LEXINGTON, Va. – The ninth-ranked Washington and Lee women's soccer team got two first-half goals from first-year
Megan Zimmerman, which led to a 3-0 win over Farmingdale State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (19-1-1) broke through on the scoreboard in the 14th minute following a throw-in near midfield. Senior
Ann Riley Huber received the throw, turned up-field and found sophomore
Emily Burke on the right side. Burke controlled with one touch before she sent a cross to the left that was headed in on the back post by Zimmerman.
Less than four minutes later, a W&L cross from the left side was headed out to the 18 by the Farmingdale State (11-8-4) defense. Zimmerman was in position, however, and fired a shot from the top of the goal box and inside the left post to double the W&L lead.
The Rams put one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes of action, an ambitious try from distance by Alyse Rivera that was caught by junior keeper
Abby Groff. FSC's most dangerous chance came in the 42nd minute when the Rams were awarded a free kick just outside the 18. Alexxis McNeil opted to shoot but sent her chance a couple feet over the center of the crossbar.
W&L claimed the first six shots of the second half, with junior
Sarah Zimmerman scoring in the 64th minute to cushion the lead. The assist came from first-year
Maren Brown, who found Zimmerman on a through ball up the center of the pitch. With the Rams' keeper coming out to cut down the angle, Zimmerman let her shot go and found room inside the right post.
Farmingdale State managed just three shots in the second half, with a 73rd-minute attempt on a deep free kick forcing Groff into a save. The other two attempts missed the frame left in the 79th and 80th minutes.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Megan Zimmerman tallied her first multi-goal game of the season to lead the W&L scoring, while
Sarah Zimmerman notched her team-leading 13th goal of the season. Brown, Burke and Huber all contributed assists in the game, with
Megan Zimmerman leading the team with five total shots. In goal, Groff finished the day with two saves to log her 12th shutout of the season.
McNeil paced the FSC offense with two shots, while Rivera and Maddy Berry both put one shot attempt on goal. Hailey Stork made five saves in the 90 minutes in the Rams' goal.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
With Saturday's win, the Generals tied program records for the most wins in a season (19) and the longest unbeaten streak (20 – 19-0-1). An 18th shutout for the season still ranks second-most in a season (20, 2006), while the team's 13 consecutive shutouts is two away from tying the program record.
Groff broke the program record for longest consecutive shutout minutes streak. With 90 more minutes played without a goal allowed, Groff has not allowed a score over her last 1,055:32 in goal, which bested Kiki Moreo's '09 streak of 1,029:58 during the 2008 season. That streak is the 13th-longest in Division III women's soccer history. Groff also passed Addie Healy '16 (11) for the fourth-most shutouts in a single season.
A 13th consecutive shutout on Saturday means W&L's team consecutive shutout minutes streak was extended to 1,255:58. Thirteen straight team shutouts is tied for the 14th-longest streak in Division III women's soccer history.
TEAM STATS:
The Blue and White held a 14-2 advantage in total shots taken by halftime before finishing the game at 24-5 overall. W&L also took seven corner kicks and allowed one.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will host Ohio Northern on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, after the Polar Bears defeated Sewanee, 2-0, on Watt Field following W&L's game against Farmingdale State.
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.
