GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Washington and Lee women's soccer team capped a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Puget Sound on Saturday, as junior
Sam Berish scored in the 90th minute, the team's third goal in a six-minute span, to shock the Loggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After their deficit grew to two goals in the 78th minute, the Generals (2-0) applied more and more pressure on the offensive end, which resulted in their first goal in the 84th minute. Sophomore
Bryn Bissinger brought the ball up the right sound and sent a cross into the box where senior
Cameron Grainger found the back of the net with her right foot.
Just four minutes later, Grainger scored yet again when she took a corner kick and, with her inswinging cross, put the ball past the keeper to fend off the loss. Just 63 seconds later on another corner kick, Bissinger stepped up for the opportunity and found Berish on the far post, who met the ball just off the line and scored with 10 seconds remaining before being mobbed by her teammates.
The game remained in a scoreless stalemate through over 71 minutes of play, when Kya Scott took a free kick for the Loggers (0-2). Scott sent the ball into the box, and the ball went through the hands of W&L keeper
Sydney Smith. Mazy Wright then collected the ball from inside the six and broke the scoreless tie. Scott added a score of her own in the 78th minute, a shot that was met off the line by Smith and trickled across the line before any W&L defender could clear it from danger.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Grainger's two goals and Bissinger's two assists highlighted the offensive efforts for the Blue and White, while Berish's 90th-minute winner makes it two goals in each of the first two games for the junior. Sophomores
Helen Otteni and
Sophie Berman tallied the most shots on the team with four each, with all of Otteni's attempts going on frame.
Wright and Scott both entered as substitutions to find the back of the net on their only shots of the game, while Scott added an assist. Zoe Witter and Ava Cholakian each took two shots.
In goal, Smith (2-0) made three saves for the Generals to earn the win, while Gianna Maldonado (0-2) stopped six shots in 90 minutes for the Loggers.
TEAM STATS:
W&L finished the day with a 13-8 advantage in total shots, which included margins of 5-2 in the first half and 8-6 in the second half. The Blue and White also outgained the Loggers in corner kicks, 7-4, with 10 of the 11 total corners being taken in the second half.
NOTES OF IMPORTANCE:
By pulling off the win over Puget Sound, the Generals have their first victory while overcoming a two-goal deficit since the second game of last season, a 4-3 win over Arcadia. Interestingly, Bissinger also notched two assists in that game, as she did today, to help fuel the comeback. The two-goal comeback victory against the Loggers is also just the second such occurrence since 2018.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will have a week off before their next contest, a noon start time on Saturday, September 9, at Franklin & Marshall.
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.
