LEXINGTON, Va. – The ninth-ranked Washington and Lee women's soccer team continues its NCAA Tournament run this weekend with a Round of 16 meeting against No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
POD INFORMATION:
The Generals welcome the Sagehens, along with No. 2 Emory and No. 19 Johns Hopkins, to campus this weekend determine one of the teams who will be playing in the national semifinals in Salem, Va.
The Eagles and Blue Jays have the first game of the weekend on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., followed by the Generals and Sagehens at 1:30 p.m. The two advancing teams will then square off on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in the national quarterfinals.
W&L & POMONA-PITZER – HOW THEY GOT HERE:
The Generals (18-2-2) won their second consecutive ODAC Tournament championship this season to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship. The team then opened its NCAA run with a 3-0 win over Marymount in the first round and a 2-0 victory against No. 18 Carnegie Mellon the following day. This will mark the second straight appearance for the Blue and White in the Round of 16 and fifth overall appearance in the round in program history.
The Sagehens (16-1-2), ranked ninth in the final NPI of the season, got an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament after falling to No. 17 Cal Lutheran in the Southern California Intercollege Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title game. They then matched W&L's first-weekend results with a 3-0 win against St. Joseph's (Long Island) and a 2-0 win over Puget Sound.
Saturday's game between the Generals and Sagehens will be the first ever between the schools in women's soccer.
EMORY & JOHNS HOPKINS – HOW THEY GOT HERE:
The Eagles bring an 18-1-1 record into the second weekend of tournament play after 6-0 and 2-0 wins over Belhaven and Rhodes, respectively, last weekend. Emory was also an at-large team into the national tournament after finishing second in the University Athletic Association (UAA). Their only loss of the season came against 2024 champion WashU, with a tie against Carnegie Mellon on October 5.
The Blue Jays round out this weekend's teams, carrying a 17-4-1 overall record. Winners of the Centennial Conference Tournament, Johns Hopkins posted a pair of 2-0 wins to advance to Saturday's Round of 16 against Emory. Those wins came at home against St. John Fisher and Stevens.
Emory and Johns Hopkins have split three all-time meetings in women's soccer. They last met in 2017 for a 1-0 JHU win, before a 2-2 tie in 2012 and a 3-2 overtime win for Emory in 1997.
TEAM INFORMATION, PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Washington and Lee
The Generals, guided by ODAC Coach of the Year
Tiffany Pins, are outscoring their opponents 73-8 this season, an average of 3.3 to 0.4. It is the fourth-most goals scored in a season in program history, with the team's 0.358 GAA ranking 10th in Division III.
The Generals are led into the weekend by back-to-back ODAC Player of the Year
Sarah Zimmerman and back-to-back ODAC Defensive Player of the Year
Bryn Bissinger. Zimmerman and Bissinger were joined on the All-ODAC First Team this season by senior
Sydney Devory and sophomores
Elizabeth Zimmerman,
Megan Zimmerman and
Kate McEnroe. ODAC Rookie of the Year
Mary Parrish Green and senior
Helen Otteni rounded out the team's all-conference honorees on the third team.
S. Zimmerman leads the way for the W&L offense with 38 points on 17 goals and four assists. She has scored in seven straight contests with 12 goals in that span. E. Zimmerman is next in points at 22 on six goals and a team-high 10 assists, with Otteni close behind at 19 points (7g, 5a).
Defensively, Bissinger, Devory and Green have led the defensive unit to its stout national statistical rankings, with Bissinger and Green also combining for 25 points on four goals and 17 assists. Between the posts, McEnroe owns eight clean sheets and a 0.42 goals-against average across 1,700:18 of play. She is also tied for ninth in Division III in save percentage (.897).
Pomona-Pitzer
The Sagehens, led by SCIAC Coach of the Year Jen Scanlon, have relied heavily on a strong defensive unit and goalkeeper play this season, allowing just six goals to rank seventh in Division III in GAA (.324). Up top, they have scored 39 goals (1.95 per game), with a high of six coming against Caltech on September 27.
Hannah Hong and Vivian Rojas Collins lead Pomona-Pitzer into the weekend as the SCIAC Offensive and Defensive Athletes of the Year, respectively. Hong and Rojas Collins made the All-SCIAC First Team, as did Hadley Johnson and Sabina Peterson Rajalingam. Ava Watanabe was named an All-SCIAC Second Team player.
Hong and Peterson Rajalingam are the Sagehens' top offensive weapons, as Hong has 25 points on nine goals and seven assists to 18 points on eight goals and two assists for Peterson Rajalingam.
Johnson and Patricia DePalma have split goalkeeping duties straight down the middle. Both have played one half in all 20 games this season, and have combined for a 0.30 GAA, a 0.897 save percentage and 15 shutouts. DePalma has covered 900 minutes in 17 starts, while Johnson, also in 900 minutes, has allowed one goal and has saved 96.6 percent of shots on goal faced, the best rate in Division III.
Emory
The Eagles enter the weekend with a 62-6 goal differential on the season for an average margin of 2.80 per game. Led by the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year, the Eagles have produced 15 shutouts this season and have allowed multiple goals just once (WashU).
Emory claims the UAA's Defensive Player of the Year in Michelle Davidson, who was joined on the All-UAA First Team by Sophia Garcia and Kaitlyn Nimmer. Claudia Schmidt made the second team, with Sophia Asiain, Mikayla Camp and Riley Miller each getting an honorable mention.
Nimmer paces seven players on the Eagles' roster with double-digit points this season. She has 34 on 12 goals and 10 assists, followed by Madison Teng at 19 points (6g, 7a) and Mikayla Camp at 16 points (8g). Davidson, who has contributed six points (2g, 2a) this season, had the defensive unit to its impressive defensive numbers, including the fifth-best GAA in Division III (0.30).
Garcia has started all but one game for the Eagles this season, covering 1,543:02 of a possible 1,800 minutes of action. She has let in just five goals (0.29 GAA) and has saved 45-of-50 (.900) shots on goal faced. Garcia also ranks fifth in the nation in GAA and is tied for seventh in save percentage.
Johns Hopkins
The Blue Jays arrive in Lexington having outscored their opponents 50-12 this season, an average margin of 1.73 per game. The defense, however, is playing its strongest of the season with just one goal allowed over the last eight games and four conceded in the last 14.
Johns Hopkins had five players recognized to the All-Centennial Conference teams, headlined by Annie Isphording, Megha Salvi and Maria Romo-Nichols on the first team. Carolyn Johnson and Ella Macko received honorable mention status.
Romo-Nichols and Johnson are the top offensive players for the Blue Jays with 50 points combined. Romo-Nichols has scored eight goals and assisted another 10, with Johnson at a team-high 11 goals plus two assists. Caroline Marcus has added 19 points (7g, 5a) to the offense, plus another six goals and four assists from Irene Sanchez Burgueño.
Ella Kruntchev figures to see the most minutes in the JHU goal this weekend. She has started 17 games and appeared in 18, while posting a 0.49 goals-against average in 1,480:52 of action. With nine clean sheets individually, Kruntchev is 15-3 this season and has a 0.789 save percentage.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance through Hometown Ticketing. Tickets may be purchased at the Watt Field gate, but all sales will be completed digitally; no cash will be accepted.
Ticket prices (fees included) are as follows: Generals Admission, $11 | Children & Seniors (65+), $6. Washington and Lee University students who present their student ID at the gate will be admitted for free.
WEEKEND COVERAGE:
All three games this weekend will be live streamed with commentary by Washington and Lee University, with live stats also provided for all three games.
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.
