Aug. 16, 2007
Washington, D.C. - Senior Elaina Filauro (Denville, N.J./Morris Knolls) enters her senior season with 11 goals and needs only three more to be among the top-10 goal scorers in Georgetown history. Last year, Filauro was the second highest scorer on the team with four goals and recorded Georgetown's only multi-goal game of the season with two scores in a win over DePaul. Named as one of the tri-captains for the 2007 season, Filauro and her teammates are getting ready for what should be, an exciting season on the Hilltop. In between preseason sessions, Filauro answered some questions for the Hoya Headliner...
HH: What did you do this summer?
EF: This summer I had a full-time internship for Pfizer where I worked specifically within the Global Manufacturing division. It was a great opportunity and I definitely learned a lot. Besides working, I spent a lot of time working out and playing soccer. I also spent a lot of time in New York City and at the Jersey Shore.
HH: How did you work to prepare for preseason camp?
EF: I prepared for preseason by constantly changing up my workouts. Some days I would work on endurance where other days I would work on speed. We run three different fitness tests during preseason so I ran those on my own at different times throughout the summer to make sure I was on target for passing them in August. Both of my brothers are goalies who play competitive soccer so I liked to do shooting sessions on them whenever I could.
HH: How excited are you for your final season on the Hilltop?
EF: I am really excited for my senior season. My teammates have grown into my best friends so I am really excited to have another season with them. I really believe we have what it takes to achieve great things this season as we have a solid group of returnees and a very competitive recruiting class coming in.
HH: Being a senior, have you found that you've been able to be a leader for some of the younger kids on the team?
EF: Although I met most of the freshmen only a few days ago, I do feel that I will be able to act as a leader for them on and off the field. Transitioning from high school to college is a difficult thing so I am doing my best to support and help them in any way that I can. Making it through preseason is a challenge for anyone, so the team so far has been great in helping the freshmen feel welcome and comfortable in the program.
HH: How have you changed from your freshman year to now, being a senior?
EF: I feel that I have changed a great deal from my freshman year. Playing soccer at Georgetown has faced me with many challenges that have helped me develop into the person I am today. I distinctly remember my first day of preseason as a freshman and I remember how difficult it was to adjust to the pressures that came along with playing soccer at this level. Since then I have grown so much and I owe a lot of that to my experiences on the soccer field. As a rising senior I am more confident and vocal and feel that I am ready for the challenges that lay ahead of me this season.
HH: So what does your final collegiate year have in store for you?
EF: We have set a lot of team goals for this season and I feel that as long as the team stays focused on them, we will be able to set records and make strides for this program. My overall goal is to leave this program knowing that I made an impact. I want to be able to look back once I am all done and say that the Georgetown Soccer program is a stronger and more competitive program due to the contributions that my teammates and I made over the past four years.
HH: Who do you look to for advice when you need it?
EF: I have extremely supportive teammates and family members so I never seem to struggle to find sources for advice. I usually turn to either my parents or my roommate and teammate Sarah Fetters for help on a lot of issues where I need some advice.
HH: Do you have any superstitions before games?
EF: I am not too superstitious, however I do try to follow the same pre-game rituals. I always put my right cleat on before my left cleat. And I usually listen to the same pre-game playlist on my iPod.
HH: What song gets you pumped up before games?
EF: Hmm, well there are a lot. Probably anything on our team's warm-up tape. Since I've been here, our first song on our warm up tape has always been "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. That one does a pretty good job.
HH: If you could be on any reality show, which one would you choose? Why?
EF: I really like Laguna Beach and The Hills so probably one of those.
HH: Who is your favorite player of all-time in your particular sport?
EF: It would most likely be Heather O'Reilly. She was the youngest player to ever make the full U.S. Women's National Team and she comes from the same state and club soccer program that I do. I've had a chance to play with her on a few occasions and she's always the hardest working player on the field. She has worked really hard to get to where she is today so she is really someone who I look up to.
HH: What would you do if you won a million dollars?
EF: I'd probably use some of it to buy an apartment in New York after I graduate. Even though I'd like to spend it all at once, I'd try my hardest to invest some of it. I would also probably donate some of it to Georgetown Women's Soccer for scholarships and team expenses.
HH: What is your favorite quote from Head Coach Dave Nolan?
