After a 4-11-3 record last season, women’s soccer is looking to build a strong team identity on and off the field this year under newly hired Head Coach Jeremy Williams.
The team opened their season Thursday against American, tying 1-1, with freshman Selah Koleth scoring the team’s lone goal in the 40th minute. Williams said these early games allow the team to test out different playing styles and find its strengths in real game situations.
“With this being the first season, we will try to look at a number of combinations to try to figure out what will allow us to play at our best,” Williams said. “Our aim is to be playing our best soccer into October and November. So it’s important to make sure we are looking at everything from different angles to set us up for that.”
Williams was hired in December after serving as an assistant coach with the University of Miami and as an assistant coach with GW from 2015 to 2017. Due to NCAA rules, coaches are not allowed to work directly with players over the summer, so Williams and his staff relied on a truncated practice schedule in the spring and within the past month to prepare their players.
Williams said strengthening defense was a priority this offseason, as the team allowed the second-most goals per game in the Atlantic 10 last season, at 2.11.
“It takes all 11 players on the field to defend at a high level, so we put a lot of emphasis on what our principles of defending are and getting everyone on the same page,” Williams said. “We have also put a large emphasis on set pieces and being disciplined and organized in those moments during the game.”
Senior defender Maggie Mockenhaupt said the team has responded positively to Williams’ coaching and has already seen progress, particularly on the defensive end.
“The team was very welcoming toward Jeremy,” Mockenhaupt said. “He has brought a new perspective to the game that we have not seen in the past and has already pushed the program forward.”
Over the summer, Williams said the team focused on off-the-field aspects like the team’s social media, strength and conditioning and recruiting. The team is also looking to establish a women’s soccer alumni mentorship program, which they hope will come together this fall. To make sure the team was physically prepared, coaches also sent a fitness packet to players with training regimens for the summer.
“With how short the collegiate preseason is, it is important for the players to come back to campus physically prepared to handle the physical load that is required to compete at a high level throughout the fall season,” Williams said.
The team also added a key player to try and shore up their defense — sophomore defender Sophia Broz, who joins the team from the University of Miami, where Williams previously coached before joining GW.
“I’m super excited to be a part of the future of GW women’s soccer,” Broz said in a June GW release. “The incredible coaching staff, the ability to be a force in the Atlantic 10 Conference and the high academic standards of the university made GW the perfect fit for me.”
On the offensive side, the team ranked fifth in the A-10 with 1.39 goals per game in the 2023 season, led primarily by junior Isabel Kelly and senior Kelly Poole, who scored four apiece. Junior midfielder Aoi Kataoka assisted on nine goals, which tied her for the most in the A-10.
All three players return this year as part of a team that looks to return to the A-10 Championship for the first time since 2019. Williams has not set his sights that lofty yet, as he said he believes instilling a championship mentality is necessary before an actual championship can come this season.
“We want to establish our identity on and off the field by the end of the season, from there the rest takes care of itself,” Williams said. “If we do a good job of establishing championship habits and mindset on and off the field, and making our on-field principles of play habits, then I am confident we will look back at the season and be happy with it.”
Williams said he has noticed growth from his players, even early into his tenure.
“We are three weeks in, and you can begin to see the identity take shape,” Williams said. “I think if you ask anyone on the team, they will say we still have a ways to go. But the players have done a great job of being receptive to the information and then trying to apply it.”
The Revs will travel to Baltimore, Maryland, to take on Loyola Maryland on Thursday at 7 p.m. as they continue their nonconference schedule. The team will face their first A-10 opponent on Sept. 19, when they take on St. Bonaventure at home.
