Nov. 7, 2007

Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University women's soccer team (14-6-0) travels to Morgantown, W.Va. for the BIG EAST Championships this weekend. The Hoyas will play No. 11 Notre Dame on Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. from Dick Dlesk Stadium. The BE semifinal will be played on the West Virginia University campus and televised live nationally on CSTV A Georgetown victory would earn them a date with either Louisville or No. 12 West Virginia in the BIG EAST Championship on Sunday afternoon at noon.

The Hoyas are led offensively by freshman midfielder Ingrid Wells (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair), who closed the regular season by being named to the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week and earning her second-consecutive BIG EAST Rookie of the Week. She is currently ranked fifth nationally in assists per game, averaging 0.65 per contest. This year, Wells has dished out 13 assists, which ties her with Nicole DePalma for the GU single-season record. DePalma set the record in 2002, the same year she also set the single-game record with five assists against Howard. In a 5-0 win over Cincinnati, Wells recorded a season-high four assists. The freshman has 25 points during 2007 leaving her one point behind the single-season record of 26, set by Jessie Beers-Altman in 2002.

Wells is not a one-person show though as Sara Jordan is tied for the team lead in goals with six, Stephanie Zare (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) and Toni Marie Hudson (Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) have five and Caitlin Durkee (St. Paul, Minn./Como Park) and Elaina Filauro (Denville, N.J./Morris Knolls) have four. Jordan and Zare are each tied for second on the team this season with five assists apiece and Jordan, Zare and Hudson all have double-digit points.

Goalkeepers Jackie DesJardin and Jade Higgins have combined this season for a school-record 10 shutouts and a 0.95 goals-against average. Solid defensive play has been a constant this season with Karen Waskewich (Laytonsville, Md./Academy of Holy Cross), Michaela Buonomo (Churchville, Pa/Council Rock), Nicole Smith (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) and Vanessa Joyce (Santa Clara, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) appearing in every game and Alex Gargano (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's) starting in the last nine contests. In the last four games, the Hoyas have allowed only one goal in over 360 minutes of action, with the lone tally coming in an overtime loss to fellow conference semifinalist Louisville.

This past Sunday, Georgetown defeated the No. 23 UConn Huskies, 1-0, when Wells converted a penalty kick late in the second half. In the 74th minute, Jordan went up for a 50-50 ball and was taken down by UConn goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe and another defender. Since the foul occurred in the penalty area, Wells stepped up to attempt the penalty kick for the Hoyas. Wells converted her third PK of the season, sixth goal overall, and provided the Blue and Gray a lead they would not relinquish. The goal was also the third game-winner this season for the freshman midfielder. The Hoya defense, along with Higgins, denied UConn good looks at goal for the majority of the contest.

Notre Dame owns a 13-1-0 record against Georgetown with the lone Hoya win coming in 2002 on North Kehoe Field. The last time these two teams met in the BIG EAST Tournament was a quarterfinal in 2005. The Fighting Irish dismantled the Blue and Gray, 6-0, in Notre Dame, Ind. Last season though, except for Connecticut's tie with the Fighting Irish, the Hoyas gave ND their biggest scare of the BIG EAST season in a 1-0 game in Washington, D.C. Notre Dame went on to finish 25-1-1, 10-0-1 in the BIG EAST and then ended the year as the National Runner-Up following a 2-1 loss to North Carolina in the National Championship.

For the 12th time in the last 13 seasons, Notre Dame will play in the BIG EAST semifinals. ND has a number of streaks on the line entering the contest on Friday. For the fifth time in the last eight year, ND is on an 11-game winning streak and the Fighting Irish have now gone unbeaten in 36 straight overall games vs. BIG EAST teams (35-0-1; since mid-2005), good for 6th-longest in D-I women's soccer history and one shy of tying the ND record. They have not been out-shot in 68 straight games against BIG EAST opponents and are 28-2-0 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament games.

Notre Dame is led in points (31) and assists (11) by 2006 Hermann Trophy Recipient, Kerri Hanks. The two-time All-American and reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year will be tough to stop. Brittany Bock leads the team in goals with 11 and scored two earlier this year in the 3-0 win over the Hoyas. Goalkeeper Lauren Karas holds a 0.69 goals-against average and a .704 save percentage, while also earning 11 wins and three shutouts.