EF: Dave has a lot of one-liners that he likes to use to make fun of us so I would probably pick on of those. But once during my freshman year we were playing pretty poorly during the first half of a game that we definitely should have been winning. The score was tied at half time and Dave told us that we were playing like preppy girls who wear pearl earrings and ribbons in our hair and that we were too scared to get in hard for a tackle. That quote seemed to do the trick because we ended up winning that game 4-0.
HH: What is the best/worst thing about living in D.C.?
EF: I really love living in D.C. so it's hard to pick the worst thing about living in this area. But I'd say the best part is probably all that is available to us. There is so much history here so it is really nice to be a part of that. Georgetown has great restaurants and shopping which is a huge plus.
HH: What is your "breakfast of champions?"
EF: It would definitely be an English muffin with peanut butter and some banana slices. I usually eat that for breakfast before every preseason morning session. It does the trick.
HH: If you could get front row tickets to any concert, now or in the past, which would it be?
EF: I went to the Live 8 concert in Philly two summers ago but I stood really far from the stage. There were so many great performers there like Bon Jovi, Destiny's Child, Dave Matthews, and Jay-Z. Sitting front row at that would have been amazing. Also, I'm not going to lie but I was a pretty big Spice Girls fan in fifth grade. If I had a chance I would definitely go to one of their upcoming reunion tour concerts.
HH: What is your favorite holiday?
EF: That's a tough one. Christmas is great but I think Thanksgiving is my favorite. My mom cooks a pretty mean turkey.
HH: When did you first start playing soccer?
EF: I was about four or five years old. I think I spent more time sitting on the field than actually playing.
HH: When did you know that you wanted to play soccer competitively in college?
EF: I knew pretty early on that I wanted to play in college, probably even before I entered high school. I played on a very competitive club team starting around age 10 and spent a lot of time traveling around the country for tournaments so I knew early that this is what I wanted to do.
HH: Who is your biggest rival?
EF: It would most likely be my older brother Andrew. I always had to do what he did as we grew up. I played on a football team because he did, I played baseball because he did, and I started playing soccer because he did as well. We always had a competitive rivalry growing up and we seemed to push each other to always do more and get better.
HH: What was the best moment in your career so far?
EF: There have been a lot of good moments however my best one was probably winning the New Jersey state championship game when I was 15. I played for the PDA Stampede and our biggest rivals were the Lacey Magic and they had beaten us in the state finals three years in a row. I scored the game-winning goal in double overtime that year and we finally won the championship so it was a really great moment that I'll never forget.
HH: What is a typical practice like?
EF: Generally we start with a 10-15 minute warm-up and then usually move on to some technical ball work. Then we play small sided games of possession and end practice by playing a full field game of 11v11.
HH: Who on the team do you rely on the most?
EF: Probably Jade Higgins. She is our goalkeeper and is always working extremely hard to get better. She would do anything for anyone on this team and I know I can always rely on her to play her best.
HH: Anything you want to do before you graduate?
EF: Well I would really like to make the NCAA tournament this year. That is a big goal of ours so that would be a great thing to accomplish before I graduate. I would also like to do more things around D.C. Soccer has kept me very busy over the past three years here, so in the spring I would like to see more of the city. Maybe go to a performance at the Kennedy Center or an event at the White House--something like that.
HH: Who in your life inspires you the most?
EF: My older brother recently graduated from the Military Academy at West Point. He has sacrificed so much and has overcome many challenges throughout his life so he always acts as an inspiration to me. He pushes me to work harder and I am a better soccer player and person because of him.
HH: Favorite Georgetown restaurant?
EF: I really love Italian food so probably either Papa Razzi or Paper Moon. Daily Grill is good too.
HH: What is your favorite TV show?
EF: I love Grey's Anatomy and Entourage. I always make time to fit those two into my schedule.
HH: Favorite movie?
EF: Speed with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. It's pretty old but it has been my favorite since I was about 10.
HH: If you could be any where in the world, where would it be and why?
EF: Probably Greece or Spain. I've never been to either of those places and I really would love to travel there sometime soon. Soccer is so much bigger in Europe so I love the attention that it gets there.
HH: Any advice for anyone who wants to join soccer?
EF: It is a great sport with so many great opportunities and it has allowed me to grow so much as a person. All of my best friends are past or present teammates. I really think there is a great future for anyone dedicated to playing this sport so I would recommend it to anyone thinking about joining.
HH: What are your plans following graduation?
EF: I would like to get a job right after I graduate, hopefully in New York City. However, I do plan on going back to graduate school after a few years in the working world. I guess I'll see how that goes.
