LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 4/9 and top-seeded Washington and Lee women's soccer team posted its 10th consecutive shutout on Tuesday evening in a 3-0 win over Roanoke in the conference quarterfinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (16-1-1) got their opening goal just 2:10 after the opening whistle, their earliest score of the season. Senior
Ann Riley Huber controlled possession near midfield for the Blue and White and worked her way up field, before she sent a pass through the defense and into the box for junior
Sophie Berman. On her first touch, Berman shot with her right foot through the legs of the keeper and across the line for the 1-0 lead.
The game remained in a 1-0 W&L lead for the next 66 minutes, but the Generals commanded possession throughout that span and allowed just one shot attempt from the Maroons (4-11-4). In the 69th minute, first-year
Aubrey Dunbar made a run towards the box with the ball before sending it in for classmate
Elizabeth Zimmerman. Zimmerman controlled and proceeded to dance her way into space before scoring inside the left post, as the ball ricocheted off the post and over the goal line.
W&L added the finishing touches on the 3-0 win in the 88th minute when sophomore
Abigail Watson found junior
Helen Otteni on the 18-yard line. Otteni sent a one-timed shot in and off the bottom of the crossbar for her fifth goal of the season.
The Maroons ended the night with a single shot on goal, which was the first that W&L allowed in 267:01 of game time. That attempt came off the foot of MC Petrucelli, as she lofted a shot towards the back post in the 86th minute. W&L junior keeper
Abby Groff caught the ball, however, to preserve the then 2-0 advantage.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Otteni's goal was her fifth of the year, while Berman netted her fourth and Zimmerman claimed her second. Huber picked up her seventh assist of the season, second most on the team, with Watson's helper on Otteni's goal going as her first of the campaign. Berman and Huber both took five shots and combined for five attempts on goal. Groff ended the night with one save to earn her 10th clean sheet of the season.
Three different Roanoke players took one shot each, with Petrucelli's attempt late in the game the only one on goal. Grace Suchy played all 90 minutes in the RC goal and made eight saves.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals' 10th consecutive shutout on Tuesday night broke a tie with the 2011 and 2014 teams for the second-longest consecutive shutout streak in program history. Only the 2006 team (15) has ever strung together more consecutive clean sheets. Minutes-wise, W&L ran its consecutive shutout minutes run to 985:58.
Groff's 10th clean sheet of the season is now the fifth-highest total in a season in program history. She moved out of a four-way tie for fifth, with former teammate
Sydney Smith '24 (2022) the most recent keeper for the program to have nine. Additionally, Groff has not allowed a goal over her last 802:56, the fourth-longest individual consecutive shutout minutes streak in program history.
The Generals picked up their 16th win of the season and are now unbeaten in 17 straight games (16-0-1). They now have the fourth-most wins in a season in program history and are in a tie for the third-longest unbeaten streak in program history.
TEAM STATS:
Shot totals for the night favored the hosts by a final count of 29-3, as the Generals outshot the Maroons 10-1 in the first half and 19-2 in the second half. The Blue and White also earned 13 corner kicks and conceded none. W&L has not allowed a corner kick in three straight games while taking 44 of their own.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will host fourth-seeded Randolph-Macon in the ODAC Semifinals on Friday at 5:00 p.m. W&L won the regular season meeting with the Yellow Jackets by a 4-1 score on October 5 in Lexington.
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.
