LEXINGTON, Va. – A first-half brace from sophomore
Sophie Berman set the tone early for the Washington and Lee women's soccer team, as the team added two second-half goals for a 4-0 win over Roanoke in the ODAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Berman needed only 92 seconds to get the Generals (12-2-4) on the board, as sophomore
Bryn Bissinger sent a long pass up right side for her classmate. Berman took one touch to control the ball inside the goal box, touched the ball backwards to evade a defender and fired a left-footed shot into the goal.
Just like in their regular season meeting, the second W&L goal came in the 23rd minute, with Bissinger creating the chance yet again. She sent a long cross into the box toward senior
Cameron Grainger, but a Roanoke (9-6-4) defender popped the ball into the air. Berman ran in, got under the ball and knocked it goalward and past a diving Hannah Aemisegger for the score.
The game remained at a 2-0 W&L advantage until the 52nd minute when an RC clear attempt went awry and resulted in an own goal. Senior
Emma Mansfield tracked down a cross that made it to the opposite sideline, before putting the ball back into the box. Sophomore
Helen Otteni had a header shot saved, but the ball was kicked into the Roanoke goal by a defender attempting to clear the ball out for a corner kick.
First-year
Abigail Watson capped the scoring in the 66th minute when she flicked a pass from outside the box from junior
Ann Riley Huber just inside the left post.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Berman led the Generals on offense with her two goals, which came on a game-high six shots. Berman now leads the team with seven goals this season, and she is tied for the team lead in points (18) with sophomore
Sarah Zimmerman. Huber got her second assist of the season on Watson's first collegiate goal, while Bissinger created numerous chances on offense throughout the night with crosses into the box, two of which led to goals.
Senior
Sydney Smith played all 90 minutes in the W&L goal and made four saves to record her eighth shutout of the season. In total, the Generals have now posted 11 clean sheets in 2023, matching last season's total.
Rebecca Carr led the Maroons' offense with three shot attempts and two on goal in the game, while Morgan O'Neill came in next with two shots and one on goal. Roanoke played two goalkeepers, one in each half, and they posted identical lines of two goals allowed and four saves. Aemisegger started and played the first half, before Taylor Gallik covered the second half.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Smith's shutout is the 17th of her career, which moves her into sole possession of the seventh-highest shutout total in program history. She can tie with Kate Stimeling for sixth place with two more shutouts. Additionally, Smith needs one more to not only match her total from 2022, but to also tie for the fifth most clean sheets in a season in program history.
The Generals moved to 25-19-6 in the all-time series against the Maroons with Tuesday's win. The series has been lopsided lately, however, as W&L is 13-0-2 against Roanoke across the last 15 meetings, with 11 shutouts in that span. Roanoke's last win against the Generals came on September 29, 2010, in Salem.
W&L will make its fifth consecutive appearance in the ODAC Semifinals on Friday. The Generals faced off against Virginia Wesleyan in each of the last four trips to the semifinal round.
TEAM STATS:
W&L outshot the Maroons, 29-8, in the game, including 18-4 in the second half. The Generals put 12 of their shots on goal, while Roanoke found the target on four attempts. Six corner kicks were taken on the night, four by the home side.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will travel to second-seeded Lynchburg on Friday for the ODAC Semifinals. The time of the game is yet to be determined.
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.
