The 2026 field hockey season gets underway for Georgetown University with a pair of road tests in North Carolina, where the Hoyas will open against Davidson and then head to face Appalachian State. Both contests are slated to be played on neutral turf within the state, setting the stage for an early test of the team's depth and chemistry.
Georgetown arrives with continuity, returning eight of the ten leading scorers from a year ago, among them Riley Fitzgerald, Izzy Lee and Katherine Malloy, while senior captain and goalkeeper Ella Fahey is back after a strong 2025 season that saw her command the net with a high save percentage and leadership presence in the circle.
Davidson, located in Davidson, North Carolina, posted a 10‑9 record last year and fell in the Atlantic 10 Tournament to Richmond, and this season will be missing Sib Naaktgeboren, the senior who contributed 48 points in 2025, leaving the Wildcats with a reshaped attacking core and a need to fill the scoring void left by their top threat.
Appalachian State will also be thin on experience, returning only two of its top‑10 scorers, with sophomore Sophia Baxter emerging as the second‑leading point producer after the Mountaineers were knocked out in the Mid‑American Conference Tournament semifinals by UMass, adding a layer of uncertainty to their early‑season outlook.
The schedule then shifts to early September, when Georgetown is slated to meet Towson and Lock Haven in a weekend of non‑conference play, a stretch that could set the tone for the remainder of the campaign and provide fresh storylines for a program eager to build on last year's momentum.