LEXINGTON, Va. – A pair of early goals set the tone for the No. 9 Washington and Lee women's soccer team, as the team advanced through the first round of the NCAA Championship with a 3-0 win over Marymount on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Generals (17-2-2) struck first in the ninth minute when a Bryn Bissinger free kick on the near side found the head of senior Sarah Zimmerman in the box for her 16th goal of the season.
- W&L then added another goal soon thereafter, when senior Helen Otteni cleaned up a blocked shot from sophomore Elizabeth Zimmerman in the 14th minute. Otteni gathered the blocked shot inside the six-yard box and finished from close range.
- The Generals kept the pressure up for the rest of the half with eight more shot attempts, but the Saints stood strong to keep it a two-goal game heading to the half.
- Marymount continued to hold off the W&L attack for most of the second half, but sophomore Maren Brown put a stamp on the win in the 81st minute. First-year Mary Parrish Green took a corner and swung it in to Brown, who scored from inside a crowd of players.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- S. Zimmerman's goal extended her lead on the team and in the ODAC, while Otteni's and Brown's scores were both their sixth of the season.
- Bissinger, E. Zimmerman and Green each had one assist. Zimmerman and Green remain tied with each other atop the team leaderboard,
- Sophomore Kate McEnroe was required to make one save to post her seventh clean sheet of the season and team's 14th.
- Arianna Blanco tallied the Saints' only shot in the game. Sarah Robinson got the start in goal and made five saves in the first half. Mara Dufour covered the second half and made four saves.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- E. Zimmerman's and Green's assists marked their ninth each of the season, which ties S. Zimmerman's mark from last season for the seventh most in a season in program history.
- Bissinger's helper on the opening goal set a new career high for a season (8) and it was also the 25th assist of her career. That mark is good for a tie in third place on the program's all-time list with Anne Wiltshire '07.
- S. Zimmerman's goal moves her one away from tying Tricia Jessee '17 for fourth place in program history.
- The Generals' win on Saturday extended their home unbeaten streak to 33 games, with the team winning 28 of those games.
TEAM STATS:
- The Generals finished the game with a 26-1 advantage in total shot attempts. That included a 19-1 edge in the first half and a 12-1 margin in shots on goal.
- Corner kicks also favored the hosts by a final count of 8-2
UP NEXT:
The Generals will play in the second round of the NCAA Championship on Sunday against No. 18 Carnegie Mellon, after the Tartans defeated Scranton, 1-0, in Saturday's second game on Watt Field.
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.
