The No. 11-ranked Washington University women’s soccer team continued its early season success by adding two more wins to their victory belt with a 2-0 win over Millikin University on Friday night and upsetting the No. 3 ranked Wheaton College (MA) 3-1 on Sunday.

“Our game plan was to get out and try to put points on the board early and come out scoring goals early,” said head coach Wendy Dillinger.

The Bears took control of the ball early on and never looked back. In the 12th minute of play, junior Sara Schroeder scored her first goal of the season after receiving a pass from sophomore Breta Kennedy, giving the Bears the 1-0 edge.

Twenty-four minutes later, the squad widened the gap with another goal to the back of the net by freshman standout Lauren Mehner. Her second goal of the season came from 25 yards out and gave the team the 2-0 lead heading into halftime. It was all the Bears would need to seal the victory due to the exceptional defensive play throughout the entire game.

The Red-and-Green dominated both offense and defense, outshooting Millikin 19-2 in the first half, and 4-0 in the second. For the second game in a row, the goaltender slot was split between sophomore Nina Sass and freshman Amanda Boe. The two teamed up to give the University its third shutout in four games.

After the warmup with Millikin, the Bears had a tougher game scheduled on Sunday at home. Wheaton College (MA) was coming off a disappointing loss to the University of Chicago on Friday and was determined to hold onto their No. 3 ranking. Nevertheless, the Bears put up an impressive performance against this dominating team, coming away with the 3-1 victory.

Keeping true to their game plan, the team got on the board early with sophomore Abbey Hartmann beginning her monster day in the 11th minute of play.

The lead, however, didn’t last long; Wheaton responded with a goal of their own that slipped past Sass at the 16:15 mark.

The remainder of the first half was a hard fought battle that was mainly held by Wheaton.

Sass redeemed herself twice, denying Wheaton the opportunity to capitalize on two breakaways. She got a finger on the first to deflect it away and the second was forced to hit the post.

The Bears outshot Wheaton 8-7 in the first half and were determined to take control of the ball in the second half. Hartmann did just that in the 58th minute as she drilled a shot from 15 yards out to give the squad the 2-1 advantage on an assist by sophomore Kim O’Keefe.

The Bears stayed strong and shut down Wheaton’s chances of a comeback in the 75th minute, with Hartmann rounding out her day with an assist to sophomore Marin McCarthy, who one-timed the cross from Hartmann to end scoring at 3-1.

The Red-and-Green outshot Wheaton 22-11 in the game, as well as holding the 4-3 advantage in corner kicks. Sass picked up her third win of the season, making seven saves in the effort. McCarthy led the Bears with seven shots while Hartmann ÿand junior captain Meghan Marie Fowler-Finn had four shots each.

Washington University (4-1) takes on cross-town rival Webster University on Wednesday, September 14 at the St. Louis Soccer Park at 7 p.m.

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