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Georgia Women's Soccer Team Breaks NCAA Attendance Record with Crowd of 25,433
Georgia aims to showcase women’s soccer in Sanford Stadium, where NCAA attendance records of 14,410 and 22,512 could fall, officials said.
On Thursday, the University of Georgia women's soccer team set a new NCAA attendance record for men or women, drawing 25,433 fans to Sanford Stadium for a 6-0 victory over James Madison.
The 'Soccer in Sanford' match honored the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, when the United States women's national team won the inaugural gold medal at the same venue.
Attendance surpassed the previous women's NCAA record of 14,410 set in 1999 and the men's overall mark of 22,512 from 1980, while forward Honoka Hamano scored twice during the historic match.
Head coach Keidane McAlpine said, "We are trying to get more eyes on the college women's game," emphasizing the program's goal to leverage the 93,033-seat stadium to boost the sport's visibility.
This record-setting night reflects Georgia's growing soccer profile, following U.S. Soccer moving its headquarters to the state in May and the recent awarding of an NWSL expansion franchise to Atlanta.