ranks 10th all-time at Georgetown for goals with 22. He will team up with some old and some new faces in 2005. Senior Chris Tansey has 32 games of experience and notched his career first goal last year. Sophomore Mike Glaccum emerged as a welcome addition to the offense last season and played in all 21 contests, totaling three goals. Two freshmen, Richard Frank and Peter Grasso, will also be relied upon to produce scoring opportunities.
MIDFIELD
The Hoyas' midfield has been a strong suit for numerous seasons, contributing to both the offense and defense. This year's group is laden with senior experience and talent as center midfielders Kevin Sindelar, Dan Pydo and Benjamin Jefferson-Dow and wide midfielders Brent Plumley and Danny McAnally all play their senior season on the Hilltop.
Sindelar enters his fifth season with the squad after sitting out the 2003 season as a medical redshirt. He has played in 53 games during his career and can dominate games with goal scoring or as a defensive stopper. Pydo started 14 games last season and has 50 career games of action under his belt. Fellow middle midfielder Jefferson-Dow sat out last year after transferring from SMU but already had a history with the Hoyas playing the 2002 season at Georgetown and tying for the team lead in scoring with 13 points. He will have one more year of eligibility remaining.
The wide midfielders are led by co-captain Plumley. Plumley spent his first two collegiate seasons at UMass and Penn before joining Georgetown for the first time last season. He played in 20 games with 15 starts and totaled one goal and three assists. McAnally secured the other wide midfield position last year and earned Georgetown's Most Improved Player award at the end of the season. He started 18 of 21 contests and finished third on the team in scoring with 14 points off three goals and eight assists. One other veteran returns to the midfield in junior Daniel Grasso. Grasso played in 20 games as a sophomore and started 11. He has totaled nine points in two straight campaigns along with earning GU's Rookie of the Year Award in 2003. Rounding out the Hoya midfielders in their first season are freshmen Alex Fairman, Hunter Joslin and Corey Zeller.
GOALKEEPERS
Three strong keepers stand in goal for Georgetown in 2005. Junior Andrew Keszler returns to his starting goalkeeping duties after leading the BIG EAST in saves with 86 and recording four shutouts last year. He started 19 games and finished the year with a 1.42 goals against average. The other two keepers wait in the wings as sophomore Joe Devine and junior Ted Shanahan both are in their second season with the Hoyas. Devine saw three games of action in 2004 and had seven saves, while Shanahan's only action came against Mt. St. Mary's.
2005 SCHEDULE
A loaded schedule faces the Hoyas in 2005 as Georgetown plays BIG EAST powers Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Connecticut along with other perennial national title contenders outside of the league in VCU, Santa Clara, Creighton and Maryland. North Kehoe Field plays host to 10 opponents including the Hoyas' first two games of the year when GU hosts the annual D.C. College Cup. Georgetown opens the Cup with Howard on September 2 before facing off with American on September 4.
The University of Maryland Tournament is the next weekend with Georgetown facing VCU and Santa Clara. GU opens its BIG EAST slate with road matchups against DePaul and South Florida, two of five new programs joining the conference in 2005, on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Villanova and Rutgers visit Georgetown at the end of September, and a non-league home match-up against Manhattan is sandwiched in before the Hoyas host Providence on October 1.
Away trips to Seton Hall and West Virginia precede a local rivalry game with Maryland on October 11. The Maryland game starts a three-game home stand for Georgetown against the nation's best as Notre Dame comes to the Hilltop on October 15 and Creighton is right behind the Irish on October 19. Conference foe Marquette is next before senior day at Georgetown against Pittsburgh on October 26 and a trip to Storrs, Connecticut, to face UConn closes the regular season on October 29.
