July 21, 2008
Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University women's soccer has unveiled their 2008 schedule. The Blue and Gray will play nine games on North Kehoe Field and GU will take on four schools that participated in the 2007 NCAA Tournament including national semifinalist Notre Dame and national quarterfinalist West Virginia.
After pre-season exhibitions against ACC opponents Maryland and Virginia, Georgetown will open the season at local rival American University on Saturday, August 23 at 1 p.m.
The Hoyas will head back to the dorms as the following weekend they host the D.C. Invitational at North Kehoe Field. The 2007 squad began the season with five consecutive road games, but this year's team will actually play a home game in August for the first time in three years. The ladies will welcome UMBC and Ohio on Friday, August 29 and Sunday, August 31, respectively. Both games will start at 2:30 p.m.
Georgetown opens September with a trip across Key Bridge to Fairfax, Va. for the George Mason Tournament. They will suit up against their first opponent from the SEC in program history, Mississippi State, on Friday, September 5 at 3 p.m. and then Hartford on Sunday, September 7 at 11 a.m.
On September 12 at 3 p.m., the Hoyas will host Towson and then the following week marks the beginning of BIG EAST play. Friday, September 19, marks the opening game of the conference season as the Hoyas travel up I-95 to take on rival Villanova. After a 1-0 loss at home last year, the Hoyas stand with a record of 1-11-2 overall against the Wildcats.
The Hoyas close their non-conference slate against defending Ivy League champion Penn on Sunday, September 21 at 3 p.m. The following Friday, September 26, the Hoyas return to BIG EAST play when they travel to South Orange, N.J. to play Seton Hall. The Hoyas are 6-7-1 lifetime against the Pirates, but have earned victories in three of the last four meetings.
A five-game home stand will represent the only home conference games at North Kehoe Field this season. Rutgers, who dealt the Hoyas a 2-1 overtime loss last season in New Brunswick, will visit Sunday, September 28 at 1 p.m. Syracuse and St. John's follow the following weekend afternoon visits to the Hilltop on Friday and Sunday. The Hoyas and Orange did not play last season, GU earned a win in 2005, 1-0. Georgetown hasn't lost to St. John's in their last five meetings.
Easily the biggest game on the home schedule comes on Friday, October 10 at 3 p.m. when the Hoyas host the perennially powerful Notre Dame Fighting Irish. On their way to the National Semifinals last season, ND defeated Georgetown twice, including a BIG EAST semifinal match-up that denied the Hoyas a shot at a conference title. The Hoyas are 1-14-0 overall against the Fighting Irish, but that lone win came on North Kehoe Field in 2002. This game also marks the start of a two-week period that will see GU play all three BIG EAST semifinalist from 2007.
Two days later, Sunday, October 12, marks the final home game for six seniors as the Hoyas host DePaul at 1 p.m. The Blue and gray have won the last two meetings against the Blue Demons.
Georgetown will be on the road for the final two weeks of the season with the first trip starting in Morgantown, W.Va., against the defending BIG EAST Champions. The Hoyas and Mountaineers will square-off on Friday, October 17 under the lights at 7 p.m. After the game, the team will head up I-79 to Pittsburgh, Pa., for a game against the Panthers on Sunday, October 19 at 1 p.m. GU has earned points in three of the last four games against Pittsburgh.
The following weekend, the journey begins in Louisville, Ky., as the Hoyas look to a avenge a 2007 Senior Day loss to the Cardinals. In fact, the Hoyas are 0-3-0 since UofL joined the BIG EAST. Georgetown will continue north as they are slated to play Cincinnati in the BIG EAST finale for both teams on Sunday, October 26 at 1 p.m. In three overall meetings, the Hoyas have outscored the Bearcats, 10-1.
The 2008 BIG EAST Tournament is slated for October 30 (play-in), November 2 (Quarterfinals) and November 7-9 (Semifinals and Finals). The play-in games and quarterfinals will take place on the campuses of the higher seeds while the 2008 BIG EAST Championships will be played on Alumni Field in South Bend, Ind., at Notre Dame University.
The top six teams in each BIG EAST division, seeded by conference point total, qualify for the Tournament. The top two teams in each division earn a first-round bye into the Quarterfinals.
The 2008 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship is set to begin on November 14 with first round games. The College Cup will be held on December 5-7 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., hosted by N.C. State.
