ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A lot was on the line on Saturday afternoon as the No. 12 Washington University in St. Louis men's soccer team claimed the 2025 UAA Championship with a 1-0 win over No. 3 Chicago at Francis Olympic Field.
The win secures the Bears an automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
Both teams knew what was at stake, and it showed as the game got underway. The Bears looked to take control early when a shot by first-year
Sebastian Valdes in the fifth minute went out right. Just over a minute later, early in the seventh minute, a pass into the box to Valdes, who made full contact on a shot attempt, had to be jumped and saved at point-blank range by the Chicago goalie to preserve the tie.
In what could have been tragic for most teams, the Bears saw a red card flashed on a Chicago breakaway that forced WashU to play a man down against a top-three team starting in the middle of the 16th minute. On the ensuing free kick just outside the box, the Maroons fired a shot that junior
Cal L'Hommedieu made a diving save to his right to keep Chicago off the board.
At the start of the 26th minute, junior
Colin Link came on as a substitute and made an almost immediate impact for WashU. The teams traded yellow cards in the 29th and 30th minutes before the Bears got the ball deep in Chicago territory. Link took a throw-in on the right side and was immediately surrounded by a pair of Maroons. However, he was able to control the ball and back-foot it to first-year
James Whitehurst, who two-touched it and fired a goal inside the near post, past the Chicago keeper for the 1-0 lead.
The Bears' defense held on, only allowing just one more shot before halftime.
It was the Maroons who controlled the ball for most of the second half, taking 11 shots and forcing 11 of their 13 corner kicks in the second half.
As time was winding down with the Bears holding onto a 1-0 lead, Chicago was fouled just outside the box with 7.4 seconds left on the clock. The teams lined up for the ensuing free kick, in which the Maroons fired a shot that hit off the top left crossbar and bounced out and high, out of the reach of another Maroon as the clock wound down to zero.
L'Hommedieu played all 90 minutes in goal for the Bears, making three saves to earn his seventh shutout of the season, including his second over a top-three team. Whitehurst's goal was his fourth of the season.
Both junior
Ethan Wirtschafter and Valdes had the team lead in shots, with three both having one needing to be saved.
WashU will now be waiting until Monday to find out where they begin the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. CT on
NCAA.com.
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Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.
