By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Hannah Folliard turned 17 a month ago. And she was supposed to be starting her senior year at Plainfield South (Ill.) High School on Thursday. Instead, the Georgia soccer freshman was in goal for the Bulldogs during their season opener against eighth-ranked UCLA at the Turner Soccer Complex.

It wasn’t a perfect start — the Bruins scored the game’s only goal midway through the second half for a 1-0 win — but it was a strong performance from Folliard, who reclassified and joined the team this summer, and a big group of young or new players suiting up for the Bulldogs for the first time.

“I’m super stoked for the season. … We didn’t get the result we wanted, but it’s the first game of the season, and we just wanted to come in and show that we are a top team. And I think we did that,” said Folliard, who finished with six saves. “I think we showed our strength, and I think we showed our fight.

“I just think as we got on through the season, it’s going to be great. I’m super proud of the team and happy about our performance.”

Georgia coach Keidane McAlpine was pleased with how his Bulldogs played against a tough opening opponent.

“I thought we played well,” he said. “I thought for large portions of the game we were in control. We got a little impatient in the final third (of the field while attacking), but to have as many young players out there and get their first taste of what it is, I thought we did a really good job.”

McAlpine expected Folliard to play well in her first game, and he liked what he saw.

“She’s playing in some big games throughout her life, and tonight, she showed her quality,” he said. “She showed us a lot about who she is, the competitor she is. She made some big saves, controlled the box really well, and controlled the game really well when she was on the ball.”

Folliard is one of the top young goalkeepers in the country, and she has already spent time with the U.S. Under-17 National Team. She committed to Georgia nearly a year ago, and the plan then was for her to join the program for the fall of 2026, after Georgia’s longtime starting keeper Jordan Brown graduated. But after Brown suffered a serious leg injury in the offseason that will force her to miss the entire season, Folliard’s plans changed.

“J.B. is obviously a great goalkeeper. When I committed here, I looked up to her and I watched her games and was like, I need to be her, basically,” she said. “I came in at 16, I just turned 17, and I knew it was going to be hard. You know, I’ve been working through it with the team, I’ve been building chemistry, and it’s been hard, it’s been a struggle. But (the coaches) told me I was starting yesterday, and obviously I was super stoked and super excited.

“I think I was more excited to play with the team and finally step out there and do it.”

After finding out Wednesday that she would be starting the season opener, having won the job over redshirt freshman Nicole Bidun and true freshman Victoria Saah, you might think that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. But Folliard got plenty of rest and was ready to go.

“I went to bed, and I was thinking about the game and what I wanted to accomplish. Obviously, there were going to be nerves, but that turned into excitement. I woke up this morning and I was like, all right, let’s go,” she said.

Another true freshman making her first start Thursday night was defender Maddy Herniter, who was playing right in front of Folliard. Herniter said she went to bed at 9 o’clock on Wednesday and dreamt about playing her first game. Her thoughts remained on the game throughout the day.

“I had two classes today, and all I was thinking about was the game. The nerves were high, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Herniter, from Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

Herniter and Folliard were two of the seven new players in the starting lineup. There are 13 true or redshirt freshmen, six transfers, and 11 returning letterwinners on the roster. The team had a very good preseason playing together, McAlpine said, and the Bulldogs will only get better as they gain more experience playing at this level and playing together.

“I thought for over half our team being new, to start with this level of quality and having so many great moments, it only lends itself to us getting better and more comfortable,” he said.

Another highly-touted true freshman, forward Mya Townes, hit the crossbar from about 30 yards out with her first career shot. An inch or two lower and it would have been in the back of the net, and then who knows how Thursday’s game winds up. But that’s soccer.

Georgia had a couple of chances to tie late in the game, including in the final minute, but the Bruins were able to hold on for the win. Now, Georgia will get back to work to prepare for Sunday’s game against Albany.

“The challenge is going to be to bring the same energy — not change the level, not look at the opponent differently,” McAlpine said. “We can’t play against the jersey. We actually have to do the things that we’re supposed to do, and if we do that, then I think we’ll be on the better side of the result.”

As for Folliard, she has already shown that she belongs.

“She’s a beast,” Herniter said.

A 17-year-old beast who, like Herniter and so many of her teammates, is just getting started.

 

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.