WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University men's soccer team will be celebrating its annual alumni weekend on October 20-22 as the Hoyas host Seton Hall at 1 p.m. on Saturday. In addition to festivities and an alumni game, the program will honor the 1997 team which was one of the most storied in program history.

Alumni planning to attend any part of the celebration should RSVP to Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese. The weekend includes: Friday night rendezvous at the Tombs; Saturday pregame tailgate, game vs Seton Hall, 1997 team celebration and get together Saturday night; Sunday alumni networking brunch with current players.

1997 Georgetown Men's Soccer Season in Review

The men's soccer team had an outstanding season as it finished the 1997 campaign with a 15-7 overall record and a 9-2 mark in the BIG EAST. The Hoyas garnered a bid to the 1997 NCAA Tournament and posted their first-ever NCAA win with a 2-1 victory over Virginia Commonwealth on November 23. Georgetown fell to Virginia in the second round of the tournament.

The NCAA Tournament berth was the second in the history of Georgetown's soccer program after earning a bid in 1994. The Hoyas finished second in the BIG EAST with their 9-2 record and in the process set a school record for conference wins in a season. At the time, Georgetown's 15 wins were the second highest total in school history, surpassed only by the 1994 squad's 18 victories.

Georgetown, the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, defeated Connecticut, 2-0, in the quarterfinals before falling to Rutgers, 1-0, in the semifinals. The tournament berth was the sixth straight for the Hoyas, one of only two schools with six-consecutive appearances in the tourney at that time.

Head Coach Keith Tabatznik was selected as the 1997 BIG EAST Coach of the Year by his peers. He was also named the United States Amateur Soccer Association's National Coach of the Year. Junior forward Eric Kvello was named the 1997 BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year and to the All-BIG EAST First Team. He was joined on the All-BIG EAST First Team by senior back Greg Dillard. Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Purtillwas selected to the All-BIG EAST Second Team, while freshman midfielder Kyle Rakow was named to the All-Rookie Team. Kvello and forward Tom Greaser were also selected to the Division I South Atlantic Region Third Team. Kvello, the 1997 BIG EAST scoring champion, totaled 15 goals and six assists for 36 points, including 24 points in BIG EAST contests. His 36 points were the fourth-best Hoya single-season scoring total.

Academically, Greaser was named to the South Atlantic Region All-Academic First Team and Dillard was selected to the second team. Dillard was also the recipient of the 1997-98 BIG EAST/Target Scholar-Athlete Award. Senior defender Dan Helfrich was named to the 1997 GTE Academic All-America Fall/Winter University Division Men's At-Large Second Team after receiving District II honors.

At the time, Kvello stood fifth on Georgetown's all-time scoring list with 83 career points on 30 goals and 23 assists. Greaser notched nine goals and four assists for 22 points, good for second on the team in scoring. He concluded his career sixth on Georgetown's all-time scoring list with 79 points on the strength of 31 goals and 17 assists.

Sophomore forward Jason Partenza was third in scoring with 15 points on four goals and seven assists. Partenza established a GU single-game scoring record with nine points on three goals and three assists in a 6-1 victory over Lehigh. Junior midfielder Billy Bednarz added three goals and a team-high eight assists for 14 points. Rakow and junior midfielder Jeremy McKitrick rounded out the Hoyas' double-digit scorers with 10 points apiece. Rakow tallied two goals and six assists, while McKitrick posted three goals and four assists.

Sophomore midfielders Kevin Shaw and Mert Incekara both notched a goal and added seven and six assists, respectively. Dillard and Helfrich anchored the Georgetown defense that allowed one goal or less in 20 of 22 contests. Dillard also contributed one goal and four assists to the Hoya offense. Freshman back Jeff Boehling was another mainstay in Georgetown's defensive effort.

The key to the Hoyas' stingy defense was Purtill. He was ranked among the national leaders in GAA all season long and finished the year with a 1.06 goals against average, allowing 24 goals while collecting 84 saves. Purtill posted 3.9 shutouts and allowed more than one goal in a game only twice during the season.

Georgetown got off to a slow start in 1997, dropping a pair of 1-0 decisions to Virginia Commonwealth and Liberty in the season-opening Hoya Soccer Classic. A 6-1 triumph over Lehigh keyed a six-game winning streak.

The Hoyas then registered overtime wins over American (2-1) and Boston College (1-0) with Kvello and Greaser netting the game-winning goals, respectively. Georgetown concluded its six-game homestand with a 4-1 victory over West Virginia.

In their first away game of the season, the Hoyas defeated Rutgers, 3-1, to improve to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the BIG EAST. GU won its sixth-consecutive contest by defeating Connecticut, 1-0, with Kvello scoring with 49 seconds left in overtime.

The Hoyas had their six-game winning streak snapped by a 1-0 loss to Seton Hall, but the team bounced back to defeat Villanova, 5-0, to improve to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the conference. On October 8, Georgetown hosted defending national champion Virginia and outplayed the Cavaliers only to lose, 1-0. The Hoyas then embarked on a four-game road win streak, including 2-1 BIG EAST overtime wins over Pittsburgh and Notre Dame and a 2-1 triumph over Syracuse. The fourth win in the streak was over Loyola-Chicago (3-1).

A 1-0 loss at St. John's stopped the four-game win streak and the Hoyas fell to 11-5 overall and 8-2 in the BIG EAST. Georgetown closed out regular season BIG EAST play with a 4-3 win over Providence, marking the first time all season that the Hoyas allowed more than one goal in a game. The team then completed the regular season with a 2-1 victory at Richmond.

Georgetown, the second seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, hosted Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the tournament. After rain forced a one-day postponement, the Hoyas defeated UConn, 2-0, by scoring a pair of second half goals. In the BIG EAST semifinals, the Hoyas fell to Rutgers, 1-0, in Storrs, Conn.

The Hoyas received their second NCAA Tournament bid and traveled to Richmond, Va., to play Virginia Commonwealth on November 23, a team that defeated GU, 1-0, in the season opener. Georgetown struck first on a goal by Greaser 20 minutes into the contest and then Bendarz pushed the advantage to 2-0. VCU answered less than a minute later, but could not score the equalizer as Georgetown earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

The Hoyas season came to an end with a 5-1 loss at Virginia on November 30.