Sept. 26, 2011
WASHINGTON - Georgetown University men's soccer freshman goalkeeper Tomas Gomez (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Monday as the No. 23 Hoyas prepare for the No. 16 Penn State Nittany Lions on Tuesday evening in nonconference play.
Gomez helped the Hoyas to their first BIG EAST Conference victory of the season with a 2-0 shutout of the Villanova University Wildcats on Saturday. The freshman had five saves, all coming in the first half, as well as his fourth shutout of the year to continue to be solid in the net for the Blue & Gray.
The award marked Gomez's second-consecutive nod to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. He has played and started in seven games with 25 saves as well as a GAA of 0.53. Gomez has an overall record of 5-1-1 with four shutouts to his credit.
Georgetown is 5-1-2 on the season and has not lost since the first game of the season. The Hoyas have already faced a pair of Big 10 foes in Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. GU defeated MSU in double overtime, 2-1, and tied the Wolverines, 2-2, in double overtime.
The Blue & Gray has appeared in five overtime contests this season with four going into double OT.
The Hoyas are led by sophomore forward Steve Neumann (New Hope, Pa./Council Rock North) who has five goals and one assist on the year for 11 points. Junior captain Ian Christianson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Christian Life) has three goals and one assist for seven points while freshman Tyler Rudy (Olney, Md./Sherwood) rounds out the top three with three goals for six points.
The Hoya defense is currently posting a 0.53 GAA and has outscored opponents, 13-5.
In its last outing, Penn State (5-2-1) dropped its Big Ten opener, falling to No. 7 Indiana in a tightly-contested match, 1-0. The Lions had chances early in the first half to claim the lead but successive shots by junior forward Hasani Sinclair and sophomore forward Jordan Tyler were cleared off the line by Hoosier defenders. Indiana broke through in the 77th minute to net the game winner, ending Penn State's defensive scoreless streak at 465-plus minutes.
The Lions are led by junior Minh Vu who has two goals and three assists for seven points on the year. Four players are tied with two goals each and PSU has had 10 different players tally a point. Freshman Andrew Wolverton has played all eight games in the net with 22 saves, six shutouts and a GAA of 0.49.
Georgetown is 0-1 all time against the Lions with the last meeting coming during the 2004 season where the Hoyas lost 3-2 in double overtime at North Kehoe Field. At the time, Penn State was ranked 14th in the nation and the Hoyas were ahead before PSU came back in double overtime.
Kickoff at Jeffrey Field is scheduled for 7 p.m. Live stats and a webcast through Penn State All-Access/Big Ten Digital Network will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.
