University of Georgia Athletics
Trio Helped Drive Soccer Program's Turnaround
November 14, 2024 | Soccer, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
A telling thing happened on Monday when the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships bracket was revealed and, for the third straight season, Georgia was in the field of 64 and hosting a first-round game. There was a matter-of-factness to it that felt different and notable.
Georgia had played in the NCAAs three years in a row before, from 2007-09, but the Bulldogs had never been selected to host three years in a row until this season. And yet, what's interesting and important is that the Bulldogs earned a 7 seed and will host Colorado on Friday afternoon at the Turner Soccer Complex despite what has been in many ways a below-expectations season so far. And that is a great thing. It means Georgia doesn't have to have a great season by its standards — or maybe the standards of the past — to reach the NCAAs.
After winning the SEC tournament last season and advancing to the round of 16 in the NCAAs, the Bulldogs returned most of last season's roster and added some talented transfers and freshmen. Georgia has only managed a record of 8-6-6 this season, a far different record from 2023 when the Bulldogs finished 13-4-6. But then you look at the schedule.
Georgia played the seventh-hardest schedule in the country this season, including games against No. 1 seeds Florida State and Mississippi State and No. 2 seeds North Carolina and Arkansas. Of the 20 games Georgia has played, 11 were against teams that made the NCAAs. This is a battle-tested group that has only allowed more than two goals once all season, a 4-3 defeat at UNC on Aug. 22, and has only lost by more than a goal once, a 2-0 defeat at UCF on Sept. 1.
While the offensive attack hasn't been as prolific as the Bulldogs might have liked, Georgia has still outscored its opposition 31-19 — Margie Detrizio leads the Bulldogs with eight goals — and held its opponents to one or zero goals 14 times.
When third-year head coach Keidane McAlpine left USC, which he led to an NCAA title in 2016, to come to Georgia, he didn't do so just because Athens was much closer than L.A. to his Alabama roots. McAlpine took the Georgia job because he thought the ceiling was incredibly high, and that with the right leadership, the Bulldogs could become a perennial power. And the foundation is being built to get there.
A big part of that foundation has been laid with the help of three of the longest-tenured Bulldogs: Tori Penn, Jessie Dunn and Ellie Gilbert. Penn is a fifth-year graduate midfielder with 10 career goals who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury. Dunn and Gilbert, who also suffered a knee injury last season, are in their fourth seasons and have both played well over 5,000 career minutes for Georgia.
"It sounds like a lot (of minutes), but then I think about it and it feels like just yesterday I was walking in as a freshman," Dunn said. "I feel like the time has gone by really fast, but spending all that time with my teammates has just been such an awesome experience. I feel like we've become the best of friends."
Dunn and Gilbert have 67 and 65 career starts, respectively, while Penn has 18, including 10 this season. Penn's three goals this season are tied for third on the squad, while Dunn and Gilbert have helped anchor a tough and stingy defense. Goalkeeper Jordan Brown has also been outstanding, earning second-team All-SEC honors after leading the conference with 5.8 saves per game and a save percentage of 85.9.
"It honestly feels like a lifetime ago," Penn said of her first year at Georgia. "I'm just proud of every step that we've made. ... This program is really special. Our team culture is one-of-a-kind, I think."
Gilbert, a midfielder her first three seasons, was moved to the back line this fall. She hadn't been a defender before, but she embraced the challenge.
"When you move positions, it's a big adjustment no matter where you're moving and which position you're coming from. But I think in soccer, it's your job to always be learning," Gilbert said. "I 'm always wanting to become a better player and learn things that can help benefit the team, so this role change has allowed me to develop a great understanding of what our team needs to succeed."
McAlpine said Dunn, Penn and Gilbert have played major roles in helping the Bulldogs succeed the the past three seasons.
"You look at Ellie and her leadership. You look at Jessie and her consistency. You look at Tori and just her availability, right? The three of them sort of embody what we're trying to do," McAlpine said. "We want you to get better. We want you to grow. But we also want to have some consistency in what we're going to get. And they've been that in so many ways.
"Their willingness to take coaching, their willingness to grow, their willingness to go through some down moments to try to get to where they're trying to go, and their belief that they can, I think, has been massive to us."
Friday's game will be the trio's last at the Turner Soccer Complex, but they're hoping the season continues for a long time.
"I've tried staying present during this season because it's really easy in your last year of college, whether you're an athlete or just a regular season, to only think about what's to come," Gilbert said. "I think if you look forward too frequently, you'll miss everything that's happening in the present. I really am just trying to enjoy however long we have left."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
