For the first time since 2012, the Washington University men’s and women’s soccer teams both find themselves in the NCAA tournament—albeit under different circumstances. The men enjoyed an overall successful season but have been upset twice in their past three games. The women, on the other hand, started strong and stayed that way all season.
Despite their contrasting paths, neither squad is slated to face a ranked team until the sectional round, giving both teams a prime opportunity to make a deep playoff run. Still, after their 1-0 upset loss on a last-minute goal to the University of Puget Sound a year ago, the women know that once they step on the field in single elimination, rankings and prior success mean nothing. With a chance for either team to experience elation or heartbreak, here is a preview of what to expect this weekend.
Claire Komyati | Student LifeSophomore Kat Kerska plays in the Bears’ game against Wartburg College on Sept. 12. The Bears women’s soccer won the UAA title and move on to first round play in NCAA this weekend.
The women’s team
In the Books
Since ranking just No. 22 in the preseason, the women have risen steadily through the polls each week, eventually finishing the regular season with No. 4 billing and a 16-2 record. To gain entrance to the dance, the women earned a share of the 2015 University Athletic Association (UAA) title with Carnegie Mellon University.
The re-emergence of senior forward Olivia Lillegraven and a balanced attack has done well to fill the void left by 2015 graduate Lillie Toaspern, but the foundation for the Bears’ ascension was their defense.
The Red and Green have not allowed a regulation goal since the last day in September, a streak spanning eight games. The only goal conceded during that time period was an overtime free kick against then-No. 10 Brandeis University.
Along the way, they shut out ranked teams such as New York University, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Chicago, ranked 16th, third and 19th, respectively, at the time of their games. If the season ended today, junior goalkeeper Lizzy Crist’s single-season goals against average of 0.46 would place her third all-time in Wash. U. history.
While the defense was shutting down opponents, the offense provided just enough firepower. Two weekends ago, junior Katie Chandler supplied the game-winning goal in back-to-back 1-0 double overtime victories against Carnegie and Case Western Reserve University.
The Bears are no strangers to high-pressure situations. Five of their past six games have been decided by a single goal. In addition, the Red and Green have made the tournament every year since 2006, although they have not advanced past the quarterfinals since 2009, the year they fell in the final round to Messiah College.
On the Field
For their first and second rounds, the women will travel to host Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
First up is York College (Pa.), which faces Wash. U. on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Pennsylvania school managed to punch a ticket to the dance despite its decidedly average 9-10 record thanks to a three-game winning streak that won the Capital Athletic Conference crown.
The Spartans have scored multiple goals in four of their last six games meaning the Bears may have to provide some more offense than they are used to. To that end, York has exhibited trouble containing higher-caliber attackers, conceding multiple goals to Johns Hopkins University and McDaniel College, the only two ranked teams the Spartans have played this season.
If the Bears can navigate past York, they will face the winner of Denison (15-4) and DeSales University (15-4) on Sunday at noon. Denison was ranked No. 21 in the Nov. 3 national poll but dropped out due to a 2-0 loss to unranked DePauw University. The Bears have played the Buzzards four times, winning three, but not since 2007 when they won in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Desales broke into the NCAA tournament for the first time in its history after winning the Middle Atlantic Conference. The Bulldogs are winners of nine of their last 10 games and have scored multiple goals in eight of those contests.
The men’s team
In the Books
The men came a long way from their 8-7-2 record last season, which saw them finish dead last in the UAA with a 1-5-1 conference mark. The Bears still only managed to pull out a .500 record in conference this year but improved enough to 11-4-3 overall to earn an at-large bid.
The Red and Green’s attack is headlined by a duo of forwards, senior Jack West and freshman Ryan Sproule, and behind them, sophomores Andrew Zingone and Thomas Hutchings have provided an additional spark on offense. The men work on keeping the ball in their possession and limiting the chances their opponents get on offense.
For the most part, this formula has worked, particularly during an eight-game unbeaten streak in the middle of the season. The offense showed bright flashes for margins of victory of four or greater four times this season. However, the Red and Green struggled with consistency down the stretch, including blowing a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to Chicago in the regular-season finale.
The men will play in the tournament for the first time since 2012, when they lost to North Park University 4-1 in the opening round.
On the Field
The men will host the first and second rounds of the tournament at Francis Field. Like the women, the men received a favorable draw.
Millsaps College (14-4) is the Bears’ first opponent after gaining an automatic bid from the Southern Athletic Association. The Majors score 2.72 goals per game and rely on a top-heavy lineup—three players score over 60 percent of their goals. That game is slated for 5 p.m. on Saturday.
If the Bears can survive the Millsaps offensive barrage, they will face the winner of DePauw University (11-4-3) and Westminster College (17-2) at 5 p.m. on Sunday. DePauw earned an at-large bid but struggles to hold opposing offenses in check: Opponents have scored multiple goals in six of the Tigers’ past seven games. Westminster won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on the strength of an offense that scored an outlandish 4.3 goals per game, an average boosted by consecutive 13-0 blowouts on Oct. 3 and Oct. 6. On Oct. 7 however, the Bears were able to stifle the Blue Jays’ attack in a 1-0 victory.