Sophomore Cami Colpitts scored from the edge of the box against North Central. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

As the reigning Division III women’s soccer national champions, the No. 1 WashU women’s soccer team came into the first weekend of the NCAA tournament with high expectations. All they did was blow those expectations out of the water, defeating Wilmington College and North Central College in convincing fashion. 

WashU is returning to the Sweet 16 for the tenth consecutive season after a dominant weekend in which they beat their opponents by a combined 12-1 margin. The Bears took 73 shots in two games, more shots than some programs had throughout the entire season. Their defense contained two conference championship-winning opponents to just six shots. Once again, the Bears proved that they are the team to beat in the D-III tournament.

“We scored a lot of goals, and we only gave up one,” head coach Jim Conlon said after defeating North Central. “That’s the key to giving ourselves a chance [to win], is not giving out many goals. I’m excited for what the girls did.” 

WashU vs. Wilmington

The Bears’ weekend began with a 7-0 shellacking of Wilmington. WashU got off to an immediate attack; within the first minute of the game, WashU hit the post twice. In the fourth minute, senior forward Grace Ehlert scored WashU’s first goal of the game. Senior forward Ella Koleno extended the WashU advantage to two with a goal in the 20th minute.

“[Ehlert and Koleno] are such a spark for our team,” sophomore midfielder Cami Colpitts said after the Bears’ win over North Central. “They’re running to every ball and playing defense even though they’re forwards. They’re the heart of this team.” 

The Bears rattled off 24 shots in the first half, but the Quakers’ defense held WashU to two goals in the first 45 minutes. While Wilmington mostly contained the potent WashU attack in the first half, the dam broke in the second. In the 59th minute, sophomore forward Olivia Clemons broke through the Wilmington defenders to bring the score to 3-0. After Clemons’ goal, Conlon made a line change, bringing in the Bears’ reserves for the final third of the contest. WashU’s reserves outscored their typical lineup, scoring four goals in 30 minutes. Junior midfielder Anna Rosato scored a brace to double her career goal total, first-year midfielder Ridley Newton scored her second goal for WashU, and senior forward Kerrigan Ferland converted a penalty kick to seal a dominant 7-0 win for the Bears. 

In the win, WashU took 44 shots on goal, the most in a single game since Conlon retook the head coaching job in 2021. The Bears’ seven goals also set a program record for the most goals ever scored in an NCAA tournament game. 

Senior Kerrigan Ferland and the WashU women’s soccer team celebrates its win over Wilmington (Jonah Glass | Staff Photographer)

WashU vs. North Central

It took the Bears’ offense longer to crack the North Central defense, which held the Bears’ potent attack to just one goal in an early season matchup. However, as has become routine throughout the season, WashU turned on the jets towards the end of the game. Ehlert deposited a mid-range shot into the net right before halftime, giving WashU an advantage that they would never relinquish.

WashU scored four goals in the second half, all of them coming within 12 minutes of each other. Koleno scored her second goal of the weekend in the 55th minute, placing a perfect ball past the right post. Colpitts then scored a textbook shot from the edge of the box, picking the right corner to increase WashU’s lead to three. 

“I had been taking chances the whole game,” Colpitts said. “I’m just happy that one went in, and happy that we were able to put up so many goals against such a great team.” 

Clemons and first-year forward Heidi Fesler both scored to round out the Bears’ offensive performance, and despite conceding a goal in the 87th minute, closed out a convincing weekend to advance to the Sweet 16.

WashU will next face the No. 8 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Friday, Nov. 21, marking the first matchup ever between the two teams. MIT defeated Emmanuel College and Colby College to advance to the Sweet 16. The Engineers are led by graduate student midfielder Natalie Barnouw, who is second in D-III with 23 goals this season; behind Barnouw, sophomore forward Maeve Sullivan and junior defender Madeline Seebeck are players to watch on both sides of the ball. The winner of WashU’s match with MIT will face either Messiah University or Calvin University for a berth to the Final Four.