Matt Lee | Student Life

Senior Cody Costakis plays against an Emory University defender on Oct. 3rd at home.

Two games into University Athletic Association play, the Red and Green (9-0-3) have faced two of the toughest teams in a conference in which four of eight teams are ranked among the nation’s top 25 (last weekend, the Bears delivered No. 9 Emory University its first tie). With the points from Sunday’s victory over CMU, the team is in a three-way tie with the Emory and New York University for the top spot in the UAA.

“Looking at our schedule before the UAA [part of the season] started, I knew our first two games would be critical,” senior midfielder Cody Costakis said.

The Tartans went undefeated in their first eight games and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America weekly poll. According to sophomore forward Zachary Query, the Bears had prepared for a distinctive Carnegie Mellon offense.

“We worked a lot in the week prior at being able to manage their attack. They’re really unique in the sense that they use their midfielders a lot in their attack, so they tend to overwhelm our defense with more players than they’re used to,” Query said. “We took a slightly more defensive formation, and that really paid off. We really were able to shut them down and frustrate them.”

The Tartans bested the Bears in shots 7-3 in the first half, but Wash. U. responded with a 5-3 advantage in the second. After 90 scoreless minutes, the team entered its fourth overtime game of the season.

“Last season, we had a lot of ties. Something that we’re really used to is just really hunkering down and getting through games because our defense is incredible,” Query said. “We were really upset and annoyed last week with Emory, how we didn’t score in overtime and they had most of the possession. We went out and really attacked Carnegie Mellon and had three attacks in a row before they had a single one.”

Those attacks would set up Costakis’ golden goal to earn the Wash. U. victory. Junior Dylan Roman set up the play, serving the ball to fellow junior Patrick McLean, who found Costakis less than four minutes into the first overtime period.

“I don’t think we made any adjustments [going into overtime], but [Roman] started the overtime period, and before we scored, he had three 80-yard runs down the sideline,” Costakis said. “A lot of credit goes to him for how we played in overtime.”

With the victory, the Bears have already matched last season’s win total. According to Costakis, the team’s mentality has driven the squad toward better results.

“It’s a mentality thing. Last year, we had a comparable amount of skill,” Costakis said. “During the off-season, there were a number of us working on our mental attitudes…the fact that we’ve won games in overtime, in the last few minutes, or even come from behind says something.”

The Bears now head into a demanding weekend road trip in which they will face Case Western Reserve University on Friday and head to No. 15 University of Rochester on Sunday. Query noted that while the last two games saw the Bears adjust their style of play to their opponents, this week’s strategy may depart from that trend.

“We really prepared to try to manipulate our game to handle them, and the same thing [occurred] with Carnegie Mellon. We tried to pick out the things that they were doing so that we were ready for it,” Query said. “I think this week we’re really going to focus on developing our own style of play, really imposing the way we play on to the opponents.”

The Red and Green play at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Friday in Cleveland and 1:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday in Rochester for their final two road games of the season. The team then returns home for a five-game home stand that begins Oct. 21 against Principia College.

Sophomore Natalie Callaghan dribbles the ball in an Oct. 18 game against the University of Rochester. Callaghan scored the game winner against Brandeis University on Oct. 30. (Daniel Eicholtz | Student Life)

With this past weekend’s wins over Brandeis University and New York University, the No. 8 Washington University women’s soccer team held on to its top spot in the University Athletic Association standings.

After an intense but successful two-match sequence, the Bears have a week to rest injuries, including senior forward Caryn Rosoff’s lower calf strain, and gear up for the University of Chicago.

Wash. U. currently holds a one-point lead over the University of Rochester, and with one game left in UAA play, the Bears must defeat the Maroons to secure a share of the UAA championship and be guaranteed a NCAA tournament bid.

The Bears have not lost since a 1-0 decision to then-No. 6 Johns Hopkins University on Sept. 5.

Wash. U. 2, Brandeis 0

While the Bears’ first UAA matchup in 12 days ended with a win, it wasn’t the way they would’ve liked to start the long weekend and the final leg of league play, according to players. Rosoff, during the game, was pushed out of bounds and pulled her lower calf as her cleat became stuck in a grate in between the field and track.

Sophomore back Natalie Callaghan drew first blood 33 minutes into the first half. She received the ball from senior Elyse Hanly about 40 yards out from the Judges’ goal.

“The ball was passed back to me, and my teammates told me to cross it,” Callaghan said, “and I [did], and it went over the keeper’s head. I thought someone was going to flick it in, but it ended up just kind of going in on its own.”

While the Judges had many opportunities to score during the game, freshman goalkeeper Clara Jaques did not allow a ball past. The Judges’ offense outshot the Bears 15-13.

Senior Becca Heymann added another goal with 19 minutes left in the second half, off an assist from junior midfielder Julie Tembunkiart.

“[Tembunkiart] chased down a really long ball and miraculously got to it and made a cross to the near post about a yard or two off the endline and kicked it in,” Heymann said. With that goal, Heymann became the tenth most goal-scoring player in Wash. U. women’s soccer history.

Wash. U. 2, NYU 1 (OT)

In Sunday’s match, both teams were held scoreless in the first half, despite a 10-3 shot advantage for Wash. U. However, NYU found the back of the net first in the second half. During a shuffle in front of the goal, an NYU player fed the ball past Jaques five minutes in to make the score 1-0.

As the minutes waned and urgency loomed for the Bears, sophomore Lee Ann Felder was able to force the game into overtime on an unassisted free kick with 90 seconds remaining.

“Emma got fouled pretty close to the 18-yard-line. Becca [Heymann] and I were standing over the ball, and I decided to take it because I’m left-footed, and it was a good position for a left foot,” Felder said. “It went, luckily, into the goal and into the far post.”

With the score tied, the Bears went into their third overtime of the season. Only 1:28 into the extra time, Heymann yet again scored for the game winner.

The Red and Green face the University of Chicago on Saturday in Chicago at 1:30 p.m.

Correction Inserted-Bears must defeat Chicago.