In last Sunday’s 3-1 dismantling of Syracuse in the Big East quarterfinals, the Georgetown women’s soccer team brushed aside concerns about the difficulties of beating a team twice in one season. Tonight, the Hoyas hope the trend they bucked holds true.

The Hoyas face a role reversal in this evening’s Big East semifinal in Morgantown, W.Va. as the Blue and Gray (15-5-0, 8-3-0 Big East) look to exact revenge on No. 12 West Virginia (15-4-1, 10-1-0 Big East) after a 3-1 home defeat at the Mountaineers’ hands September 30.

Facing opponents who have produced goals all season on corner kicks, crosses into the box and long-range shooting efforts, Georgetown Head Coach Dave Nolan feels that his team knows what to expect. Now, success hinges upon execution.

“We’re not going to do anything different, we just hope to do it better,” Nolan said. “We need to defend corner kicks well, we need to mark players tight off crosses and we need to just do a good job of making them work hard for their shots.”

While their mid-season meeting was viewed as an opportunity for NCAA tournament resume-building, both sides are 6-1 since their high-profile clash and enter the rematch all but assured of a spot in the Big Dance. Georgetown has outscored opponents by a 23-6 margin in October and leads the conference with 2.6 goals scored per game, while West Virginia has won six straight by an aggregate count of 18-2.

The Hoyas have reason to be confident, given their recent form, but an away date with the Mountaineers has proved a particularly formidable fixture in past years. The Blue and Gray are 3-13-0 in program history against the favored hosts and have prevailed just once all-time in Morgantown, where West Virginia has outscored opponents, 28-4, over the course of the season.

History may paint a bleak picture for Georgetown hopefuls, but if this year’s Hoyas have taught their followers anything, it is that history is perpetually waiting to be rewritten. After last season’s thrilling run to a program-best Elite Eight finish in the NCAA tournament, the Blue and Gray have set a school record with 14 regular-season victories in this fall’s campaign. A win today would set the school record of 16 overall victories in a season, and while Georgetown has achieved its goal of reaching the Big Eastseminfinals, more milestones remain.

“We can’t just be satisfied with making it to the Big East semifinals. We want to win the Big East championship,” Nolan said. “We’re two games away from it, we’re every bit as good as the other teams that are here and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t do it if we play well. I told them, let’s just focus on playing well.”

Early goals have been abundant for Georgetown this season — for better or for worse — and the Hoyaswill be focused on kicking off with high intensity and focus. It took just 55 seconds for the Blue and Gray to find themselves trailing the Mountaineers in September’s clash, but Georgetown has also been the beneficiary of quick strikes. Freshman midfielder Daphne Corboz put the Hoyas on the board within 52 seconds on Sunday, and senior forward Camille Trujillo scored at the 24-second mark in an October meeting with Pittsburgh.

If the Hoyas are to progress, it will undoubtedly be due in large part to its core group of six seniors. They have realized a team goal of earning a semifinal berth in the conference tournament — a first for every team member with the exception of redshirt senior Ingrid Wells, who advanced to this stage in 2007.

The senior class is unique in the diversity of positions and team roles it encompasses: Goalkeeper Elizabeth Hanna and defender Gabby Miller control the back line, while Kelly D’Ambrisi and Wells fill vital midfield roles. Finally, dangerous forward Sam Baker accompanies Trujillo, who holds school records in both single-season and career goals scored. Leading from every section of the field, the soon-to-be graduating class fuels, inspires, and molds the character of the team as a whole.

Thursday night, four seniors received Big East conference honors, a tribute to their success and a reflection of the respect which they command among opposing coaches. Wells, D’Ambrisi and Trujillo garnered conference first-team honors, while Baker was named to the conference third team.

“They’ve led on the field …this year this senior group has been exemplary in how they have managed to stay focused on task,” Nolan said. “It’s a huge accolade. I think it’s more than any other team in the conference. It just shows the respect the conference has for these three kids … it just shows you what these kids have done.”

In addition, Corboz, who has tallied 24 points on the year, including 11 goals, received third-team honors.

The Hoyas’ kickoff against the Mountaineers is set for 5:30 p.m. this evening in Morgantown, the site of this year’s conference semifinals and finals. The match will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports.