LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 9 Washington and Lee women's soccer team earned a program-record 20th win of the season on Sunday afternoon behind a 2-0 win over Ohio Northern in the second round of the NCAA Championship.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Each team traded a dangerous shot attempt each across the first 15 minutes to test the opposing goalkeeper. W&L's (20-1-1)
Ann Riley Huber saw an attempt saved in the fourth minute, a diving effort from Emma Gramke on a shot from near the penalty spot, before
Abby Groff was called upon in the 16th minute for a diving save of her own from inside the six.
In the 26th minute, the Generals earned a corner kick that junior
Sophie Berman lined up to take. With no one in the vicinity, junior
Bryn Bissinger raced in to receive a short pass from Berman, before hitting a cross into the box. Bissinger's pass then found the head of junior
Sarah Zimmerman, who deposited her header into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
After 11 more minutes elapsed, Zimmerman had another chance from in close, but she had her shot attempt stopped by Gramke. The ball remained loose, however, and first-year
Elizabeth Zimmerman came in to score W&L's second goal of the game.
In the 58th minute, sophomore
Emily Burke nearly cushioned W&L's lead to three goals, when a shot to the center of the frame was partially saved by Gramke. Gramke misplayed the shot and saw the ball poke through her legs and roll towards the goal. Gramke raced back and swatted the ball off the line just before it crossed to keep the score at 2-0.
The Polar Bears were desperately trying to get on the board and had one final chance with 63 seconds remaining, but Groff held strong with her third and final save of the game to preserve the shutout.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Sarah Zimmerman paced the W&L offense with her team-best 14th goal and ninth assist of the season, as she now has a point in eight of her last nine games and nine goals in that span. Berman (6) and Bissinger (5) picked up assists on Zimmerman's goal, while
Elizabeth Zimmerman netted her third goal of the season. Groff finished the game with her three saves to get her 13th shutout of the season.
Julia Flanagan was the lone Polar Bear with multiple shot attempts in the game, as she tallied two shots and one on goal. Chandler Clark and Elizabeth Pierce also sent one attempt each to Groff, while Gramke made five saves in the loss.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Sunday's win pushed the Generals to program records for wins in a season (20) and longest undefeated streak (21 – 20-0-1). A 19th shutout of the season leaves W&L just one away from tying the 2006 team's program record of 20, while 14 straight clean sheets now is also one away from tying the program's all-time best run. In total, the Generals have not allowed a goal over the last 1,345:58.
The Generals will be making their first appearance in the NCAA Round of 16 since 2006, when W&L extended its run in NCAA Tournament play to the quarterfinals. It will be the program's fourth all-time appearance in the Round of 16.
TEAM STATS:
After holding just a 6-2 lead in shot attempts at halftime, the Generals extended their margin to a final of 16-5 after outshooting the Polar Bears, 10-3, in the second half. Corner kicks were near even, with the Blue and White owning the slight 4-3 edge.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will face-off against No. 11 William Smith in the NCAA Round of 16 next weekend. The location of the pod will be determined later, once all four teams in the pod are decided. The Generals and Herons faced off earlier this season, a 2-0 win for W&L in Geneva, N.Y., on August 31.
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.
