The Washington University women’s soccer team beat Illinois Wesleyan University 2-0 Saturday before a 1-0 thriller over host No. 8 University of Wisconsin Whitewater Sunday to win the W Challenge and improve to 6-0 on the season.

From kickoff on Saturday, the Bears looked firmly in control, denying possession and opportunities to the Titans while creating their own chances. After a quick Illinois Wesleyan shot opportunity, the Bears responded by rattling off six straight shots, all of which missed their target but put the Titan defense on its heels. In the 26th minute, a trio of midfielders teamed up to put Wash. U. on the board: Junior Maggie Crist deflected a corner from junior Darcy Cunningham to sophomore Jesse Rubin, who flicked the ball into the back of the net to put the team up 1-0. Wash. U. outshot their opponent 13-2 in the first half.

Roger Mastroianni | WUSTL Photos

Sophomore Jesse Rubin celebrates after scoring the game winning goal at University of Wisconsin Whitewater.

The second half was not as dominating, but some quality minutes from the bench helped preserve the Bears’ victory. Freshman goalkeeper Emma Greenfield was tested a bit in the 67th minute, but she stymied both shots to keep the Titans scoreless. In the 77th minute, senior forward Mariana Alisio beat the IWU goalkeeper and was taken down in the box for a penalty. Senior forward Mia Mastroianni drove home the penalty kick to extend the lead to 2-0. The final shot tally was 22-9 in favor of the Bears.

Against the Titans, the Red and Green offense didn’t look quite as polished as usual, not creating as many clean shots or distributing the ball as crisply as they do normally. While Wash. U. took significantly more shots, the team only put seven of them on target, only one more than Illinois Wesleyan’s six. In the absence of clinical offensive performance, the defense starred, keeping the team in firm control from the outset. Greenfield produced a career record in saves as she recorded her second shutout as a Bear.

Against Whitewater, the first half was a scoreless deadlock. Neither teams could connect on their shots despite creating plenty of opportunities. In the 13th minute, junior midfielder Jessica Kovach fired a shot that clanged off the crossbar. Over the next five minutes, Wash. U. took five shots, but couldn’t convert any of them. After the 25th minute, the defenses of both teams solidified, with neither side allowing a shot for the remainder of the half.

The second half featured more aggression from both sides. Shots from Crist in the 46th minute and sophomore forward Taylor Cohen in the 51st were saved by the Whitewater keeper. But the shots were finally starting to fall on target, reaching a crescendo in the 81st minute, when a shot from Rubin off a feed from Kovach found its way into the back of the net to break the tie. In the 85th minute, Whitewater created a strong chance to level the score. Greenfield saved a shot that effectively sealed the victory.

The shot differential in the game was telling. Whitewater did well to deny shot opportunities to Wash. U., holding the team to 15 shots, well below the Bear’s season average of 26.2 shots per game. However, Whitewater shot only six times. The difference becomes more profound when looking at the difference in shots on goal. Eleven of Wash. U.’s shots were on
goal as compared to just one from Whitewater.

With another Greenfield shutout, questions at goalie have slowly started to dissipate as the season. After splitting time earlier in the year, Greenfield has now played 414:30 of 540 possible minutes, solidifying her hold on the position.

This was the team’s second victory against a ranked opponent, after dispatching No. 10 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges last week. So far, the Bears have appeared to be more than up to the challenge of defending their title.

The team will aim to stay undefeated as they host the Wydown Showdown against Fontbonne University Wednesday at Francis Field and take on Wheaton College Saturday.