No. 17 Georgia Faces TCU in Fort Worth Thursday

Thursday, August 27

Fort Worth, Texas

8 p.m.

University of Georgia

TCU

During Georgia’s match against JMU on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (Conor Dillon/UGAAA)

Photo by: Conor Dillon/UGAAA

August 25, 2026 | Soccer

Match Notes

#17/NR Georgia (2-0-2, 0-0-0 SEC) at RV/#15 TCU (1-1-1, 0-0-0 Big 12)
Date: Thursday, Aug. 27
Time: 8 p.m. EDT
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Site: Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium (1,500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Streaming: ESPN+ (Will Conerly, PxP / Alex Mechalske, Analyst)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
X: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: First Meeting

QUICK KICKS
Fort Worth Fight
No. 17 Georgia heads back on the road to face TDS No. 15 TCU in a major non-conference showdown Thursday evening. Although it is the first-ever meeting between the programs, Georgia is no stranger to playing in the Lone Star state. The Bulldogs hold a 6-6 all-time record in matches played in Texas, with wins in their last three outings ('22 - Texas A&M, '25 - Texas A&M, Texas). Georgia also holds a 7-10-2 record against Big 12 opponents, with the last two meetings resulting in losses during the 2024 season (UCF, Colorado). In terms of roster connections, Bulldog senior midfielder Gabbi Ceballos began her career with the Horned Frogs in 2023, playing four minutes in a match against Southern Miss.

Senior Day Shutout
No. 25 Georgia remained unbeaten with a 3-0 victory over Milwaukee on Senior Day Sunday in Athens. Freshman Maya Woolforde earned her first career brace with goals in the 26th and 66th minute, with fellow freshman Lola Manuel picking up assists on both scores. Honoka Hamano followed up her brace from the JMU match with a game-winning goal in the ninth minute, scoring from just outside the 18 off the first career assist from senior Tyler Kaseta. Sunday marked the first time two Bulldogs had posted multi-goal efforts in consecutive matches since Summer Denigan (Michigan) and Kiera Staude (North Florida) last season. Manuel became the first Georgia player with a two-assist outing since Cate Hardin against Ole Miss in 2025. The Bulldogs did not allow a shot on frame from the Panthers, the first shutout in that category since the UNF win last season.

Fiery Freshmen
Woolforde and Manuel's performances against Milwaukee capped off an 11-point week for Georgia first-year players. In the James Madison match, freshman Leila Avila scored her first career goal, while fellow rookie London Crawford tallied her first collegiate assist. Sophomores Mona Childs (goal) and Grayson Rogers (assist), who each missed their freshman seasons due to injury, also posted their first points in a Bulldog uniform.

Celebrating History by Making History
Capping off months of promotion, Georgia set a new NCAA Division I soccer attendance record of 25,433 spectators in its 6-0 victory over James Madison Aug. 20 at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. The new mark shattered the previous women's record of 14,410 set at the 1999 North Carolina-Notre Dame national championship match in San Jose and topped the men's record of 22,512 set by Saint Louis and SIUE at Busch Stadium in 1980. The "Soccer in Sanford" match celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sanford Stadium hosting the soccer medal round of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. In the inaugural women's final, the United States defeated China, 2-1, before a then-world record crowd of 76,489 at Sanford. It was the first major championship for the USWNT won on domestic soil.

Downing the Dukes
Along with the historic attendance records, the Georgia attack heated up with six goals against Sun Belt preseason favorite James Madison, the team's most since a 6-0 win over North Florida last August. Mya Townes, the daughter of two JMU alums, opened the scoring in the eighth minute as she put away a penalty shot which hit the left post. Honoka Hamano secured her first career brace, first scoring in the 22nd minute before heading in an assist from Grayson Rogers in the second half. Ava Stack scored the third first half goal in the 34th minute, while Mona Childs and Leila Avila added in goals in the final 10 minutes, the first of each player's collegiate career. All 27 active players saw playing time in the contest, with five (Zoe Abegg, Mary Hartofilis, Lola Manuel, Victoria Saah, Kyra Swart) making their collegiate debuts.

