Dominance is the Holy Grail of sports–all teams or athletes aspire to successively crush their competition. What swimmer doesn’t dream of pulling a Michael Phelps? What football team doesn’t want to emulate the 1972 Miami Dolphins? Perhaps in a year’s time, we’ll be able to add the 2012 Georgetown women’s soccer team to this illustrious list of dominant superpowers.
The Hoyas have swept their Big East conference play so far, most recently culminating in a convincing win over the Pittsburgh Panthers (5-10-2, 0-6-2 Big East) on Sept. 30. Georgetown defeated the Panthers by a whopping eight to nil margin. And if this superpower has a leader, it’s sophomore midfielder Daphne Corboz; five of the eight goals against the panthers found their way to the back of the net from her foot.
When asked about Corboz, Head Coach Dave Nolan lauded the Greenbrook, N.J. native. “Daphne has great technique, and more importantly has a wonderful sense of the game. She is so quick to read the game and is usually two steps ahead of everyone else which makes the game very easy for her,” he said. “Her understanding with [YEAR AND POSITION] Kaitlin Brenn gives us a perfect 1-2 punch up top; some days Kaitlin scores the goals and on others Daphne does.”
On paper, the stats reflect Corboz’s dominance. She ended the game with five goals and one assist for a total of 11 points, which breaks a school and Big East record for the most points in a game. Corboz also tied the Big East individual record for most goals scored in a game.
Due to her record-breaking performance against Pittsburgh, Corboz, along with her teammate junior defender Mary Kroening, was named to the Big East Honor Roll. Corboz racked up further honors, being named the Big East Offensive Player of the Week.
Next, the Hoyas travelled to Cincinnati on Oct. 6 to take on the Bearcats (4-10-1, 1-7-0 Big East) in another conference showdown. The rain and high winds hampered Geoergetown’s effort, though, making this road victory much harder to achieve.
“It was a very difficult game in difficult conditions, with rain and wind on a tight, wet, turf field,” Coach Nolan said. “Credit to Cincinnati for setting up to stop us playing. They really closed down spaces well and worked hard to find counter attacks.”
The Hoyas would be outshot eight to six in the first half of the game, but earned a pair of corner kicks during the second half. The second corner proved to be the difference-maker for the Blue and Gray, as Kroening headed the ball past the Cincinnati goalkeeper to score the only goal of the game. In the end, the Hoyas outshot Cincinnati 16 to three, with 10 of those 16 shots coming from–you guessed it–Corboz.
Oct. 7 marked a number of firsts for the Hoyas when they took on the Louisville Cardinals, in a game that finished with a one-to-one tie. Georgetown scored first when Corboz dribbled across the top of the Lousiville box and unleashed a rocket of a shot. The Cardinals bounced back, though, when Louisville’s Charlyn Corral fired a shot that beat redshirt freshman goalkeeper Emma Newins to the inside of the post, marking the first goal Georgetown have given up in this Big East campaign. Despite the goal, on Oct. 8, Newins was named the Big East rookie of the week.
“Emma makes all the saves you would want her to and also has the ability to make big time saves as she has done time and time again this season,” Nolan said. “Her save at Louisville this weekend was just another great example. Considering she is still only a rookie, her future is very bright.”
The results of these three games leave the Georgetown women’s soccer team with an overall record of 12-1-2 and a league record of 6-0-1. Barring disaster, the Hoyas are well-seated to make it to the Big East playoffs this year.
The Hoyas are hoping that the luck of the Irish will run out when they face No. 24 Notre Dame (10-3-2, 6-0-1 Big East) tomorrow. The last time the two met, Georgetown emerged victorious with a 3-2 win. The Blue and Grey will look to replicate their scintillating form as they bolster their playoff credentials against arguably their toughest Big East opponent.
The Hoyas currently sit at the top of the Big East conference where they belong, but they’re just taking things one game at a time.
“We’re not focused on anything other our next game, which is a big one against Notre Dame at home on Friday,” Nolan said.
