BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Senior
Cameron Grainger scored the lone goal in the match to propel the Washington and Lee women's soccer team to a 1-0 win in their ODAC opener on Saturday at Bridgewater.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Grainger's goal came in the 15th minute on a corner kick opportunity. As she so often does, Grainger took the corner on the right side to send an in-swinging cross into the box. Grainger had more than just a cross on her mind, however, as the ball curled in at the near post and got past the keeper for the go-ahead and, ultimately, the game-winning score.
The Eagles (5-3, 0-1 ODAC) managed just one shot in the first half following the W&L (5-0-1, 1-0-0 ODAC) goal, while the Generals kept the pressure on with five attempts in a 20-minute span, three of which required saves and one needing to be cleared by the Bridgewater defense.
The W&L defense kept its strong efforts going in the second half, allowing just five shots with only one finding the target. On the offensive end, the Generals forced Bridgewater keeper Carlee Gaboury into three second-half saves, including another team save. In total, the Generals attempted 10 times in the second half to keep the Eagles on their toes.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Grainger's goal marked her team-leading third this season, and it is the second time this year that she has scored straight off a corner kick. Sophomore
Helen Otteni led the Generals with four total shots, while sophomores
Sarah Zimmerman,
Sophie Berman and
Bryn Bissinger each had three shots. In goal, senior
Sydney Smith made three saves to log her third clean sheet of the season.
Bridgewater's Skyler Daum attempted a team-high three shots on the day, while Laura Narby and Alicia Keo combined for four shots and three attempts on goal. Between the posts, Gaboury made seven saves across the 90 minutes of play.
NOTES OF IMPORTANCE:
The Generals recorded their third shutout of the season, which marks the first time with three in the first six games since the 2021 team began the season with five consecutive clean sheets. Smith has received credit for all three this year, and she is now up to 12 in her career. She sits four shutouts behind Emily Barker '05 for seventh on the program's career shutouts list.
With the win, the Generals improve to 21-7-3 all-time against Bridgewater. The last 10 matchups in the series history have all provided exciting contests, with each of the 10 being decided by a goal or less.
TEAM STATS:
W&L outshot Bridgewater in both halves, 7-3 in the first and 10-5 in the second, to finish the day with a 17-8 count. The Blue and White also limited the Eagles to just one corner kick, while taking eight themselves.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to action on Wednesday when they host Shenandoah at 5:00 p.m. in just their second home game of the season.
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.
