Nothing about the 2015 Georgetown men’s soccer season was predictable.
The Hoyas, who entered the season ranked third in the nation, weren’t supposed to be held without a goal in their first three games. And they certainly weren’t expected to respond as they did.
Behind the leadership of a skilled senior class, the Blue and Gray rebounded from a rocky start to the season with an unprecedented undefeated streak of 18 games. Within that streak, the Hoyas posted six consecutive shutouts and 14 consecutive victories—both program records—en route to a perfect conference record and the Big East Regular Season Championship. The team carried this momentum into the postseason, capturing the first Big East Tournament Championship in program history.
Georgetown entered the NCAA tournament as the third overall seed, which guaranteed the Hoyas home field advantage through the quarterfinals of the tournament. But a season filled with firsts would end in an all too familiar fashion: a penalty kick loss prior to the College Cup. The Blue and Gray fell to Boston College, 1-1 (5-4), in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, just as they had the year prior in the Elite Eight round to Virginia.
Following the season, the team lost six starters—including the program’s all-time leading goal scorer, forward Brandon Allen, and the entire starting defense—to the ranks of Major League Soccer. Replacing so much production from last year’s starting lineup may pose challenge the Hoyas will face as they prepare for the upcoming season. Despite this transition, Head Coach Brian Wiese sees an opportunity for younger players to earn more playing time.
“The encouraging thing is that a lot of our returners, who may not have started last year, are starting to look more like veterans,” said Wiese. “We are cognizant of the players we lost, but you have to take stock of what you have, and I really like our group.”
Wiese’s optimism is shared by other coaches in the conference, as Georgetown (0-2-0, Big East) was projected to finish second in the preseason Big East Coaches Poll, just three points behind rival Creighton. Nationally, the Hoyas were ranked No. 10 entering the season, but the team’s loss to No. 2 Akron (2-0, Mid-American) in the season opener will likely cause this ranking to fall.
One reason for Wiese’s confidence in the new look Hoyas is the return of sophomore goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski, who was named last season’s Big East Freshman of the Year and this year’s preseason Big East Goalkeeper of the Year. Marcinkowski recorded nine shutouts during his breakout freshman campaign, and attended several United States U-20 National Team camps over the summer. Marcinkowski is the only returning starter on the defensive end of the field, making his experience and leadership all the more valuable as the Hoyas look to recreate their stellar defensive units of years past.
Marcinkowski is not the only Hoya earning preseason praise, however. Both he and junior midfielder Arun Basuljevic were named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com preseason Best XI team. The duo were also voted to the preseason All-Big East First Team. Last season, Basuljevic started every game and recorded the third most points on the team (16), with six goals and four assists.
Additionally, freshman forward Achara was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com preaseason freshmen watch list. The team will need his attacking prowess and blazing speed to replace the void left by Brandon Allen.
It is not uncommon for younger teams to lose focus when many expect greatness heading into a season, but Coach Wiese feels as though his group is fully prepared to deal with the expectations surrounding it.
“For the past four or five years the team has been ranked nationally going into the season, so I think our guys are used to that kind of pressure being there,” said Wiese. “We’re not going to get sidetracked by what other people are saying about us.”
The Hoyas may have a slew of talented players on the roster, but the team will need to build the chemistry and trust necessary to succeed. Many of the players set to play noteworthy minutes this season have not received a significant amount of playing time in the past. As such, the Blue and Gray scheduled a very difficult stretch of games to open the season, playing five of their first seven games away from the Hilltop, including games at No. 2 Akron and at No. 4 Maryland within the first week of the season. In Wiese’s eyes, this tough non-conference schedule will force the team to “grow up quickly” and allow the players to “learn a lot about themselves.”
“Playing in tough environments against really good teams … these are big tests,” the coach noted. “Getting these experiences under our belts is going to be extremely important for us.”
Ultimately, the talent throughout the Georgetown roster is impossible to deny, but there may be some growing pains as the team transitions from a senior-laden starting lineup to one filled with “a pool of unknown identities,” as Coach Wiese remarked.
During the 2016 preseason, the team tied both Elon and Duke, before falling to No. 17 Virginia. The Hoyas opened their season with a heartbreaking loss, conceding a goal in the 90th minute at No. 2 Akron. The team then fell to unranked West Virginia (1-1, Mid-American). The Blue and Gray will have to quickly rebound from the disappointing 0-2-0 start to the season as they prepare to take on No. 4 Maryland (0-0-1, Big Ten) on Friday in College Park.
Building a team capable of winning the Big East and competing for a national championship is not an overnight process, but the team is confident that if they can come together as a cohesive unit, they have a chance to be special once again.
“We have some new guys but I don’t think we want to change our identity or style too much,” said Wiese. “The goal is getting us to play well as a team and playing some fantastic soccer by the end of the year.”
