LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 18 Washington and Lee women's soccer team exploded for six second-half goals to highlight an 8-0 win at home over Eastern Mennonite on Wednesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Sophomore
Helen Otteni got the scoring going in the seventh minute with an unassisted goal, before junior
Sam Berish added her third goal of the season in the 31st minute. The Generals (7-0-3, 3-0-1 ODAC) took a 2-0 lead into the half despite a 33-1 shot advantage across the first 45 minutes of play.
Senior
Emma Mansfield kicked off the second-half scoring in the 47th minute, her third score of the campaign. Otteni was the lone multi-goal scorer on the night as she added her second goal of the season in the 52nd minute. A 16-minute lull in scoring from the 52nd minute to the 68th minute was the longest of the second half for the Blue and White, before sophomore
Sydney Devory found the back of the net in the 68th minute.
The Generals continued the pepper the EMU (1-7-3, 1-2-1 ODAC) goal with shots, and they padded their lead on goals by junior
Whitney McCormick (74th minute), first-year
Emily Burke (82nd minute) and junior
Sarah Lathrop (84th minute) to close things out.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Otteni (two goals), Lathrop (one goal, one assist) and sophomore
Sarah Zimmerman (two assists) each hand their hands in two goals on the night to lead the offense. Seven different players scored a goal, five different players recorded an assist and 11 different Generals made their way into the point column. Burke took the most shots in the game, finishing with six, while Otteni, Devory and senior
Cameron Grainger each attempted five.
In goal, senior
Sydney Smith and sophomore
Abby Groff shared the clean sheet. Smith logged one save in the first half, while Groff made plays on the ball in the second half to eliminate any EMU scoring threats.
Lyndsay Harris took the Royals' only shot of the game, while Anna Filipkowski played all 90 minutes in goal. Despite eight goals allowed, Filipkowski ended the night with 21 saves.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals improved to 24-1-1 all-time against the Royals, and the 8-0 win marked the third-largest shutout victory in series history. In 26 all-time meetings, the Generals have blanked the Royals 17 times.
With their win, W&L also extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games to begin the 2023 season. It marks the second straight season and fourth in the last five that the Generals have opened a campaign with an unbeaten streak of at least 10 games.
TEAM STATS:
The Generals' offense was relentless and the defense smothered the visitors, as W&L finished the night with a 59-1 advantage in total shots and a 29-1 margin in shots on goal. Over the last 20 years of W&L women's soccer program history, 59 total shots mark the most in a single game, while the 29 shots on goal are the most since posting 30 in a 13-0 win over Hollins last season.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to the pitch on Saturday when they host ODAC rival Lynchburg at 12:00 pm.
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.
