With ‘Soccer in Sanford,’ Georgia shatters NCAA attendance records

For Georgia soccer, “Soccer in Sanford” was about much more than one win or one night. Coach Keidane McAlpine hopes the Bulldogs, who dominated from start to finish on a massive stage, left a lasting impression.

“And so for now, a casual fan of Georgia football to recognize that there’s another football going on at the same time, that now they can catch a twofer when they come in on the weekend, is important,” McAlpine said. “I think it grows a fanbase. It grows some more recognition for a fall sport that sometimes can slide underneath the ticker of the other football.”

“I think that we went out there and showed everybody exactly what Georgia soccer was, and just to be able to look up in the stands and see so many people riding for us and supporting us and just doing it on such a large scale was really something special,” sophomore forward Mya Townes said.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

McAlpine gave credit to the athletic department for “Soccer in Sanford” being such a success, and said he feels the support from his fellow coaches and teams.

He hadn’t checked his Georgia coaches group chat yet, but he was certain there will be a text waiting for him from football coach Kirby Smart, who had rallied fans to attend and came to Thursday’s win, as did many of his players.

“(Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks) wants everybody to win,” McAlpine said. “He wants everybody to have success, and you can feel it. You can feel it in moments like this. … I think if anybody wants to look at an athletic department, want to come to Georgia, this is what it is. It’s family. We support each other. Everybody is pushing each other forward to be successful.”

With “Soccer in Sanford,” Georgia also aimed to honor the history of soccer in Athens — this summer marks the 30th anniversary of the United States women’s national team defeating China in the 1996 Summer Olympics finals.

“This was a major win for University of Georgia,” McAlpine said. “It was a major win for our program. It was a major win for collegiate soccer, and we had an opportunity to celebrate one of the best moments in women’s soccer ever. That, I think, is the catalyst for us being here right now. So I have to show gratitude to all of those people, including those women that kind of set this thing rolling.”

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Since that win, Georgia has grown into a soccer hotbed and produces the fourth-most National Women’s Soccer League players. The state also hosted eight World Cup matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this summer, and in May saw the opening of the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville.

“It’s one of the things that that drew me here,” McAlpine said of the sport growing in the state. “I knew there was a player pool that you could build on here, so as we look at how the trend is going in women’s sports, but especially women’s soccer, we’ve got more NWSL teams. We’ve got more growth. We’ve got players. We’ve got players that can play at a high level, and I think tonight was just the beginning that shows that we can draw. And I hope these fans will support that NWSL team when it comes. I hope they’ll support our games. I hope this continues to grow in communities across the country. I hope more schools do it because I think the women deserve to play in front of crowds like this.”

For some young fans, like 14-year-olds Haley Jones and Colleen Ennis, who are from Jackson County and are fresh off a tournament win with Alliance Soccer Club, the game also provided a unique backdrop to watch a talented squad.

“That we get to see all their skills and learn from it,” Jones said of what she was most excited for.

For Georgia players, it’s special to have the chance to inspire the next generation of players.

“You always want to be like the inspiration for them because I know when I was younger and I was growing up, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, like I hope I can even touch the college field,’” graduate student goalkeeper Jordan Brown said. “So being able to break the record and just have a good performance at the same time, and showing as the girls that they can get to this moment, they can get to this level if they just you know keep going with it.”

Fans got to see Georgia dominate from start to finish.

In the eighth minute of play, Georgia took a 1-0 lead after Townes was tackled from behind in the 18-yard box. Senior midfielder Sage Glover’s penalty kick ricocheted off the left goal post, but Townes was there to finish it off.

With 21:49 to play in the first half, after a pass from graduate student forward Emma Pettersen, midfielder Honoka Hamano launched a shot from near the top of the 18 to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.

Sophomore midfielder Ava Stack added another goal with a little more than 10 minutes left before halftime, putting Georgia at a 3-0 advantage heading into the second half. The Bulldogs kept cruising with another goal, this one header, by Hamano in the 77th minute, and later piled on with two more from sophomore midfielder Mona Childs and freshman midfielder Leila Avila.

Georgia earns its first win of the season, having tied its first two games.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC