Notre Dame denied senior midfielder Chrissy Skogen and the rest of the Georgetown women’s soccer team a storybook ending to their match against the Fighting Irish and to their 2006 season. With just over two minutes left in regulation, Skogen rose up to meet a corner kick taken by junior Karen Waskewich. Skogen’s header, the last of her career at Georgetown, beat Notre Dame goalkeeper Lauren Karas and seemed destined to be a late equalizer in the 1-0 match against the top-ranked and undefeated Irish on Sunday. It was not to be, however, as Irish senior midfielder Jen Buczkowski stood her ground and headed the ball off the goal line.
“For other teams, that late header goes in,” Hoya Head Coach Nolan said after the game. “But for some reason we just haven’t had the lucky bounces this season.”
Skogen’s would-be equalizer was indeed very indicative of the entire season for the Lady Hoyas, which ends with a 5-9-5 overall record and a 2-7-2 record in the powerful Big East Conference. The season came to a close prematurely for a team whose preseason goals included a Big East Tournament appearance. The Georgetown women’s soccer team played far better throughout the season than their record reflects, but unlucky results are part of the nature of the sport.
“It’s been a rough [season] in terms of results but not in terms of performance,” Nolan said.
The four seniors on the Hoya squad knew well before Sunday’s game that it would be their last, but rather than go quietly in their final game, they chipped in to give national powerhouse Notre Dame (17-0-1) one of its biggest scares of the season. The Hoya backline, solid all season long, bent often but broke only once. Just two minutes into the second half, Notre Dame sophomore defender Carrie Dew rose above everyone else in the packed Georgetown box to head home a direct kick from sophomore forward Kerri Hanks, to give the Fighting Irish the first and only goal of the afternoon. Unfortunately for the Hoyas, the Irish backline was more than solid, allowing the Georgetown offense a single shot on goal, which was Skogen’s header at the end of regulation.
“We played well in almost every single game this season, and unfortunately our record doesn’t show it,” Skogen said. “We wanted to win this game, but we ended with a great performance against the number one team in the country. I’m very proud of everyone on this team.”
As well she should be. Despite adding another notch to the loss column, Sunday’s game yielded several accomplishments that the Lady Hoyas can carry with them into the off-season. The 1-0 loss was a huge improvement from the 6-0 beating that the Lady Hoyas suffered last season against the Irish. It also came against a team that had previously outscored their opponents by a combined score of 59-5, and the 14 shots taken by Notre Dame was their lowest output of the season. Junior goalkeeper Jade Higgins’ four saves on the afternoon give her 229 career saves, which is the most in Georgetown women’s soccer history. Most importantly, the four seniors Alexandra Hardy, Shante Cofield, Chrissy Skogen and Cristina Araps all delivered the same gutsy performances that they have all year long and were able to leave the field for the last time with their heads high.
“We are obviously sorry to see them go,” Nolan said of the senior class. “Allie, Shante, Chrissy and Cristina have all been great for us, and I’m very glad they can walk out of here with a good taste in their mouths after this last performance.”
These senior leaders will certainly leave a void to be filled in the Georgetown lineup, but it is safe to say that Coach Nolan and the rest of the team are already beginning to shift their thoughts to next season. With only four seniors graduating after this year, the 2007 Lady Hoyas will still be an experienced group. Add a talented recruiting class, a team trip to train in Europe and the desire to improve on this year’s disappointing record, and Georgetown has a very formidable team ready to take on a grueling Big East schedule again.
