April 19, 2010

WASHINGTON -

The Georgetown University men’s soccer squad announced its incoming freshman class on Monday. The Hoyas will welcome seven freshmen and one transfer to a veteran team that earned a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament last season.

“We are very pleased with our incoming group of student-athletes. They will each bring something different to the table and they are all set up to succeed both on and off the field here at Georgetown,” said Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese. “We will return a veteran squad this fall, and this group will push for minutes and provide the depth needed to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. It will be one of the deepest and most talented teams we’ve had, top to bottom, since we’ve been here on the Hilltop. Once again, my assistants Zach Samol and Josh Shapiro, did a fantastic job putting this group together.”

Keegan Carter comes to the Hilltop from Teaneck, N.J. The forward/midfielder was an all-state honoree at Paramus Catholic High School scoring 35 goals and tallying 37 assists in his four-year career. As a captain, he led Paramus to a pair to league titles. Carter was also a part of the New Jersey Olympic Development pool for two seasons and played at a Super Y League Select Camp. He played club soccer with FC Westchester Academy for two years after spending a number of seasons with the Teaneck Stingrays Soccer Club. Carter is also an accomplished track and field athlete who competed at the 2006 National Youth Junior Olympics as well as both the East Coast and Penn Relays. He is an Honor Roll student and volunteers as a basketball and soccer coach.

“Keegan has some real pace that will cause opponents trouble. He has a great work ethic and sense of responsibility to go along with his athleticism, which makes me very optimistic about his ability to get better and better,” said Wiese. “He’ll be taking summer classes here on campus, which should help him get a jump start on things.”

Joey Dillon is a midfielder/defender from Rochester Hills, Mich., who played at Rochester Adams High School and with his club team, Vardar Academy. In high school, he was a first team all-state honoree as a senior and an all-region, all-district, all-county and all-league selection in both 2008 and 2009. As the two-year team captain, his squad advanced to the state semifinals. With Vardar, Dillon was a two-year captain and a member of the state Olympic Development squad from 2002-2006. He was also a member of the National Honor Society.

“Joey caught my eye with his ability to think quickly and efficiently,” said Wiese. “He is a smart player that gets the job done game in and game out. He should be capable of playing anywhere across our back line or as a holding midfielder. We have a terrific player and an even better person coming to Georgetown in Joey.”

Ted Helfrich was a four-year letterwinner in soccer at Marin Catholic High School scoring 14 goals as a center back. The Belvedere, Calif., native was a three-year first team all-league honoree and an all-state selection in high school. He played with the Cal North Olympic Development team and was a Region IV All-Star. His Super Y ODP squad also won the national championship. With his club team, Marin FC, Helfrich won the Nor Cal State Cup and scored the winning goal in the championship game. He is a member of the Dean’s List and the student government at Marin Catholic.

“Ted is a natural leader and has the potential to run a team from his center back position. I like his composure on the ball, and his range of passing back there,” said Wiese. “I was very impressed with his maturity during his official visit, and I know that he will be a great ambassador for the program.”

Steve Neumann is a talented midfielder from New Hope, Pa. He was an NSCAA Regional All-American and NSCAA All-State selection as a senior after leading Council Rock North High School to a 15-2-2 record. Neumann was also the Suburban One League Player of the Year and the Bucks County Courier Times’ Soccer Player of the Year. With the YMS Xplosion, he was a two-time state champ and led the squad to the No. 1 ranking in the nation by GotSoccer.com. Neumann played on the state Olympic Development team for six seasons and has trained internationally.

“Steve has a lot of talent that his YMS coaches have done a great job cultivating. He sees the field really well and is one of the best passers in the country,” said Wiese. “He has the rare combination of being a playmaker that can also score goals coming out of the midfield. He also has a real toughness to his game and is going to be a lot of fun to coach.”

Gabe Padilla comes to Georgetown from Sacramento, Calif., and Jesuit High School which is considered one of the top high school teams in the nation. He is a left-footed player that could seem time at a number of positions after earning two varsity letters in soccer and one in track as a middle distance runner. At Jesuit, he led the squad in assists as a junior and was the Delta River League MVP as well as an all-region selection as a senior. He played club soccer with the California Development Academy. At Jesuit, he is a member of the Honor Roll and was a part of the Executive Council.

“Gabe is an out and out athlete. He is left footed and can play almost anywhere on the field for us. It will be interesting to see if he settles into a role that is more attacking or defending in nature once he is here. Regardless, his competitive nature will be contagious and we expect him to thrive in the BIG EAST,” said Wiese.


Keon Parsa is a goalkeeper coming to the Hilltop from West Hills, Calif. He was ranked No. 57 in
TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Top 100 Players in the Class of 2010 and the No. 6 goalkeeper on the list. At El Camino Real High School, he earned varsity letters in both soccer and football and was named an NSCAA All-American in 2009. Parsa is a two-time first team all-league selection and was the 2009 Punter of the Year in football. He played club soccer with a number of different organizations, most recently Real So Cal. Parsa won the AP Scholar Award at El Camino Real and is a member of the National Honor Society.

“Keon is one of the most highly regarded goalkeepers in the nation and we’re happy to be able to entice him out of California,” said Wiese. “He is refined technically and plays the game with an experienced head. His great work ethic will fit right in with the returning corps of goalkeepers, and I feel he’ll raise the bar for everyone.”

Nick Van Hollen is a local product out of Kensington, Md., who played at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. The defender was a four-year letter winner and named All-Gazette First Team as a senior as well as an honorable mention all-state. Van Hollen was a three-time MVP and played with the Maryland Olympic Development squad for two seasons. His club team, Pachuca Internationals, won the Maryland State Cup in 2009 and was the US Club Soccer National Champions in 2007. Van Hollen is a member of the National Honor Society and has participated in overseas mission trips in both Kenya and Nicaragua.

“Nick is a great local talent. He is a tough, fearless leader and wins everything in the air. He will be a versatile player for us that can play as a holding midfielder or anywhere across the back. He’s another player that brings a winning mentality to the table and will compete hard on a daily basis,” said Wiese.

Junior Henry Tembon (London, England/The School at Church Farm) is already on campus after transferring to Georgetown from the University of Virginia and will join the Hoyas in the Fall of 2010 for his final season of NCAA eligibility.

Georgetown is finishing up its spring training, so far the Blue & Gray has been successful. After breaking for summer, the Hoyas will open training camp in August.