Wake Forest may have been given the No. 1 overall seed this year, but the Demon Deacons are not the nation’s hottest team entering the NCAA Tournament.
The ACC boasts seven teams in this edition of the competition, but Big East champion Georgetown is firing on all cylinders at the moment.
The Hoyas are led by Alex Muyl and Brandon Allen in attack, with the former scoring five times and assisting nine and the latter netting 11 goals and assisting seven. Both have been in red-hot form, but then again, so has the whole team.
“I think the story of our group this year has really been their ability to be consistent day in, day out, game in, game out, and in order to have as good a run as we have had throughout the season, you’ve really needed everybody to be good,” Hoyas head coach Brian Wiese told SBI. “And different pieces have been able to step up on different days.”
Riding a 16-game unbeaten streak, the Hoyas have won their previous 13 games, which includes a win against Maryland and two vs. Creighton.
“It’s fun seeing different guys show up and help you win different games through the year, and Brandon and Alex have formed a terrific partnership,” Wiese added. “I think they are playing off each other terrifically well. Our back four is doing a really good job with a lot of things, and our midfield has consistently been, I think, both very talented and very blue-collar, which is what you need from them. I think all of our pieces have stepped up.”
The Hoyas will host the winner of Hofstra vs. Lehigh, set to kick off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, on Sunday. Wiese told SBI that the Hoyas will have someone in attendance to scout their upcoming opponent.
Meanwhile, only one unbeaten team remains — the Denver Pioneers. In spite of winning 15 games and only tying three times, the Pioneers were given the No. 13 seed in this year’s tournament.
That position is perfectly acceptable, though, according to Pioneers head coach Jamie Franks.
“At the end of the day, your job is to get to the Second Round, and we were awarded a bye during the First Round, which is great,” Franks told SBI. “From here on out, you’ve got to beat good teams. Every team that’s in the NCAA tournament is there for a reason, so we were happy with any seed and I think it’s well deserved.”
On the offensive end, a handful of forwards and midfielders have contributed to the team’s success. Karsten Hanlin, Andre Shinyashiki and Cole Stevenson all have five goals this season, while Alex Underwood, Chandler Crosswait and Reagan Dunk have a combined 18 assists.
The Pioneers’ defense has also been spectacular, especially as of late. The Summit League champions have an active seven-game shutout streak.
“Any time we step out on the field, we’re going to give an honest fight,” Franks said. “So, what’s it going to take for a take for a team to beat us is a gutsy performance. It’s going to have to be gritty, and you’re going to have to be focused for 90 minutes because we can score on you at any time and we’re very good defensively, so we don’t give up much.”
They will look to keep that streak alive on Sunday when they host the winner of SMU vs. Utah Valley, which will kick off at 8 p.m. on Thursday evening.
The NCAA tournament is known to have plenty of surprise teams travel far into the single-elimination competition. The No. 1 seed has not reached the College Cup, played in a designated location each year by the four remaining teams, since 2011. Also, in two of the past of three tourneys, the No. 16 seed has been the one to lift the title.