May 6, 2009

2009 Schedule

Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University men's soccer team announced its 2009 schedule Wednesday afternoon. The Hoyas have put together a challenging slate made up of some of the top teams in the nation as well as some local rivalries. Georgetown finished last season with an 11-5-3 overall record and made it to the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament. GU lost six seniors to graduation but brings in a talented recruiting class that was recently ranked 14th in the nation by Soccer America.

The Hoyas will face eight different squads that played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament including three of the four teams from the College Cup Final Four and both Maryland and North Carolina who faced off in the championship game.

"We think we have put together a very challenging schedule and we are excited get out there are see if we are up to the task," said Head Coach Brian Wiese. "We tried to make our nonconference schedule mimic the high level of competition we will face in the BIG EAST and we think we succeeded in scheduling teams that will test us."

Georgetown will face North Carolina and Duke in exhibitions matches Aug. 21 and 25. After the tough exhibition schedule and preseason camp, GU will officially open with Adelphi up in Garden City, N.Y., on Sept. 1.

The Hoyas' first home weekend will be one of the most challenging of the season as GU welcomes the University of California-Berkeley on Friday, Sept. 4 and UCLA on Sunday. Both teams were 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifiers and Cal advanced to the third round eventually falling to Maryland.

The following weekend, Georgetown will travel to the Davidson Tournament to play Coastal Carolina on Friday and UNC-Asheville on Sunday. This will be GU's final tune-up before starting conference play at St. John's on Sept. 18. The Red Storm is a perennial favorite in the BIG EAST's Red Division and advanced to last year's NCAA semifinals also falling to the Terps.

The Hoyas will play at Syracuse on Sept. 20, before returning home for a BIG EAST doubleheader weekend against Villanova and Rutgers. Conference games at UConn and Seton Hall as well as a home game against Pittsburgh will be important matchups before the Hoyas face local-rival Maryland in one of the biggest non-conference games of the season.

Trips to Marquette and West Virginia along with home games against Notre Dame and American close out the season. The Hoyas will host Providence on Oct. 31 for Senior Day.

The BIG EAST Tournament will be held Nov. 13-15 in Morgantown, W.V. Qualifying games will be played on Nov. 4 and Nov. 7.

Georgetown finished third in the BIG EAST Blue Division last season with a 5-3-3 conference mark. The conference is split into two eight-team divisions. The top six from each division make the conference tournament and the top two from each division receive a first-round bye.

The Hoyas will open training camp for the 2009 season in early August. The coaching staff will be working various camps throughout the summer. There is still limited space remaining in the Georgetown University Residential Soccer Camp.