Aug. 29, 2007
The 2007 Georgetown University men's soccer team returns eight starters but just three seniors and the youthful Hoyas lost 62 percent of last season's scoring output. Georgetown will rely on 16 freshmen and sophomores to contribute to second-year head coach Brian Wiese's talented squad.
"As a coaching staff, this is our first recruiting class," said Wiese. "We've added a lot of talent, athleticism and team speed to the roster and we expect a lot of these boys to come in and make immediate impacts."
The Hoyas will square off with nine teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament a year ago and will play their first seven games on the road.
Georgetown will look to program veterans senior Mike Glaccum and junior Peter Grasso to lead the offensiveattack. Glaccum is a co-captain who ranked third on the team with nine points (3 G, 3 A) last season. The talented forward has started 21 times in his career and is hoping to pick up his share of the scoring offense with the graduation of three-time All-BIG EAST selection Ricky Schramm.
Grasso played himself into a starting forward role with a strong spring season. The Burr Ridge, Illinois native moved to an attacking position after playing the majority of his first two seasons in the midfield.
Sophomore Justin Kondos missed a lot of the spring season with a broken foot. Kondos appeared in every game as a rookie and will build on a productive freshman campaign.
Freshmen Jose Colchao, Chandler Diggs and Tom St. George will compete for minutes up front or out wide. Colchao and Diggs should threaten opposing defenses with smart running off the ball and excellent pace. St. George is a local product with an enthusiastic personality who reads the game very well. Colchao had 41 goals and 16 assists in three high school seasons. Diggs was named Texas Soccer Coaches Association First Team All-State, District MVP and was named to the Texas University Interscholastic League All-Tournament team.
Junior Corey Zeller will most likely return to his customary center midfield position starting in 16 of 17 games as a sophomore. Zeller totaled five points including the game-winning overtime winner vs. Marquette.
Sophomore Scott Larrabee, coming off a successful freshman season, will most likely anchor the left side of the midfield. Larrabee totaled three points a year ago and started in the last four games using his versatility and aggressiveness.
Junior Conor Neusel adds the ability to play all four midfield positions and started in 13 of the team's 17 games. After transferring from Vanderbilt following his freshman year, Neusel gave Wiese options with his versatility last season.
Junior Hunter Joslin started in seven of the 13 games he appeared in and is excellent up and down the wings of the field. Joslin possesses good speed and good defensive instincts.
Junior Colin Carney possesses solid technical skills who adds depth to the midfield.
Newcomer Seth C'deBaca can break down defenders his 1 v 1 abilities. The 2006 New Mexico state Player of the Year has an attacking mindset with the ability to connect passes and create scoring opportunities.
Five Hoyas have the ability to play in the midfield or in the back and preseason will dictate their specific positions.
Junior Sean Bellomy stated in every game last season at right back but spent a lot of time playing in the defensive midfield spot last spring.
Freshman Ibukun Otegbeye, who comes to the Hilltop highly-touted out of the Winter Park, Florida area, possesses a great burst of speed and quickness.
Newcomer Ben Slingerland is a NSCAA/adidas All-American and Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year.
Rookies Robert Burnett and Alex Verdi are both skilled, athletic and physical players who will compete for midfield and defensive spots left by former Hoyas Tim Convey and Benjamin Jefferson-Dow.
Six GU student-athletes will most likely man the back line.
Senior Richard Diaz started in every game as a freshman but has been hampered by knee injuries in each of the last two seasons. Despite the setbacks, when on the field, Diaz has proven effective.
Sophomore Lenny Coleman made 14 starts in 15 games as a rookie and established himself as one of the league's more aggressive and effective players. Junior Alex Pangraze should anchor one of the two center back positions after gaining more and more confidence playing a lot of minutes last spring.
Sophomore Mark Zeman earned the left back position a year ago and should compete for the starting job at either outside back positions.
Sophomore Bill Byers is exceptionally fit and determined will add depth to the defense.
Freshman Mostafa Ebrahimnejad has the ability to compete for any of the back line starting jobs. The Columbia, Maryland native earned All-State accolades as a high school senior and is referred to as "one of the most complete players in the region" by Wiese.
In goal, the Hoyas return senior co-captain Joe Devine. In 2006, Devine split time with senior Andrew Keszler last season accumulating 39 saves in almost 800 minutes of action to go along with two shutouts. Devine will get the opening day nod but can and will be pushed by freshmen Matthew Brutto and Mark Wilber. Brutto is a three-time Pennsylvania All-State selection while Wilber, who stands at 6-4 and closing in on 200 pounds, is a two-time All-New Mexico State honoree with plenty of potential. The duo will be expected to push Devine for minutes.
The Hoyas will open the 2007 regular-season when they take on No. 23 UNC-Greensboro on Friday, August 31 at 5 p.m. in the first game of the JMU/Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club Tournament. The game will take place at the JMU Soccer Complex on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.
