Aug. 31, 2010

WASHINGTON - Veteran leadership will be the key for the 2010 Georgetown University men's soccer team. A core of 11 seniors heads up the talented group which returns eight starters from last year's team. Combining this experience with proven juniors, sophomores who saw action last season and an exceptional freshman class will make for one of the deepest squads Head Coach Brian Wiese has seen in his time on the Hilltop.

Depth will make a difference as the Hoyas battle five NCAA Tournament teams in non-conference play and playing in the incredibly talented BIG EAST Conference. Leading the way on offense will be a number of upperclassmen forwards. The forwards lost no seniors to graduation and enter the season with a balanced attack. Senior captain Jose Colchao will return after starting all 19 games last season. Colchao led the Hoyas in 2009 with four goals and five assists for 13 points.

Joining Colchao up front will be a combination of classmate Chandler Diggs, junior Uche Onyeador and sophomore Andy Riemer. Diggs was Georgetown's third-leading scorer a season ago with four goals and two assists. He split time starting with Onyeador who had two goals and one assist on the year for five points.

The one-two punch of Colchao and his cohorts up front was an effective attack, but when looking for a spark late in the game the coaching staff looked to rookie Riemer to make a quick impact. Riemer didn't disappoint, posting four goals and one assist on the season for nine points all coming in reserve.

Senior Tom St. George looks to break into the rotation after three years working hard in practice. St. George has the ability to play both forward and midfield and is a smart player who can contribute in reserve and is familiar with the system. Joining him looking to make an impact is sophomore Mark Luxama. As a freshman, Luxama didn't see game action but played a key role in practice. The staff is looking for him to break into the rotation this season.

Keegan Carter, Gabe Padilla and Justin Moo Young round out a group of players that may see time at either forward or midfield. All three freshmen will have to play their way into minutes on the pitch, but come from outstanding programs making one of the deepest squads the Hoyas have seen in years.

In the midfield, the Hoyas will welcome back seniors Rob Burnett and Seth C'deBaca as well as sophomore Ian Christianson.

Burnett and C'deBaca are both veteran midfielders with C'deBaca running the outside and Burnett controlling the middle. C'deBaca was last season's second-leading scorer with three goals and a team-high five assists for 11 points. Burnett posted two assists and contributed on defense as well rotating back when necessary.

Christianson came to the Hilltop as a highly-touted recruit and didn't disappoint. As a freshman he had one goal in 13 games after suffering a knee injury mid-way through the year. Christianson's impact was felt in the middle as he served as a starting point for a number of goals and was able to contribute on the defensive end.

Joining this group and looking to fill the spot left by graduate Scott Larrabee, is senior transfer Henry Tembon. The London, England, native transferred to Georgetown for his final year of eligibility. Tembon spent a year playing at the University of Virginia and is expected to see minutes in the middle.

Also joining the midfield are freshmen Steve Neumann and Joey Dillon. Neumann is a true midfielder who will be working to break into the rotation in a very deep and talented group. Dillon can play in the midfield or on defense; the coaching staff sees him as a player who can move around on the pitch to help out wherever necessary.

Georgetown's defense took the biggest hit due to graduation with the loss of All-BIG EAST defender Len Coleman and Mark Zeman, a mainstay in the lineup since his freshman season. The coaching staff will be looking to fill a central defender role, especially a student-athlete who can control headers as well as someone to take corner kicks.

Leading the way will be senior co-captain Alex Verdi and classmate Ibu Otegbeye. Both have played significant minutes in their careers and have the ability to run the defensive unit. Verdi started in all 19 games last year and got into the act on offense with one goal and two assists to his credit. Otegbeye returned from injury as a sophomore to start in 16 games last season with one assist.

Looking to fill the two vacant positions is senior Ben Slingerland as well as sophomore Jimmy Nealis and Tommy Muller. Slingerland is a tall defender that saw limited action last year, but has the ability to fill the middle and posted his first career start in 2009.

Muller and Nealis both saw significant time as rookies coming in as reserves. Nealis appeared in all 19 games with seven starts on defense. He is an incredibly quick player who can move up the field with the ball. Nealis had two goals and as many assists as a freshman. Muller played in eight games with three starts after injury kept him off of the pitch for much of the season. He tallied one assist and is expected to play a larger role as a sophomore.

Nick Van Hollen and Ted Helfrich both come in as freshmen and may be forced to see game action. Both come from solid soccer backgrounds and will be expected to be ready in a group with a lot of movement from last season.

In the net, it will be keeper by committee once again with three talented returners as well as one of the top-ranked freshmen in the nation according to topdrawersoccer.com. Senior co-captain Matthew Brutto and classmate Mark Wilber will once again split time as the coaching staff will have the luxury to play the keeper that fits the game. This tactic has worked well with the two goalkeepers combining for 18 shutouts over the past two seasons.

Brutto is a more tactical player who has success against organized squads. He runs the squad from his position in back and has the ability to see plays develop. Brutto posted three shutouts with 39 saves to his credit. He appeared in nine games starting in seven after a knee injury took him out of half the season.

Wilber started 11 contests for the Hoyas as a junior with five shutouts and 36 saves. He is an incredibly athletic keeper who can come up with big saves when necessary. The tall goalkeeper suffered a concussion last year that forced him out for a number of games but he is back at 100 percent and will see action in the net.

Rounding out the four-man corps are junior Erik Garciamendez and freshman Keon Parsa. Garciamendez played in one game last season after a series of injuries forced him to step up. While he will still be played behind Wilber and Brutto, the junior has the ability to come in and make stops. Parsa comes to the Hilltop with a solid soccer resume but will have to learn the Georgetown system before breaking into the rotation.

To the casual observer, the Hoyas look to be quite similar to last year's squad which went to the BIG EAST Tournament. However, underneath the surface there has been movement and a number of returners enter the season older and wiser. With an incredibly veteran group these Hoyas have the ability, poise and leadership to make an impact in 2010.