Georgetown men’s soccer adds two to 2016 roster

WASHINGTON (Via Georgetown University) – Georgetown University head men’s soccer coach Brian Wiese has announced the addition of two student-athletes to the 2016 roster.

Zach Knudson (Oakland, N.J./DePaul Catholic) comes to the Hilltop from NC State where he led the Wolfpack in scoring a season ago. Also joining the team is defender Esteban Hidalgo (Summit, N.J./St. Benedict’s Prep) who will come in as a freshman.

“We are thrilled to be adding Esteban and Zach to the team,” said Wiese. “Esteban will be adding talent to our back line, while Zach will provide an experienced and versatile attacking piece to our ranks.”

Knudson, a midfielder, was a two-year starter at NC State. Last season, he was named Second Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference after leading the Wolfpack in scoring with a team-high six goals and three assists for 15 points. NC State went 8-6-3 overall in 2015 with three ties over top-25 opponents as well as one win.

Knudson was the Wolfpack’s third-leading scorer as a freshman. He posted four goals and three assists for 10 points and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. Knudson spent time with the New York Red Bulls’ U23 squad and helped the team to the PDL finals in 2015.

Prior to NC State, Knudson competed for three seasons with PDA and trained with clubs in both Columbia and Spain.

Hidalgo comes to the Hilltop from Summit, N.J., where he attended St. Benedict’s Prep and played club with the Cedar Stars Academy. He captained St. Benedict’s to a pair of state and high school national championships, and won a club national championship in 2015.

Off the pitch, Hidalgo is a member of the National Honor Society.

GU had an impressive 2015 season with a mark of 16-2-3 overall and 9-0-0 in BIG EAST Conference play. After opening the year 0-2-1, Georgetown went on a program record 18-game unbeaten streak including a 14-game win streak. With the Blue & Gray failing to advance in the NCAA Tournament, the unbeaten streak will continue into 2016.

Along the way, the Hoyas won the BIG EAST Regular Season title with a perfect 9-0-0 record. It was the fifth time in program history that the Hoyas have won the regular season championship with the last coming in 2013 and the last outright championship coming during the 2010 campaign. The last time a team went a perfect 9-0-0 during the BIG EAST Regular Season was the University of Louisville in 2009.

Additionally, Georgetown won the BIG EAST Championship crown, marking the first time in program history that the Hoyas won the league’s postseason tournament. The Blue & Gray was the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The squad will face challenges, however, as the team lost six players to the professional ranks including four MLS draft picks and two more MLS signees. Additionally, two key seniors graduated as GU will look to fill eight holes on the pitch.

Joining Knudson and Hidalgo is a talented group of seven newcomers that signed National Letters of Intent earlier this year. Included in the class are forwards Ifunanyachi Achara and David Mason, midfielders Jorge Burke, JB Fisher and Dylan Nealis as well as defenders Mason Deeds and Riley Strassner.