Women’s Soccer Set to Kick Off 2019 Season

Thursday, August 22

Williamsburg, VA

7:00 PM

George Washington University

William & Mary

8/20/2019 1:21:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Colonials to open 2019 slate at William & Mary on Thursday

KICKING OFF: The George Washington women's soccer squad opens the 2019 season on the road with a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia to face William & Mary on Thursday at 7 p.m.

YEAR TWO: The Colonials will look to build off a successful first season under head coach Michelle Demko, when the squad went 10-8-1 and 6-4 in conference play. With the 2018 season under her belt, Demko hopes the team's familiarity with their new style of play will make GW a more competitive force come A-10 action.

"The players understand our staff's expectations now that we've been with them for a solid year," said Demko. "We had a lot of the pieces of the puzzle already. We lost a few seniors last year, but I feel like the returning core is solid, and we brought in a few pieces that are really going to enhance what we're doing. Most of us have been together for a year and played in this system for a year so we have a bit more maturity to us. I think it should be fun."

STACKED SCHEDULE: GW has a strong schedule that features one team which finished last season in the top-25 along with a slew of tough local opponents. After opening their season at William & Mary, the Colonials will continue their road swing on Aug. 28 against local rival American. GW will then open play in September with a five-game homestand, starting off with a Sept. 1 match against NC State, which finished last season No. 18 nationally in the NCAA RPI rankings. GW will then host Liberty (Sept. 5) before welcoming local rivals Maryland (Sept. 8) and Towson (Sept. 12) to the GW Soccer Field on the Mount Vernon Campus. The Buff and Blue will wrap up their season-long home stretch with a bout against Bucknell on Sept. 15. Additional non-conference games include UMBC (Sept. 19) and Delaware State (Oct. 10). Conference play begins on Sept. 22 at La Salle as GW looks to contend for the league crown after reaching the Atlantic 10 Championship for the sixth consecutive season in 2018.

DEPTH IN DEFENSE: GW will rely on a strong core of returners on defense, including A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team member and three-year captain Megan McCormick. Joining the redshirt senior on the back line are 2018 A-10 All-Rookie Team honoree Hannah Zaluski, who was the only first-year to start all 19 contests last season, senior Olivia DiCristofaro, and sophomore Madi Coyne. GW will also lean on first-years Isabelle Eskay and Haley Curtis.

"That backline is returning all four key contributors, each who played significant minutes and made impactful contributions last season," said Demko. "I'm really confident in their ability to attack together, defend together, and be really organized and communicate within that line."

MORE IN THE MIDDLE: The midfield will have a new look for the Colonials in 2019 with an array of returners and fresh faces in the mix. GW will look to junior Kelly Amador and sophomore Maria Pareja for leadership in the midfield position after playing notable minutes in 2018 and gaining experience together in their new system in the spring. The addition of Sammy Neyman, a transfer from Miami, and Anyssa Ibrahim, a transfer from USF, will add another element of tactical and technical experience.

"I feel like this group gives us the ability to have a different look tactically in terms of their thought process of how they see the game," said Demko. "Part of that is Kelly and Maria in the spring got to play a ton of minutes, and then you add Sammy and Anyssa in there, and their movement is a little more sophisticated off one another and they are able to think a couple passes ahead. They are going to be a fun group to watch."

ON THE ATTACK: Sofia Pavon will look to lead GW on the offensive end for the third straight season after pacing the team with a career-high 24 points on nine goals, eight of which came against conference opponents, and a career-high six assists in 2018. The A-10 All-Conference First Team honoree will be joined by Natalie Silberman (5g, 3a), who paced all offensive players in minutes last season, and Allie Nornes, who made strides in the spring and will compete to earn a starting spot. With more depth on their roster, the Colonials will be more dangerous on attack and will look to players like Rachel Sorkenn, a transfer from Miami, to make an immediate impact.

"We have a lot of depth on that front line," said Demko. "We're returning a solid core of players in Sofia, Natalie, and Allie, but also adding dangerous players like Rachel, who's able to really control the ball and find goals. That's going to be a line where we have a lot of depth."

GOOD IN GOAL: With the loss of starting netminder Anna Tapen, the Colonials will look toward their trio of keepers to protect the cage in 2019.

"Tamaki Machi joined us from the University of Kentucky last January," said Demko. "It was nice for her to come in the spring and understand what our expectations are in our system. She provides us with a different look in terms of being really good with her feet and very confident in helping us change possession or the point of attack. The other two keepers in that trio have also really grown. Erica Lorenzana has become an excellent shot blocker and has very good athleticism, whereas Kenzie Kilgallen stays a lot more connected to her back line and has become more vocal, all great qualities as well. It's definitely a solid three that will be pushing one another on a daily basis."

NAME OF THE GAME: With the preseason coming to a close, Demko sees the Colonials' level of competitiveness as the squad's strongest asset entering 2019.

"The players have the expectation where they want to be competitive," said Demko. "They very much want this program to be their own. Competitive mentality, competitive drive – that seems like it's at a higher place walking into this season. The competitive mentality that we're seeing in preseason is a result of bringing that to the forefront in the spring and then adding a group of newcomers who hail from competitive programs. This group has really embraced who we are and what we do and I'm excited to see where that mindset takes us this season."