If last Saturday’s exhibition game against William and Mary is any indication of things to come, the Georgetown women’s soccer team can look forward to a strong season. Despite a scoreless tie, junior goalkeeper Jade Higgins believes the shutout is a good sign. “It’s important to start off well defensively,” she said. “You can always improve your offense.”
Head Coach Dave Nolan agreed, saying of Higgins, “I believe she is the best goalie in the conference.” He feels that the team’s greatest strength is up the middle, starting with Higgins and moving up to last season’s high scorer and All-Big East second team selection senior center midfielder Chrissy Skogen. “The spine of the team is very strong and if you can get a strong spine, you can be successful,” Nolan said.
The team’s regular season will begin this weekend at the Navy Tournament in Annapolis against Binghamton and Davidson. Nolan believes that the game against Davidson, a team which had a strong 14-5-2 record while winning the Southern Conference regular-season title last season, will be a good indication of where the Hoyas stand.
As for the 2006 Big East preseason poll, Nolan and his team believe that their fifth place ranking, where the team actually finished last season, underestimates their strength. “At one point last season we were second, but there were a few games we let slip due to a lack of experience,” Nolan said.
Inexperience is not something the Hoyas will have to worry about this season. With only two starters lost to graduation and five strong freshmen coming in, this is the first time in Nolan’s eight years with the Hoyas that he has a team made up of a core of upperclassmen.
Skogen has felt this difference both at practice and in their last game. “I saw a lot of depth off the bench,” she said. “We all know how each other plays.” Of the fifth place ranking, she stated, “We have to do better, and we will.”
This weekend, the Hoyas will put their ranking to the test in Annapolis, after which they will face a series of tough games at home. The Hoyas’ first home game will be the first weekend in September at the D.C. Invitational, but the two games Nolan looks forward to most will fall late in the season when Georgetown faces UConn and Notre Dame, both at home. “If you can win one of those games and just take care of the rest, you have a big chance at the NCAA,” Nolan said. “And the fact that we are at home gives us a great chance for a scalp.”
