Georgia Women’s Soccer Wins First SEC East Title In Program History
With championship rings circulating throughout the halls of the University of Georgia, the Bulldogs women’s soccer team joins that list. The Lady Dawgs are celebrating tonight as they defeated the No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats by a score of 1-0 to capture the first SEC East championship title in program history.
Keidane McAlpine, a Huntsville, Alabama native, is known for his success at USC and what he did with the Trojans program. He has done more of the same since being named the Lady Dawgs' head coach in December 2021. Leading them to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2014, their first home postseason game since 2007, and an undefeated record on the road. One thing still overshadowed McAlpine and his Bulldogs; tonight, they have shined the light over that shadow and won the SEC East.
McAlpine has had strong players to help his team reach their current 8-3-4 record. Senior midfielder Nicole Vernis, redshirt freshman midfielder Summer Denigan, and graduate senior forward Hannah White have led the way for Georgia offensively. Vernis leads the team in points - counted by two for goals and one for assists - with 13 points (four goals, five assists). Denigan has all ten of her points coming off five goals (four game-winners), while White is just behind her with nine points (four goals, one assist) and an impressive shot-on-goal percentage that sits at 54% (four goals, one assist). Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Brown has been keeping the Bulldogs net clean, saving 41 shots and only giving up 1 goal in the 15 games played.
In McAlpine's two seasons with the team, he has a record of 21-9-7. In his first year there, he could arguably have had one of the best seasons in program history if it weren't for 2007 when the Lady Dawgs had an 18-4-2 record but lost to Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament. With a current ranking of No. 16 in the country, McAlpine and his ladies could make the same strides as the 2007 team, with all signs pointing in the right direction.
Georgia will travel to South Carolina to take on the No. 17 South Carolina Gamecocks before returning home for their final game of the regular season against the Auburn Tigers. After that, McAlpine and his team will prepare for the SEC Tournament in Pensacola, FL.
