Washington, D.C. – The Sacred Heart University women's soccer team is hitting the road for round one of the NCAA tournament. They will travel to the nation's capital to take on Georgetown on Friday, November 14, at 6:30 pm. 
 
Last Time Out

• The Pioneers traveled to the nation's capital last season to face the Hoyas on August 25, 2024, where they fell by a final score of 2–0.
• The Hoyas dominated on both sides of the ball. They had a total of 28 shots, of which 14 were on goal. The Pioneers were held to only one total shot. They also had a total of 12 corner kicks compared to the Pioneers' zero.
• In that matchup, goalkeeper Casey Mulligan recorded a career-high performance in net. She faced 28 shots and made 11 saves, allowing just two goals over 90 minutes of play.
• Maja Lardner, Georgetown's leading scorer this season, was responsible for both goals in last year's matchup. She is a dominant offensive presence. Containing her will be a key priority for the Pioneers on Friday.

On Georgetown 

• Georgetown enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed following a dominant regular season, finishing 14–2–2 overall and a perfect 10–0 in Big East play. The Hoyas carried that momentum into the Big East Tournament, earning a spot in the championship game after a semi-round win. However, their title hopes were cut short with a 2–0 loss to Xavier in the final. Despite the loss, Georgetown remains a team looking to make a deep NCAA tournament run.
• Georgetown has been dominant on both sides of the ball all season. They scored a total of 45 goals compared to their opponents' 11, and they had a total of 373 shots compared to their opponents' 132. They dominated time of possession all year and even had 151 corner kicks compared to their opponents' 52.
• Graduate forward Maja Lardner has been the driving force behind Georgetown's offense this season. Through 20 games, she's recorded 14 goals and three assists for a team-leading 31 points, establishing herself as one of the top offensive threats in the Big East. On the defensive end, senior goalkeeper Cara Martin has anchored the Hoyas' back line. In 20 starts, she's totaled 50 saves while allowing just 11 goals, posting an impressive 0.56 goals-against average.

All-Time Series

• This Friday will mark just the second-ever meeting between the two programs. Georgetown won the lone previous matchup last season, giving the Hoyas a 1–0 all-time advantage over the Pioneers.

MAAC Tournament in Review

• The Pioneers entered the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament as the fourth seed, facing a tough path to the title. In the quarterfinals, they overcame an early deficit to defeat Siena. Sacred Heart then upset the top-seeded Fairfield Stags, who had gone undefeated in conference play, with a dramatic goal in the 85th minute to secure a 1–0 victory.
• In the championship game, the Pioneers traveled to Buffalo to take on the third-seeded Canisius Golden Griffins in brutal conditions. As heavy snow blanketed the field, both teams battled through regulation and two overtime periods without finding the back of the net. The MAAC title came down to penalty kicks, where Sacred Heart prevailed to claim the historic win.

NCAA Tournament History

• This will mark the second time Sacred Heart has ever made the NCAA tournament. 
• The last time they made it was in 2001 after the Pioneers won the NEC championship. They went on to play UConn in Storrs, Connecticut, where they went on to lose 3-0.
• This time around, they will look to make a run. It starts in Georgetown, and the winner will go on to play either West Virginia or Wagner.