This week, the Georgetown women’s soccer team concluded their four-game road trip with three wins, clinching not only a spot in the Big East tournament, but a bye to the quarterfinals. Before they get there the Hoyas will face a couple tough end-of-the-season challenges.
With an unassisted first-half goal from freshman defender Kailey Blain, the team defeated the University of Pittsburgh (5-10-2) by a slim margin of 1-0. The Hoyas dominated the first half despite tough play and outshot the Panthers 6-0. In the second half, Georgetown faced many shots from Pitt, but senior goalkeeper Jackie DesJardin only had to make one save to preserve the shutout.
The team then played their last regular-season match against the West Virginia Mountaineers. After an evenly played first half with two goal attempts by junior forward Camille Trujillo, West Virginia took the lead with a goal in the 35th minute. The Mountaineers finished off the Hoyas with two more goals in the second half, at the 86th and 87th minutes, and won 3-0.
“West Virginia is a very strong physical team, and the game was always going to be about which team’s style took the advantage,” head coach Dave Nolan said.
After the long stretch of away games, the team has an impressive record of 12-5-0 (6-3-0 Big East), good enough for second in the National division of the conference.
This Friday at North Kehoe Field, the Hoyas will play DePaul University (10-6-2 overall, 5-4-0 Big East), the team right below them in the Big East’s National division standings.
“Friday’s game is the focus,” Nolan said. “It’s a must-win game for both teams, as we are the two teams fighting for second in the division.”
The Blue Demons had a tough schedule that pitted them against a number of nationally-ranked teams. But junior midfielder Ingrid Wells said that playing on the Hilltop will give the Hoyas an advantage.
“We are very excited to be playing at home this weekend,” Wells said. “It makes a big difference playing at home in an environment we are comfortable and practice daily in.”
On Sunday, the Hoyas will play No. 4 Notre Dame (14-1-1). The Hoyas’ final regular season game will be one of the hardest of the year, but they are looking forward to playing the Fighting Irish.
“Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to play one of the top teams in the country at home?” Wells said.
Regardless of the outcome of the next few games, Nolan is already proud of his team.
“Every year one of our primary goals is just to make the conference tournament,” Nolan said.
