Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

WOMEN’S SOCCER | Providence to Challenge Surging GU

CAROLINE PAPPAS FOR THE HOYA
Senior midfielder Chloe Knott has scored one goal to go along with two assists this season.

Undefeated in its last nine games, the Georgetown women’s soccer team is heading to Providence, R.I. for its next Big East matchup on Sunday on the back of a 5-0 triumph over Villanova last weekend.

After a four-goal showing from redshirt sophomore forward Amanda Carolan helped lift the Hoyas (10-2-2, 4-0-1 Big East) over the Wildcats (6-8-0, 2-3-0 Big East), the Blue and Gray hopes to keep this momentum going into the second half of the conference play.

“Villanova tried to play us a little bit more head to head. That meant that while they were possibly a little bit more dangerous against us, it also meant there was a lot more space for us to be dangerous against them,” Georgetown Head Coach Dave Nolan said.

Prior to the Villanova win, Georgetown surrendered its first goal in eight games in a 1-1 home draw against Creighton (2-9-3, 0-3-2 Big East). Despite dominating the possession battle, the Hoyas struggled to score against the patient Creighton defense.

“Teams are sitting back in against us and just defending in numbers, more in the hope of not losing than actually trying to win the game, and I think that’s what we saw against Creighton,” Nolan said.

Despite the draw, the Hoyas have yet to lose a Big East game this season. Georgetown’s record positions it at the top of the conference, and it leads the Big East in goals and assists per game, averaging 2.57 and 2.21, respectively.

Senior midfielder Rachel Corboz leads both the conference and the nation in assists with nine, and junior goalkeeper Arielle Schechtman leads the conference in shutouts with 11.

The Hoyas will be tested on Sunday by a Providence (8-6-0, 3-2-0 Big East) team that has won its past two games. Last week, the Friars defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles (9-5-1, 2-3-0 Big East) thanks to a goal from freshman midfielder Amber Birchwell.

As Georgetown closes out its regular season, it faces rivals Butler (10-1-3, 3-0-2 Big East) — which leads the nation with a 0.134 goals-against average — and Xavier (7-4-4, 3-0-2 Big East), both of which are vying for the second slot in the current Big East conference standings.

“We’ve got four games left — two home two on the road against the four teams closest to us in the standings in Marquette, Xavier, Providence and Butler,” Nolan said. “They are the four teams that are jockeying for one of the top two spots in the conference tournament, and so those games become very big.”

Nolan noted the importance of these upcoming four matchups not only for a Big East tournament bid but also for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.

“They are the teams that have the highest RPI in our conference, and they are games we need to get results in, in the hopes of securing an at-large NCAA tournament bid,” Nolan said.

Coming off a Big East Tournament Championship and an NCAA Final Four appearance in the 2016-17 campaign, the Hoyas are looking to close out the season strong and make another post-season run for the College Cup.

Georgetown takes on Providence on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. with the game broadcasting live on the Big East Network.

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