WASHINGTON - Georgetown University Head Women's Soccer Coach Dave Nolan isn't much of a singer, but he sang a line from the song "Do you know the way to San Jose" to his team after the Hoyas, seeded No. 2 in the NCAA Tournament, used a goal in the 76th minute to beat Santa Clara and advance to next week's College Cup, in San Jose, Calif.
A goal from graduate student forward Crystal Thomas (Elgin, Ill./Wheaton Academy/Notre Dame) gave the Hoyas a 1-0 lead they would hold onto as GU advances to the College Cup for the first time in program history.
Georgetown, winners of five-straight games, improves to 20-2-3 overall. The Hoyas, ranked No. 5 in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Soccer America, recorded their 17th shutout this season in the win, and their fifth-straight.
"Look at the kids and seeing how excited they are, that's what it's all about," Head Coach Dave Nolan said. "Making their mark, playing some good soccer along the way, and leaving their year, and their college days with some fantastic feelings.
"It's a fantastic feeling. We're going to enjoy today and tomorrow we'll start worrying about the rest of the season."
The teams battled the windy and cold conditions in the first half, with neither getting shots off, but things began to open up in the second half. A shot from junior midfielder Rachel Corboz (Green Brook, N.J./Pingry) in the 47th minute went high and one from senior forward Grace Damaska (Milton, Ga./Blessed Trinity) was saved by Santa Clara goalkeeper Melissa Lowder in the 56th minute.
Seconds after Damaska's shot was saved, Santa Clara countered and had the best shot of the afternoon. Jenna Roering broke free and was alone in the box and got a shot off, but sophomore goalkeeper Arielle Schechtman (Del Mar, Calif./La Jolla Country Day/UCLA) made a sliding block of the shot. Roering picked up her own deflection, but a wide open shot on the net went wide, keeping the game scoreless.
The Hoyas began to penetrate in the Broncos end and finally broke through in the 76th minute. Thomas, alone on the left edge of the box, launched a shot from 22 yards out that beat Lowder to the near post at 75:48, giving GU the 1-0 lead.
The final 10 minutes were tense, as Santa Clara came searching for the equalizer. The Broncos managed two corner kicks in the final minute. The first corner bounced into the box and Kellie Peay got a shot off that was blocked by Schechtman. The second corner came as the final seconds were counted down and the Hoyas held on for the win, and their first trip to college soccer's Final Four.
Georgetown held an 8-7 advantage in shots, while Santa Clara had a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
Georgetown advances to play Southern California in the second of two national semifinals on Friday, Dec. 2 in San Jose, Calif. at Avaya Stadium. The game will be shown live on ESPNU.