As students around the country wake up at 8 a.m. to watch their school play against the gods of Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana State, Georgetown students get excited about the other football. Both Hoya soccer teams started their seasons with difficult matchups and the teams are showing potential—with room for improvement.
Georgetown’s soccer program has become the school’s athletic poster child. The men won the NCAA Division I Championship in 2019 and won the 2024 BIG EAST Championship. The women have won the past three BIG EAST regular season titles and reached the second round of the 2024 NCAA Championship. Both teams have precedent in their favor and solid foundations to build upon.
Women’s team
On the women’s side, six games into the season with a 3-1-2 record, the Hoyas look promising. At the time of writing, Georgetown is ranked No. 2 in the BIG EAST and No. 16 in the NCAA.
As most students were enjoying their second day of classes, women’s soccer upset No. 16 Virginia Tech (4-2-2, ACC) in Blacksburg. Despite a turnover in the early second half that led to a Hokie goal, efforts of graduate forward Maja Lardner and junior midfielder Mary Cochran helped the Hoyas to a 2-1 win.
Just a week later, Georgetown faced No. 11 University of Virginia (UVA) (5-0-1, ACC) in Charlottesville. While this match ended in a draw, with the Georgetown goal yet again from Lardner, it was a solid showing as UVA has yet to lose against any other team.
Additionally, the Hoyas had a decisive 4-0 victory against James Madison University (4-2-2, Sun Belt Conference) and a draw against Old Dominion (4-1-1, Sun Belt Conference). While the win was a morale booster for the team, these opponents were not at the same caliber as UVA and Virginia Tech. Most recently, the Hoyas fell to Vanderbilt 0-1 but upset No. 18 South Carolina 1-0. While the Vanderbilt game resulted in Georgetown’s first loss, the subsequent win against a top team demonstrated that they can rebound.
Before the season began, Georgetown Women’s Soccer was voted No. 1 in the BIG EAST Conference preseason rankings. They are already living up to expectations. Georgetown is tied for fourth in their conference in goals scored, with 10 to their credit. The offense has been strong thus far, especially from star player Lardner. Having scored five out of the Hoyas’ 10 goals, Lardner poses a significant threat to opposing teams. The Hoyas have shown additional strength in their defensive abilities, but their offense must adequately support Lardner to truly capitalize on their potential. The real test will be their ability to beat next-level opponents.
Men’s team
Starting off 2-2-2, Georgetown Men’s Soccer secured two morale-boosting wins, two hard-fought draws, and two losses against quality opponents. The Hoyas are currently ranked near the middle of the BIG EAST, but hope remains for the rest of the season.
“We can’t think about what happened in the past, we just have to look forward and continue to react positively,” Senior midfielder Zach Zengue told the Voice in a postgame interview.
The men’s first two games of the season culminated in losses. The team fell 1-2 at the season opener against High Point (3-0-2, Big South) and the trend continued at the Hoyas’ home opener, losing an arduous 0-1 matchup against Maryland (3-0-1, Big Ten).
Fans packed the stands for Georgetown’s Aug. 29 victory against the No. 5 Pittsburgh (3-2-0, ACC). Georgetown led in possession for the first half before scoring on a strike from Junior defender Oliver Stafford towards the end of the second. The Hoyas left Shaw Field with a palpable sense of optimism.
This scrappy men’s team doesn’t go down without a fight. They have performed well against top-tier opponents like Pittsburgh, shutting them out and scoring when it mattered. Players like Zengue have proven integral to the team’s success, with three assists and a goal.
“To win a national championship, we have to be mature, and we have to be focused at every single minute of the game, and we can’t slip up,” Zengue said. “I think we have it in us.”
On Sept. 1, Georgetown tied No. 1 Vermont (3-0-3, America East), after a defensive error allowed Vermont to equalize in the 86th minute. In similar fashion, the Hoyas let a two-goal lead slip against No. 17 Duke (2-0-2, ACC) on Sept. 5, conceding two goals in the last six minutes of the match. This ultimately forced a 2-2 draw in a game they should have won.
Most recently, Georgetown shut out the winless James Madison 4-0 on Sept. 9.
The men’s offense is clearly a creative and talented group. Soccer fans are abuzz about Zengue, Van Horn, and Baker, and all three are clearly adept at creating chances. However, this offense has been struggling to finish. Despite 67 total shots, the Hoyas have only scored five goals this season. Improvement is necessary, and not just on the offense. Defense is where the Hoyas will really make or break their season. In the past six games, the Hoyas have only had two shutouts, and until their most recent victory over James Madison, they had let in more goals than they had scored. It will be crucial for the defense and goalkeeping to step up to turn draws into wins.
Despite a rocky start, the team projects confidence for the coming season.
“I know the results aren’t really showing that, but we’ve been improving every game and you know, this is going to help us,” Zengue said in a postgame interview with the Voice. “This heavy schedule in the front load of our season is going to help us in the of end the year.”
