In a first round battle, the seventh-seeded Georgia women’s soccer team kicks off its NCAA Tournament against Colorado on Friday, November 15, at Turner Soccer Complex in Athens.
The Bulldogs are 8-6-6 on the year (3-3-4 in league play) with a chance to get a win in the NCAA tournament for the third straight season. Head Coach Keidane McAlpine has now taken his teams, previously USC, to 12 consecutive postseason appearances, his 14th all-time.
McAlpine arrived in Athens prior to the 2022 season and led the Bulldogs to their first tournament bid since 2014 along with hosting a postseason match for the first time since 2007. His success was not beginner’s luck. As a second-year coach he led Georgia to their best season in history with a 13-4-6 record, a No. 13 ranking, a Southeastern Conference East Division title (first in program history), and an eventual SEC Tournament Championship (also the first in program history). The 2022 squad made it to the second round of the NCAAs while the 2023 team earned two tournament wins and a Sweet 16 appearance before being eliminated.
Now this 2024 campaign has McAlpine and his Lady Bulldogs eyeing yet another postseason win and deep tournament run, and it all kicks off right here in Athens at 4:30 Friday afternoon.
Last Tuesday, the Bulldogs were eliminated from the SEC Tournament as No. 5 Arkansas scored in the 82nd minute, defeating Georgia 1-0. Now, with the national tournament at hand, the Bulldogs will look to wipe the crushing loss from their memory and move onto a hopeful tournament run.
Georgia has played Colorado twice in program history, the Buffaloes leading the series 1-0-1. However, in those previous two matches of 2003 and 2004, Coach McAlpine was not a Bulldog. His storied head coaching career has led him to face Colorado’s head coach Danny Sanchez 10 times, enjoying a 8-2 record over Sanchez in his career.
Furthermore, graduate-transfer from Washington State Margie Detrizio scored the winning goal in the Cougars matchup with Colorado last season, giving Washington State the 1-0 victory. Detrizio is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer with eight goals on the year and two assists.
Following Detrizio in team rankings is Summer Denigan with five goals and four assists on the season. In 2023, Denigan was awarded SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, SEC All-Freshman team and second team All-SEC honors. Denigan was one of two freshmen last season to earn SEC All-Freshman team recognition, the other being Kiera Staude, defender from Westminster in Atlanta.
No one has been quite like Jordan Brown, the junior goalkeeper. She has put up record numbers at goalie for the Bulldogs with 116 saves on the year, only behind Nicole WIlliams’ single-season record of 122 saves in 2000. Her prowess in the net draws national attention as she was ranked the 29th best player (No. 3 goalie) in America by Drawer Soccer’s Midseason Top 100 Player rankings. She has earned multiple SEC defensive player of the week honors alongside ranking third in program history in shutouts with 20. She capped off the regular season being named to the Second Team All-SEC squad. What a year for the junior!
The Bulldogs road to the tournament has not been easy in the slightest. Georgia’s strength of schedule ranks seventh in the country and second in the SEC. The Bulldogs played five of the top six ranked teams, via RPI rankings, and 10 of the top 30.
The battle-tested Bulldogs are ready for another bout with a strong Colorado team. If the Bulldogs come out on top, they will face the winner of the Wake Forest-Morehead State game. The Demon Deacons are No. 3 in the nation with a large chance to beat Morehead State handily.
Good luck UGA Soccer!