SCRANTON, Va. --- The ninth-ranked Washington and Lee women's soccer team suffered just its second defeat of the season on Saturday afternoon by a 2-0 score against No. 11 William Smith in the Round of 16 of the NCAA Championship.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both teams put two shots on goal apiece across the first 20 minutes of play, but W&L's (20-2-1) Abby Groff and William Smith's (15-3-4) Kirsten Nelson were alert on both and made saves to keep the game scoreless. In the 31st minute, Marjorie Plants nearly put the Herons on top on a tough shot to the top left corner, but Groff redirected the shot up off the crossbar and covered it up to prevent further danger.
Plants tried again in the 44th minute, and this time gave her side a one-goal lead when she scored unassisted with 67 seconds left before halftime.
Not long after coming back from the break, Ruth Hotaling put the Herons up by two goals when she scored from close range off a pass from Moira van der Putt in the 49th minute.
Despite being outshot 6-4 in the second half, the Generals kept Nelson on her toes with two additional shots on goal. First-year Elizabeth Zimmerman put one on target in the 72nd minute before junior Sophie Berman found the target in the 85th minute. Throughout the game, William Smith's combination of strong possession on offense and limiting space for the Generals' attack proved strong enough to end W&L's historic unbeaten streak.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Berman and Zimmerman led the W&L offense with two shots each and a combined three on goal. Groff played 73:41 in goal and made five saves, before first-year Kate McEnroe covered the final 16:19. McEnroe faced one shot on goal, which she saved in the 76th minute.
Plants' and Hotaling's goals were their sixth scores of the season, as Plants took four shots in the game and put each attempt on goal. Nelson played all 90 minutes to get credit for the shutout and made six saves.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals saw two all-time program-best streaks come to an end on Saturday. It was their first loss since the season opener, a run of 21 straight games without a loss (20-0-1).
Not only was it the second game this season allowing multiple goals, the Herons struck for the first goal against the Generals since October 5, ending a run of 14 straight shutouts and 1,389:51 of scoreless game time.
TEAM STATS:
The shot totals were split evenly in the game as both teams took 10 shots. The Herons also held the corner-kick advantage by a 6-5 count.
END-OF-SEASON NOTES:
The Generals close out their 2024 campaign with a program-record 20 wins. They did so on a 20-2-1 record, which ties the 2006 team (19-1-3) for the second-best winning percentage in a single season in program history (.891).
W&L also carried one of the best defenses, not only in Division III women's soccer this season, but in program history. This year's team allowed just six goals, which ties the 2014 team for the second-fewest allowed in a season. The Generals posted second-best all-time program marks for total shutouts (19) and consecutive shutouts (14) in 2024, as well.