LEXINGTON, Va. – Two first-half goals proved to be plenty of offense on Wednesday night, as the Washington and Lee women's soccer team picked up a crucial three points in ODAC play, 2-0, over Roanoke.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (9-1-4, 5-0-2 ODAC) wasted little time in denting scoreboard, as senior
Cameron Grainger put the team ahead in the seventh minute. Sophomore
Bryn Bissinger made a run with the ball up the right side of the field, before cutting towards the box. Bissinger found Grainger near the penalty spot and sent her the pass, where Grainger used her right foot to one-time a shot into the top-right corner of the goal.
Just 16 minutes later, W&L doubled its lead as Grainger got involved yet again. She found herself with a strong scoring chance, but Roanoke (8-3-4, 5-1-2 ODAC) keeper Hannah Aemisegger managed to stop the shot. Unfortunately for the Maroons, Aemisegger was well off her line when she made the save, as W&L sophomore
Sophie Berman raced in for the loose ball and scored on an open net.
Despite not scoring over the final 67:31, the Generals maintained a sizeable advantage in possession, thus limiting Roanoke's scoring opportunities. Following W&L's second goal, the Maroons managed six shots across the remainder of the game, with just one during the second half.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Grainger led the way offensively for W&L with her opening goal, and she received credit for the assist on Berman's score. Grainger is now tied with sophomore
Sarah Zimmerman for the team lead in points (13), while Grainger and Berman sit atop the team leaderboard with five goals each this season. Grainger also took a team-high five shots on the night, while sophomore
Helen Otteni came in next with four.
Senior goalkeeper
Sydney Smith covered all 90 minutes between the posts and made four saves to record her sixth shutout of the season. The clean sheet also marked the eighth in total for the Generals in 2023.
Brooke Nicholson, Morgan O'Neill and Rebecca Carr each took two shots for the Maroons, the most on the team, and they combined for four shots on goal. Aemisegger played the first half in goal and made three saves, before Taylor Gallik played the second half and also stopped three shots.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Smith's sixth shutout this season marked the 15th of her career, and she now needs one more to tie Emily Barker '05 for seventh place on the program's all-time list. Smith also lowered her goals-against average for the season to 0.632, which is currently second best in the ODAC.
TEAM STATS:
W&L capped off the night with a 23-8 advantage in total shots, which was helped by an 11-1 margin in the second half. The game saw just four corner kicks, three of which were taken by the Blue and White.
The win gives the Generals 17 points in the conference standings, which is tied for second place with Lynchburg and Roanoke. Those three teams trail only Virginia Wesleyan (6-0-1) by two points for the ODAC lead, while the Generals now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Maroons.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will get back on the road for another pivotal ODAC contest on Saturday when they travel to Virginia Wesleyan for a 6:00 pm start.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
