By John Frierson
Staff Writer

As Georgia goalkeeper Hannah Folliard got up from her interview on Tuesday and Laila Booker prepared to take her seat, Folliard joked about the teammates’ significant age difference. Folliard, a freshman, just turned 17 in July, while Booker is a 23-year-old graduate transfer who already has a degree from Yale.

“I was like, what am I still doing here?” Booker said with a laugh when asked about her first reaction to having a 17-year-old in goal. “I knew I was coming in older, obviously. I think it speaks to the level of talent that Georgia brings in, and I think it speaks to the range of talent and player development overall.”

Building chemistry takes time, first on the practice field and then, most importantly, in games. Georgia soccer’s back line is an interesting mix of veterans with years of collegiate experience and freshmen learning on the fly. Through six games, even with multiple players in and out of the lineup due to injuries, the No. 15-ranked Bulldogs’ defenders are growing together as a unit and developing the cohesion that Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine wants to see.

“I think for us, that entire back group, that back line, we’re starting to gain some chemistry that we just didn’t have because we didn’t have the hours together,” McAlpine said. “All of those minutes add up.”

Particularly for the youngest Bulldogs. Folliard and freshman Maddy Herniter have started all six games for the Bulldogs, who host Wyoming at the Turner Soccer Complex on Thursday. Folliard, who started in goal in the season opener on the same day she would have begun her senior year of high school if she hadn’t reclassified and graduated early, has allowed two goals all season.

“Things have definitely settled down,” Folliard said of the start of her collegiate career. “I definitely feel more comfortable on the field after six games, and I think this whole team, we’re getting more acclimated together. We’ve been practicing, getting everything down, and getting ready for the start of SEC play.”

Folliard said having veteran defenders around her, like Booker, redshirt junior transfer Assa Kante, graduate transfer BK Harris and seniors Cate Hardin and Maddie Baker, has helped her and the young players get comfortable quickly.

“Whoever’s in front of me (on defense), I always have full confidence that they’re going to do what they need to do — and they have confidence in me that I’m going to do what I need to do,” Folliard said. “I think they do an awesome job, and they really do show our grit.”

For Booker, a three-time All-Ivy League player at Yale with nearly 4,000 minutes of action under her belt, learning and growing with a new team is part of what brought her to Georgia.

“All of us are learning this new system and we’re all bringing in our different levels of experience together to try to accomplish this mission,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’re all good players and we all understand the game well. I think that’s what’s made us effective.”

After falling 1-0 to then-No. 4 UCLA in the opener, Georgia won four straight, highlighted by a 2-0 win over defending national champion North Carolina. Last time out, on Sunday, the Bulldogs hit the road for the first time and tied Washington State 1-1.

“The first road trip is always a tough one,” McAlpine said, “You learn some new lessons, and so it was good to get that under our belt as we progress through the rest of the season.”

Having multiple players in and out of the lineup is never ideal, but especially early in the season, it can have its advantages. Georgia is having to play more players and is building and showing its depth.

“I feel good about the number of players that have been able to get in games and contribute,” McAlpine said. “And so as much as I’d love to have all of those (injured) players back, which will make us better, I’m pretty pleased with the way the next person has stepped up in each occasion.”

McAlpine wants the Bulldogs’ approach as a team to be “aggressive and brave,” which means pressing the attack whenever possible. And to be able to push forward with aggression and numbers requires a defense that can hold its own against a counterattack.

“The only way to do that comfortable is to have a back like that can run a little bit, is willing to get into the tackle, and can play individually on an island, with (1-on-1) defending, can head a little bit, and now, with the way the game has been built, they have to be able to dictate play and pass through seams and pass over distance, as well,” he said, adding that defenders have to be “complete” players who can stop the other team and go on the attack for Georgia when the opportunity presents itself.

“They’ve got to do a little bit of all of it.”

After hosting Wyoming on Thursday, Georgia plays at Clemson on Sunday. The rest of the regular season is a 10-game SEC schedule, starting at Texas A&M on Sept. 12.

“I wouldn’t say the season is flying by, but the SEC part is getting closer and closer,” Folliard said. “I’m definitely excited for it, and it’s coming up quick. We’ve just got to use these last couple of games for experience and getting ready for it.”

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.