Aug. 11, 2010

WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University men's soccer squad was picked to finish fourth in the Blue Division in the 2010 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll. The Hoyas had 72 points to be fourth in the Blue Division and sixth among all 16 teams in the league. Georgetown finished the 2009 season with an overall mark of 9-8-2 going 6-5 in conference play.

Connecticut and St. John's were picked as the favorites in the preseason men's soccer poll. The Huskies received 12 first-place votes and were picked to win the league's Blue Division, while the Red Storm had eight first-place votes and sat atop the Red Division in the poll. Both programs were selected to the NCAA Championship last season. The votes were cast by the league's 16 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

GU defeated UCLA early in the 2009 season marking the first win over a nationally-ranked squad under Head Coach Brian Wiese. After a number of big conference victories, Georgetown was the fourth seed in the Blue Division in the BIG EAST Tournament before falling to DePaul in penalty kicks at North Kehoe Field.

The Blue & Gray lost just three seniors to graduation and returns a majority of the starting lineup in 2010. The Hoyas will welcome seven freshmen to campus to add to the depth from the upperclassmen. Additionally, senior Henry Tembon (London, England/The School at Church Farm) transferred to Georgetown in the spring from the University of Virginia.

The Hoyas will play eight home games at North Kehoe Field as well as one at Multi-Sport Field and have a challenging road slate including a two-game weekend at New Mexico. Georgetown is scheduled to face five NCAA Tournament teams from 2009 and six squads that appeared in the BIG EAST Tournament.

The Hoyas will open the season with a home weekend at North Kehoe Field. Georgetown will host Northeastern University on Sept. 3 and Michigan State University the following Sunday at 1 p.m.