August 10, 2004

Head Coach Dave Nolan and the Georgetown women?s soccer team begin the 2004 season with high hopes of bouncing back after a disappointing 2003 season. Nolan takes over the head coaching position from Diane Drake who left the Hoyas after five seasons. Nolan looks to improve on every aspect of the Hoyas? game.  ?Last year was full of disappointments; we have every reason to expect a much better year,? Nolan states. Although the Hoyas struggled with a 7-11-1 record in 2003, seven of those losses were by one-goal deficits.  Georgetown, looking to be on the winning side of tight games this year, hopes to have a winning season. 

Georgetown?s biggest challenge will be replacing the graduated seniors from the 2003 team, prominent players and who make significant contributions to the Georgetown University Women?s Soccer program.  ?This year we have much more balanced team with a lot of depth, the deepest it?s ever been?it should be interesting to see if we can step it up,? Nolan states. The team will need to replace four seniors, two defensive players: Jen Choiniere and Lauren Calone; and two attackers: Jessie Beers-Altman and Courtney Shaub.   Beers-Altman came within one goal of Georgetown?s all-time career goals record. However, the Hoyas have a strong returning group as well as an impressive incoming freshman class.

Forwards

The Hoyas will be looking for a balanced attack this year, with their leading scorer junior Shara McNeil returning. McNeil earned All-BIG EAST second team honors in 2003, leading the team with 18 points. She was also the 2002 All-BIG EAST Rookie of the year. Her quick first steps and excellent acceleration will continue to be an asset to the team this year. Senior Casey McCann will be a factor as she led the team in 2003 with five assists. She has great technical skill and her ability to feed her teammates and find openings in the opposition will benefit the Hoyas. Freshman Sara Fetters will look to make an immediate impact, as she is explosive with the ball and can create openings for goals.  The Hoyas are hoping for contributions from a lot of players and that each player can be a viable threat to the opposition.

 

Midfield will be one of the biggest strengths this year, as there is a lot of depth to the team at this position. Senior Nicole DePalma will be the anchor of the midfield this year, as she is expected to make significant contributions on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field. DePalma had nine points for the Hoyas in 2003 and went 2-2 in penalty kicks. In 2002 she earned All-BIG EAST second team honors, NSCAA/Addias All-America honors, as well as a Soccer Buzz All-Region award. Sophomore Chrissy Skogen had a great freshman year as she led the team in SOG percentage at .694.  She also was third on the team in scoring. Junior Alexandra Hardy will be force in the midfield as she played in all 19 games and had a .571 SOG percentage. Junior Kyle Holsinger-Johnson should also have an impact as she started all 19 games in 2003 and had eight points. Junior Sarah Wappet and sophomore Ali Hawkins will contend for playing time along with freshmen Laura Boova, Elaina Filauro, and Sara Jordan.

After losing seven one-goal games, the Hoyas hope to limit opponents? scoring opportunities with a strong defense. The Hoyas will be led by senior Elizabeth Roberti.  Nolan states, ?She will be the leader of the defense.? Roberti has started every game but one in her career and had five points in 2003.  Sophomore Cristina Araps will also be a dominating force on defense as she was a BIG EAST All-Rookie team selection. Araps? determined, skillful, hard working style of play will continue to be a help to Georgetown. Junior Ashley Darcy and sophomores Crystal Feldman, Shante Cofield, and transfer Siobhan McCarthy will compete for playing time.  Freshmen Vanessa Joyce, Kirsten Odermann, and Karen Waskewich will also be vying for time.

 

Goalkeepers

Goalkeeping duties will be shared between junior Louisa Butler, sophomore Erin Mazursky, and freshman Jade Higgins. Both Butler and Mazursky positively contributed to the 2003 season and are looking to do so again this fall. Butler played in 10 games this past season and had 47 saves with a .746 save percentage. Mazursky started 11 games in her rookie season and had a 53 saves with a .757 save percentage. Higgins will come into her first year looking to compete for playing time.  ?Jade has incredible skill and will challenge both Butler and Mazursky in a competitive and friendly environment.?

Schedule

The Hoyas will open against Howard on August 27, and soon after compete in the George Mason Tournament where they will face regionally ranked opponents such as CAA powerhouse William & Mary. The Hoyas will have six straight BIG EAST games as they face a tough trip up to the Northeast where they will meet Providence and Connecticut. Georgetown?s schedule also includes Rutgers and Notre Dame on the weekend of October 8. Four of the last five games are away and those contests will be critical in order to earn a berth to the NCAA tournament. Georgetown looks to improve on last years record and turn out a winning season and a berth to the NCAA tournament.