Sept. 23, 2011
WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University men's soccer team will open BIG EAST play at Villanova on Saturday afternoon. The Hoyas are looking to build upon their 4-1-2 record which includes a win and a tie from last weekend's Ivy League/BIG EAST Classic. Georgetown will kickoff against the Wildcats at 1 p.m.
Georgetown (4-1-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) downed the Princeton University Tigers last weekend in the second game of the Ivy League/BIG EAST Challenge. The Hoyas shutout the Tigers, 3-0, at North Kehoe Field as junior Ian Christianson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Christian Life) tallied two goals and an assist. Earlier in the weekend, Georgetown tied the University of Pennsylvania, 1-1, in double overtime as junior Andy Riemer (McLean, Va./Georgetown Prep) scored for the Blue & Gray.
The Hoyas have not lost in six matches and have played in five overtime games so far this season.
Christianson and freshman goalkeeper Tomas Gomez (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) were both named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll last week and Christianson earned a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week.
Christianson had two goals and an assist all coming in the Princeton victory. He connected on two penalty kicks and also assisted on a goal from freshman Tyler Rudy (Olney, Md./Sherwood) in the second half.
Gomez was credited with the shutout against Princeton coming up with a number of key saves throughout the contest and totaling six stops in 90 minutes.
Leading the way for Georgetown is sophomore Steve Neumann (New Hope, Pa./Council Rock North) who has nine points with four goals including two game winners. Christianson has three goals with one assist for seven points and classmate Andy Riemer (McLean, Va./Georgetown Prep) has five points on two goals and one assist. Gomez has 20 saves after six games in the net with three shutouts to his credit.
Villanova is 2-3-2 on the season, but has dropped its last two decisions. The Wildcats are led by freshman Aaron Dennis who has three goals for six points on the year. Oscar Umar has two assists on the season to lead the squad in helpers. Senior John Fogarty has played all seven games in goal with 33 saves.
The Wildcat defense has been tough this season allowing just 0.79 goals per game with three shutouts.
Georgetown is 20-12-5 all-time against Villanova. The last meeting was at North Kehoe Field when the Hoyas came out on top, 3-1, a season ago. In that game, Neumann scored a pair of goals for the Hoyas. The last time the Blue & Gray played at Villanova was a 0-0 tie in regulation during a torrential downpour that resulted in the game being called during the 2008 season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Villanova Soccer Complex. Live stats and a free audio-only webcast featuring Dan Helfrich will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.
