Numerology is the study of the occult meanings of numbers and their supposed influence on human life.
The members of the Georgetown women’s soccer team may be skeptical about numerology, but if they look closely they may see the importance of the number eight for their team this season.
Eight is the number of seniors on the team. Seniors, who for the past three years, have defined soccer on the Hilltop. Seniors who helped lead Georgetown to a 12-win season just two years ago, the largest win total in the program’s history.
Eight is the number of freshmen on the team – freshmen who come in as the most highly touted recruiting class in the program’s history. Freshmen who last year were complete strangers, but are now being looked upon to help bring the Hoyas back to the Big East tournament after missing the postseason last year.
“Besides the numbers, they are really mirror images of each other,” Head Coach Dave Nolan said about the two classes. “Since the seniors came in as freshmen they have been the face of this team on and off the field. The freshmen aren’t as flamboyant, but since there are so many good players, they also present a good face for our program.”
The eight seniors have balance, something that Nolan feels is their greatest strength. Offensively, the Class of 2008 is led by forwards Elaina Filauro and Sarah Fetters, two of the team’s top scorers from last season. Filauro was injured against Manhattan and may miss most or all of this season.
Midfielder Sara Jordan, who missed last season due to illness, and defenseman Karen Waskewich both have the ability to provide a spark offensively, while midfielder Lindsey Appezzato will direct traffic in the center of the pitch. Defensively, Waskewich and Kirsten Odermann have helped contribute to the success of goalkeeper Jade Higgins.
“When they were freshmen they were definitely one of the top recruiting classes Georgetown had had,” Nolan said.
The question for the Hoyas coming into this year was whether these talented seniors would mesh with an incoming group of talent. After the first week of preseason, in which the seniors invited all the underclassmen to stay in their off-campus houses before the entire team was relocated to a hotel, it was clear to the team that there was chemistry.
“I think they have gelled together well so far,” Nolan remarked.
The seniors learned from their experiences as freshmen how to handle the younger players.
“I remember when we were freshmen I had so much respect for the seniors. If they told me to do 1,000 pushups I would have done it just because of the way they handled themselves on the field,” Jordan said. “They set a tone and we looked to try and do the same thing this year.”
Luckily for this year’s freshmen, Jordan and Co. were less like drill sergeants and more like leaders by example.
“They are just really nice girls,” freshmen midfielder Ingrid Wells said of the seniors. “Everyone is just excited about this season. It worked out really well.”
Indeed, there are plenty of reasons for the team and its fans to be excited this season. Besides the strong senior class, many excellent sophomores and juniors return for Georgetown. But it’s the freshmen that have people buzzing.
Leading the class is Wells, who comes to Georgetown after a senior season at Montclair High School in New Jersey in which she won the state’s player of the year award, was named first team all-state and was considered one of the top 50 recruits in the nation by SoccerBuzz magazine.
Joining Wells in the middle of the field are Amy Speck and Caitlin Durkee as well as Lauren Von Der Ahe, who scored her first goal Friday against George Washington.
Forward Drayn Towle will help offensively with speed that earned her first team all-league honors as a sprinter on her high school track team in Santa Monica, Calif.
Defensively, Courtney Kent and Michaela Buonomo will, in the coming years, help Higgins’ heir-apparent in goal, freshman Jackie DesJardin.
Though they are inexperienced, the freshmen feel they are prepared to face the competition they will face in the Big East.
“I was well prepared from my club team, but it’s weird to play with one group of girls for so long and then come here with complete strangers and in a couple of weeks play Big East games,” Wells said. “Everyone is really easy to play with though.”
Georgetown will be looking to these two classes to bring the program back to the Big East tournament. While the 16 will be pivotal in deciding the team’s fate this year, at the end of the day it will be talent, and not class distinction, that determines just how good this team can be.
Said DesJardin: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. If you can play soccer, you’ll play.”
