When the Georgetown women’s soccer team (3-1-0, Big East) failed to advance past Hofstra in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament, it was only fitting that the Hoyas did so in a shootout. As Head Coach Dave Nolan said after the loss, “At some point, the season has to end, and for most teams it ends on a loss. For us it ends on a tie.” In 2015, Georgetown wasn’t like most teams.
For the Hoyas, the 2015 season was one in which they showed flashes of brilliance, but were unable to translate these into consistent success. Take, for example, their 3-1 victory on October 8th over St. John’s—the team that would eventually become the number one seed in last year’s Big East Tournament. The Hoyas certainly came to play on that fall afternoon at Shaw Field, but the team’s win was followed by a disappointing 1-0 loss to Butler on the road. Georgetown would deliver an impressive second half of their season, only to be upset in both the Big East and NCAA tournaments in the first round.
Last season’s appearance marked the fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth for the Hoyas. Early exits have been a theme for the Georgetown squad throughout these last few postseasons, as they have failed to make it past the second round in each of their last four appearances.
While Georgetown has struggled with consistency and the postseason in the past, 2016 could be the year this changes, with the Hoyas fielding one of the more promising rosters in program history.
The excitement among members of the Georgetown team is noticeable, with returning players looking to quickly move on from what proved to be a dismal postseason in 2015. “We finished on a pretty low note last year, so we’re pumped to be back and ready to get the season going,” junior defender Taylor Pak said in an interview with Georgetown Athletics.
The rest of the Big East recognized the Hoyas’ strength, and Georgetown was unanimously named the preseason favorite to win the conference by the Big East’s coaches. Four Hoyas were selected to the preseason All-Big East team, among them junior midfielder Rachel Corboz, who was named preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Corboz is coming off a spectacular 2015 season, in which she was named Big East Midfielder of the Year and was listed on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s All- American Third Team. Corboz led the Hoyas in goals last seasons with 10, and finished third in scoring in the Big East.
The preseason awards serve to both validate what Georgetown already knows, which is that they are a top-tier contender in the conference, and to remind them that they need to play up to their expectations.
“It’s obviously awesome to receive that recognition, but it also puts a target on our back,” said senior forward Grace Damaska. “We have to make sure that we are that top team every time we step on the field.”
If Georgetown is to succeed this year, it will be because of its strong offense. Along with Corboz, the Hoya offense includes Damaska and Crystal Thomas, a graduate student forward, both of whom were also named to the preseason All- Big East Team.
For the Hoyas, success in 2016 is focused around one central objective: winning the Big East. “It’s something that we’ve never done, and it’s been our goal ever since I’ve been a freshman, and I’m sure before that as well,” Corboz said.
Coach Nolan agreed, stating that the two things he focuses on are being in contention for a Big East championship and making it to the NCAA Tournament. But he added that, “If we fall short of that, but we’ve gotten the best out of this group, then it’s a success … I’d like to think that our best is good enough to get us what we want.”
Before the Hoyas can begin to think about Big East play, they must weather the storm of a grueling non-conference schedule, which has handed them one 3-0 loss already at home to No. 3 Stanford (3-0-0, Pacific Twelve) on August 21, and includes games against No. 22 Rutgers (3-0-1, Big Ten), No. 7 West Virginia (3-0-1, Big Twelve), and No. 4 Virginia (4-0-0, ACC). In last year’s tournament, Rutgers reached the NCAA Tournament semifinals, and Stanford, Virginia, and West Virginia all advanced to the tournament quarterfinals.
Although such a series of tough games early in the season may seem daunting, its benefits are twofold: Georgetown will get to test itself against some of the best in the nation, and the team can look to boost its chances for an at-large bid in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
“We need to have a good out-of-conference resume,” Nolan explained. “The thinking behind it is to try to match up against some good teams in the region and in other regions.”
Corboz reiterated the importance opening the season well for NCAA tournament purposes, claiming that Georgetown will need to step up its play early on in the season in order to boost their Rating Percentage Index (RPI) ranking.
In the 13 years that Nolan has been head coach of the Hoyas, the program has gone from obscurity to national recognition. Georgetown has now appeared in the NCAA tournament four straight times, and attracts recruits from all over the country. Still, the Hoyas are looking to move past the realm of notable teams and into the group of the nation’s elite squads. As the 2016 season shapes up, this goal appears within reach, given the team’s star-studded offense, a defense strengthened with the return of graduate student defender Marina Paul, and an impressive freshman class.
Georgetown has the talent to sit atop the conference come November. “Now,” Corboz says, “we just have to prove ourselves.”
