Georgetown to face Indiana for men’s 2012 NCAA College Cup Championship

The Georgetown University men’s soccer team (19-3-3) practiced and had media availability on Saturday in preparation for the 2012 College Cup Championship Game in Hoover, Ala. The third-seeded Hoyas advanced on penalty kicks against the second-seeded University of Maryland Terrapins, 4-4, in double overtime on Friday in the national semifinals at Regions Park. GU will face the 16th-seeded Indiana University Hoosiers for the National Championship on Sunday.

Fueled by a the first-career hat trick for junior forward Steve Neumann (New Hope, Pa./Council Rock North), Georgetown held on against the potent Maryland offense to remain tied, 4-4, through double overtime. In penalty kicks, the Hoyas went down early, but sophomore goalkeeper Tomas Gomez (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) saved the final two Terp kicks to advance the Blue & Gray to the championship.

Georgetown advanced to its first College Cup in program history with a 3-1 victory over the University of San Diego a week ago at North Kehoe Field. The Toreros jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but an own goal evened the score. Freshman forward Melvin Snoh (Coatesville, Pa./Malvern Prep) scored the game winner in the 73rd minute and senior midfielder Andy Riemer (McLean, Va./Georgetown Prep) added an insurance goal in the 88th minute.

The Hoyas have only been to four NCAA Tournaments including 1994, 1997 and 2010 and prior to this season had not made it past the Sweet 16. Already this season, the Blue & Gray has set the new program record for wins in a season with 19.

Georgetown teams have only played in six national championship games including four in men’s basketball (‘43, ‘82, ‘84, ’85) and two in women’s lacrosse (‘01, ‘02), the Hoyas won one of those contests in 1984. GU’s last NCAA team title was the 2011 Women’s Cross Country National Championship bringing the department total to two.

Neumann is one of 15 finalists for the top award in college soccer, the MAC Hermann Trophy. On Friday, Neumann was named Second Team All-America by the NSCAA, while senior Ian Christianson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Christian Life) earned a spot on the third team.

With a goal from freshman Femi Hollinger-Janzen in the 27th minute, the Indiana Hoosiers (15-5-3) will make their 14th NCAA title game appearance and first since 2004 with a 1-0 win over the Creighton BlueJays. Indiana’s 14 NCAA Championship game appearances are the most by any Division I school, breaking the tie between the Hoosiers and Saint Louis at 13. It is the first time a 16 seed has advanced to the title game since the NCAA expanded the seeding to 16 teams in 2003.

Georgetown is 0-0-1 all-time against Indiana with the lone meeting coming on September 5, 2003 at the UConn Tournament. The teams tied, 2-2, in double overtime.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET at Regions Park. The contest can be watched live on ESPNU or WatchESPN.com with Glenn Davis and Taylor Twellman on the call. Fans can listen to Dan Helfrich and Tom Greaser as well as follow the live stats through GUHoyas.com.