Kelley Zagol ’05 was one of the first truly great players to compete in women’s soccer at Washington and Lee.
A four-year letterwinner and two-year captain as a defender, Zagol was a four-time All-ODAC honoree and was the first All-America player in program history. She helped lead W&L to a 55-12-10 (.779) overall record and a pair of conference championships during her four seasons.
It was evident from the very beginning that Zagol would leave an indelible mark on the program, as she started all 16 games for a defense that posted a 0.88 goals-against average. She went on to earn Honorable Mention All-ODAC honors.
Her rookie season served as a building block for success, which arrived just one season later. As a team, the Generals set a school record for wins (17-2-3) and claimed the first conference title in program history in 2002. After a 20-game unbeaten streak, W&L advanced to the NCAA Tournament South Region Semifinals before falling to UT-Dallas, 1-0. Individually, Zagol notched one goal and two assists for the season, and served as a lynchpin for a defense that allowed just 15 goals in 22 games (0.65 GAA). Following the season, she was named Second Team All-ODAC and NSCAA First Team All-South Region.
As a junior, Zagol helped lead the Blue & White to a second conference title and a 15-2-3 overall record. W&L advanced to the South Region Finals before falling to Virginia Wesleyan, 1-0, in double-overtime. Zagol captained a defense that ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense (0.48 GAA), allowing just 10 goals in 20 games. She played in all 20 contests and tallied four goals and one assist en route to posting First Team All-ODAC, VaSID First Team All-State, NSCAA First Team All-South Region and NSCAA Second Team All-America accolades.
Zagol started all 19 games during her senior campaign and produced a career-best 14 points on six goals and two assists. As a defense, the Generals allowed just 14 goals in the 19 contests (0.71 GAA). W&L advanced to the ODAC title game for the third straight season, falling to Lynchburg, 1-0, to end the year at 12-4-3 overall. Zagol repeated as a First Team All-ODAC and First Team All-State selection, and she was an NSCAA Second Team All-South honoree.
A quintessential student-athlete, Zagol also earned CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District honors following her junior and senior seasons.
