ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis women's soccer team had a decisive 7-0 victory over Wilmington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, hosted by the Bears on Francis Olympic Field.
WashU, now 17-0-2, moves on to face North Central tomorrow at 1 p.m.
The Bears scored their first goal early, just 4:11 in when senior
Grace Ehlert took a deflection off a defender and finished for a 1-0 lead. It marks her 13th goal of the season.
In the 21st minute, senior
Ella Koleno made it a 2-0 game, taking a rebound off a saved shot and tapping it in for her seventh goal of the year.
The Bears exploded for five more goals in the second half, starting with a goal from sophomore
Olivia Clemons in the 60th minute, marking her team-best 16th goal of the year. Clemons took a long ball from junior
Jadyn Aling and scored through several defenders to put WashU up 3-0.
In the 63rd minute, Wilmington was whistled for a foul in the box and junior
Anna Rosato converted the penalty kick for a 4-0 lead.
In the 65th minute, first-year
Ridley Newton scored her second goal of the year, taking the ball from a defender and firing it into the top left corner to make it a 5-0 game.
Wilmington was whistled for another foul in the box in the 71st minute, and senior
Kerrigan Ferland netted the penalty kick for her first goal of the season.
The Bears scored their final goal in the 76th minute as Rosato scored her second goal of the game and the season on an assist from Newton. Rosato took a short lateral pass from Newton and blasted a goal from right outside the box.
WashU registered a total of 44 shots on the day with 23 on goal and held Wilmington to two shots, both in the second half. WashU also edged the Quakers 8-1 in corner kicks.
Junior
Sophie Viscovich registered five shots with three on goal while Koleno had five shots with two on goal. Rosato had four shots, all on goal, and first-year
Heidi Fesler totaled five shots with three on goal. Clemons had a total of four shots with three on goal.
In the net, sophomore goalkeepers
Kassidy Lanthier and
Suzie Green combined for a shutout, each making one save on the day.
The winner of tomorrow's game between the Bears and North Central will play in the Sweet 16 next weekend.
