Georgetown Hosts Santa Clara in NCAA Quarterfinal Match on Saturday
The Hoyas, seeded No. 2 in their region in the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in program history with wins over St. Francis (Pa.), Rutgers and Virginia.
WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University women’s soccer team will host Santa Clara on Saturday, Nov. 26 in an NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal match. Kickoff at Shaw Field is slated for noon.
A live video stream of the game will be available on the Georgetown Athletics website,
www.GUHoyas.com, with Matt Present calling the play-by-play and Nick Eilerson handling the color.
The Hoyas, seeded No. 2 in their region in the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in program history with wins over St. Francis (Pa. (2-0), Rutgers (2-0) and Virginia (2-0).
The win last Sunday against Virginia improved Georgetown’s record this season to 19-2-3. The Hoyas, ranked No. 5 in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and by
Soccer America, won the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Tournament Championship, have set a school record for wins (19) and for shutouts (16).
The Hoyas went from an unranked team in the preseason to stand among the top-10 teams in the country, propelled by four wins against ranked teams during the regular season, including a 3-2 win over then-No. 3 Virginia, a 2-1 win at then-No. 12 Rutgers and a 1-0 overtime win against No. 1 West Virginia. GU posted a 14-game unbeaten streak after dropping a game at home to then-No. 3 Stanford on Aug. 19 and did not lose until Oct. 23.
Georgetown has been led by an offense that ranks among the most potent in the country. The Hoyas are No. 3 in total goals scored (60), No. 5 in the country in scoring offense, averaging 2.50 goals per game, No. 5 in the country in total points (164) and tied for No. 19 with 44 assists.
Junior midfielder
Rachel Corboz, who was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team for the second-straight year, leads the team in scoring with 38 points. She is second on the team in goals scored (11) and leads the team in assists (16). Corboz leads the country with 16 assists, is tied for No. 12 in the country in total points (38) and No. 26 in points per game (1.65).
Senior forward
Grace Damaska, an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection, is second on the team with 33 points, including a team-leading 14 goals. Damaska ranks tied for No. 20 in the country in goals scored and is tied for No. 34 in the country in total points (33). Her 14 goals scored are the second-most in a single season at Georgetown.
Redshirt freshman forward
Amanda Carolan, who was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, is third on the team in scoring with 10 goals and three assists for 23 points, while graduate student forward
Crystal Thomas, a two-time All-BIG EAST Second Team pick, is fourth on the team in scoring with 21 points (10 goals, one assist).
Seven other Georgetown players have scored at least one goal – including sophomore forward
Caitlin Farrell, who has three goals and is second on the team with nine assists
– and 10 other players have at least one point.
While the Georgetown offense has been garnering attention this season, the Hoya defense that has been solid as well. The Hoyas rank No. 12 in the country in goals-against average (0.57) and are tied for No. 5 in the country with 16 shutouts. When Villanova scored in a 5-1 GU win on Oct. 12, it broke a streak of 748 minutes, dating back to the first half of a 3-2 win over then-No. 3 Virginia on Sept. 11, in which the Hoyas had not surrendered a goal.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Arielle Schechtman, an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection, carries a 19-2-3 record this season with a 0.54 GAA. Schechtman was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week after posting her 11th shutout of the season in a win over Creighton on Oct. 31. It was the second time this season she earned that award, the first coming on Sept. 19 after the team’s win over No. 1 West Virginia.
Santa Clara knocked off No. 1 overall seed Stanford,1-0, in double overtime last Friday and then beat North Carolina State, 3-0, in the third round on Sunday. The Broncos are looking to reach the College Cup for the 11th time in program history. Santa Clara enters the match with a 12-6-4 overall record and the Broncos have won seven in a row and outscored opponents, 14-2, during that stretch. They have not allowed a goal in three-straight NCAA Tournament matches. Jordan Jesolva leads the team in goals (10), assists (4) and points (24). She has scored three game-winning goals, including the first and third rounds games.
This will the fourth meeting all-time between Georgetown and Santa Clara, with the Broncs leading the head-to-head series, 2-0-1. The last meeting was a 1-1 tie during the 2012 season at Stanford.
The winner of the Georgetown-Santa Clara match advances to the College Cup and will play the winner of a match between USC and Auburn on Friday, Dec. 2 in San Jose, Calif.