Aug. 12, 2011
Photo Gallery
WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University women's soccer team had its first game of the season on Wednesday afternoon in the Nation's Capital. The game was a tough, hard-fought contest and lasted nearly five hours, challenging in just the team's first week of practice.
The Hoyas, ranked No. 23 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll, weren't competing against another team. And it wasn't a soccer game the team was playing, but the competition among the six teams devised by Head Coach Dave Nolan and his staff was just as fierce were it a game.
The team arrived on campus last week and to take a break in the middle of preseason camp, Nolan and Associate Head Coach Naomi Meiburger came up with a Scavenger Hunt for the team to take part in on Wednesday afternoon.
The rules were simple. Each team, made up of four to six players, had a 27-exposure disposable camera with them and each had to return by 4:30 p.m. with the film developed. Nolan and his staff developed 20 categories and four bonus categories. The teams were then charged with coming up with the best photos in those categories, ranging from pictures on a plane, to one with a fish, a person in uniform, a police officer, shots of national landmarks, ones with all teammates in water, shots with a President, something that included an Irish flag (in honor of Nolan's homeland), the weirdest place, a playground, a tree and military vehicles. Bonus points were awarded for most creative shot, something that soccer in it, most people in the picture and the oddest one.
The team gathered in front of McDonough Arena at 4:30 p.m., after starting at 11:30 a.m., and went through the results.
The squad made up of the team's players from New Jersey, affectionately nicknamed "Snookies Select," included senior Ingrid Wells (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair), junior Claire Magliola (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah), sophomore Kaitlin Brenn (Bridgewater, N.J./Somerville) and freshman Daphne Corboz (Greenbrook, N.J./Watchung Hills) and came out victorious, with 200 points.
The second place team was the West Coast Whack Jobs was made up of five players from California, senior Samantha Baker (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson), juniors Catherine Cabot (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines) and Christina O'Tousa (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor), along with freshmen Jillian DeGennaro (Thousand Oaks, Calif./La Reina) and Vanessa Skrumbis (Encino, Calif./Sierra Canyon). They were a close second with 195 points.
"The team comprised of Ingrid, Daphne, Kaitlin and Claire showed great initiative, though as it as a New Jersey team, the judges have been questioning the integrity of their score," Nolan said. "There are some questions as to whether they followed all the rules correctly. The investigation is on-going."
The New Jersey squad picked up the win by earning 40 points in two bonus categories, getting 15 points for most people in a picture and another 25 for the oddest person.
Despite some questions from the judges, the New Jersey team was quite confident in its win. "The Jersey Girls won, of course,' Wells quipped afterward. "It was fun. My team was really great. It was a lot more walking than I anticipated, but it was all good."
"I will add that our team managed to keep great spirits and persevere," Magliola said. "We utilized KK's (Brenn) city resourcefulness and finished with plenty of time. Jersey Girls always win."
"I agree with Ingrid," Corboz said. "We're from New Jersey, there was no way we were going to lose."
And while the New Jersey team may have felt pretty confident in their ability to win the competition, they were in a neck-and-neck battle with the team from California. The West Coast squad had an edge in the categories, completing 17 of the 20 for 170 points, but had only 20 points in the bonus.
"It was a bummer to lose by basically one category, but there really wasn't any controversy as far as I know," Baker said. "It pretty much came down to what Dave liked the most and, clearly, Jersey girls obviously have a better eye."
The third place team was the No Goal Patrol, which earned 151 points. That team was made up of defenders senior Gabby Miller (Wayne, Pa./Radnor) and sophomores Alex Bushman (Manhattan, N.Y./Bronx School of Science), Colleen Dinn (Gaithersburg, Md./Holy Cross), Mary Kroening (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) and Emily Menges (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City).
Fourth place was the team called "Can't Save Stamps," the goalies, which had 135 points. That team included senior Elisabeth Hanna (Waxhaw, N.C./Weddington), juniors Kristen Insana (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) and Hanna Monson (Elgin, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and freshman Emma Newins (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run).
The New England Nitwits - senior Kelly D'Ambrisi (Trumbull, Conn./Lauralton Hall Academy), sophomores Kailey Blain (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) and Alexa St. Martin (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) and freshmen Audra Ayotte (Marlborough, Conn./RHAM) and Jessica Clinton (Avon, Mass./Thayer Academy) - finished in fifth place with 111 points.
The Odd Sox - senior Camille Trujillo (Albuquerque, N.M./St. Pius X), sophomore Amanda Soderlund (Boise, Idaho/Timberline) and freshmen Attie Schubauer (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor), Emilia Sens (Arlington, Va./Arlington) and Ashley Shaffer (Cary, N.C./Green Hope) - placed sixth with 85 points.
