BUENA VISTA, Va. – The seventh-ranked Washington and Lee women's soccer team opened the 2026 season in style, as the Generals cruised to a 7-0 win at Southern Virginia on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Generals (1-0) pounced quickly with goals from senior Emily Burke (4:43) and junior Megan Zimmerman (7:39) inside the first eight minutes of play. After assisting on the team's second goal, junior Elizabeth Zimmerman made it 3-0 at the 12:24 mark with a left-footed goal from distance.
- Junior Maren Brown tacked on the team's fourth goal in the 26th minute when she stole the ball in the Knights' (0-1) defensive third and beat the keeper to her left. First-year Cara Dugan then tallied her first collegiate goal in the 35th minute following a long pass up the field from classmate Alex Van Arsdale.
- Megan Zimmerman got on the scoresheet for the second time of the night in the 48th minute when she netted a close-range shot near the left post, before senior Abigail Watson put a stamp on the win with a goal in the 60th minute.
- The Generals controlled the pace of play throughout the game, limiting the Knights to just two second-half shot attempts while taking 21 themselves.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- The Zimmerman sisters led the Generals in points on the night, as Megan notched four on her two goals while Elizabeth had three on a goal and an assist.
- Van Arsdale, juniors Aubrey Dunbar and Avery Hannah and sophomore Mary Parrish Green added one assist each.
- Burke, M. Zimmerman and first-year Molly Brown tied for the team lead at three shots each and combined for five attempts on goal.
- Junior Kate McEnroe secured the win in goal and was not required to make a save across the first 47:04 of action. Sophomore Chrysi Gabriel and senior Calla Andrews combined to cover the final 42:56, with Gabriel making a save in the 58th minute to preserve the shutout.
- Chloe Miller was the standout for the Knights, as she made eight saves in the game across all 90 minutes.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Generals improved to 9-0 all-time against the Knights with Tuesday's victory. Eight of those nine wins have been shutouts, but Tuesday's win marked the largest margin of victory for W&L in the head-to-head.
- W&L pushed its unbeaten streak to 18 games after ending 2025 on a 14-0-3 undefeated run. This is now tied for the fourth-longest unbeaten streak in program history when the 2006 squad put together a run of 16-0-2. The Generals also improved to 15-1-1 in their last 17 road games on Tuesday night.
TEAM STATS:
- W&L's 21 shots were split up by taking 14 in the first half and seven in the second half. The Generals held the Knights without a shot for the first 57:12 and allowed just one more in the 77th minute.
- Five corner kicks were taken in the game. All were claimed by the Generals and all came in the second half.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be back in action on Friday at 5:00 p.m. when they host William Smith in their home opener.
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.