Racking Up Honors
Georgia collected a bevy of preseason honors entering the 2026 season. The Bulldogs were ranked 19th in the United Soccer Coaches poll and 25th in TopDrawerSoccer's rankings, earning a preseason ranking for the sixth time in program history (1998, '99, '08, '09, '24, '26). Senior midfielder Honoka Hamano was named to United Soccer Coaches' Midfielders to Watch List, following an All-Big 12 season last year at UCF. Fifth year defender Assa Kante was ranked 43rd nationally in TDS' Top 100 Players List, while freshman Lilly Osifodunrin earned a spot on the TDS Preseason Freshman Best XI. Additionally, graduate goalkeeper Jordan Brown, senior midfielder Kiera Staude, sophomore forward Mya Townes and Folliard were named to the SEC Preseason Watch List.

New Faces in New Places
Adding to 16 returning letterwinners, Georgia welcomes 12 new players to the 2026 roster, including four veteran transfers. Honoka Hamano earned Second Team All-Big 12 and Third Team All-Region honors last season at UCF, while senior midfielder Gabbi Ceballos was an SEC All-Tournament Team member at LSU last season as she helped the Tigers reach the NCAA Round of 16. Graduate forward Emma Pettersen picked up First Team All-CUSA honors last season at Middle Tennessee with nine goals and five assists. The Bulldog freshmen are led by defender Lilly Osifodunrin, who was ranked 23rd nationally by TopDrawerSoccer, while fellow defender Leila Avila joined Bulldog teammate Ava Stack to help lead Mexico to a bronze medal at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup. Fellow Californian Maya Woolforde was TDS' No. 25 national recruit, while midfielder London Crawford (Colombia) and forward Mary Hartofilis (Ireland) bring international experience to the table. In addition to the newcomers, sophomores Mona Childs, Grayson Rogers, and Victoria Saah will also look to make their Georgia debuts early in the season after not seeing the field in their 2025 freshman campaigns. Childs and Rogers both suffered season-ending injuries prior to the fall, but will look to immediately contribute.

A Veteran Group
Despite the loaded class of newcomers, Georgia returns 64.5 percent of its minutes from the 2025 team which finished third in SEC play. Senior midfielder Kiera Staude, a 2025 Second Team All-SEC performer, is the Bulldogs' top returning attacker after a career-high six goals last season. Sophomore forward Lily Kate Elphick posted four goals in her first season, while fellow sophomore attacker Mya Townes provided three, including a winner against top-10 Arkansas. The Bulldogs' backline is buoyed by the returns of fifth year Assa Kante, senior Devon Winters, and sophomore Maddy Herniter, who combined for 58 starts last season. The Bulldogs also feature tremendous depth in goal with graduate Jordan Brown and sophomore Hannah Folliard returning this season. Folliard was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team last year after posting 46 saves and five solo shutouts. Brown missed the 2025 season due to injury but has amassed 233 saves in 52 appearances, ranking fourth in program history with a 0.99 GAA.

Challenging Slate
Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine has again crafted a challenging schedule for his team, including five ranked matchups. For the fifth-consecutive season, the Bulldogs will take on the defending NCAA champion as they face Florida State on Sept. 3 in Athens. A week prior, Georgia will travel to face 2025 College Cup semifinalist TCU in Fort Worth. The Bulldogs will also take on SEC preseason favorites Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and LSU. Georgia is one of five Power Four programs to face a team from each of the four P4 conferences, joining Illinois, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio State.

Raising the Bar
Under Keidane McAlpine, Georgia has continued to raise the program's profile and achieve new heights of success, highlighted by the 2023 SEC Tournament championship and NCAA Round of 16 appearance. The Bulldogs have both advanced in the SEC Tournament and hosted NCAA First Round matches in four straight years for the first time. The Bulldogs have also finished unbeaten on the road in SEC play in both 2022 and 2024. McAlpine's program currently has four players in the NWSL (Croix Bethune, Mallie McKenzie, Cate Hardin, Madison Haugen), the most top flight pro players at any point in program history. Three Bulldogs (Amber Nguyen, Nicole Vernis, Hannah White) also helped Lexington Sporting Club sweep the USL Super League regular season and postseason titles.

The Bulldogs' increased success has expanded the recruiting footprint of the program, resulting in a roster full of geographic diversity in 2026. This season's team features players from 10 different states and four nations. The Dawgs still feature 12 players from Georgia, one of the country's deepest talent pools.

Up Next
Georgia remains on the road for its first trip to Mercer since 2010 on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. The match will stream live from Macon on ESPN+.