Senior Jeremy Rogoff delivers a pitch in the season opener on Feb. 27. The Bears compiled a 4-1 record in UAA conference play and swept a doubleheader against Dominican University on Tuesday. (Christina Kelly | Student Life)

After a hot 5-1 start to the season, the Washington University baseball team was looking at the annual University Athletic Association (UAA) tournament with high hopes.

The tournament, which took place over spring break in Florida, was to be a chance for the Bears to truly test their skills. Instead, the team dropped four straight games, coming away with a 1-4 conference record.

The opener on Tuesday, March 6, against Emory University reflected many of the problems that the Bears faced the entire week. The team gave up five runs in the first inning alone, en route to an 18-14 loss. Senior Nick Vom Brock, however, tied a tournament record with seven RBI in the game.

“It’s good hitting conditions in general [at the stadium], there’s a low mound, the outfield fence is a little shallow, but for the most part, just as pitchers, we were leaving the balls up, weren’t making adjustments, and walking a lot of people,” junior pitcher Bryce Hrovat said.

This disproportionate amount of offense carried on into the next day’s match-up against Brandeis University, and the Bears lost 13-11. Relief pitcher H.T. Flanagan got the loss, giving up six runs, only three of them earned, in 6 2/3 innings.

“We didn’t play up to the expectations we had for ourselves, both defensively and pitching-wise, and that overshadowed how well we did [on offense],” sophomore outfielder Brandon Rogalski said. “We actually lead the tournament in batting average. We batted .386 as a team, which is really unheard of, but our ERA was 10.6.”

A third-straight loss came at the hands of Case Western Reserve University on Thursday. The 9-8 extra-innings defeat was to be the first game of a doubleheader, but rain limited the Bears to just one.

The game was rescheduled to Saturday, but continued rain on Friday eliminated the Bears’ chances of playing Brandeis for the second time.

“If anything, the rain really helped us towards the end [of the week] because we had to use a lot of pitchers because of the long games,” Hrovat said. “We were just kind of struggling with our arms by the end. People were all on short rest and…We were able to regroup.”

The makeup game against Case Western Reserve on Saturday was one for the history books. The Red and Green lost 24-15, giving up the most runs in a game since 1987. The team needed six pitchers just to get through the game, and committed six errors, which led to six unearned runs.

“Even though our pitchers were giving up a lot of hits, [on defense], we weren’t making a ton of errors, but almost all the errors we made were very costly or at very inopportune moments,” Rogalski said. In the loss to Case, Rogalski also recorded seven RBI and was just a single shy of hitting for the cycle.

In the very last game of the tournament, Wash. U. got its first win, a 16-14 victory against the University of Rochester, but an error-laden fourth inning almost led to another loss.

“Every time we make an error, we make [the game] twice as hard for our pitchers,” junior infielder Travis May said. “Our pitchers are great, we have three of the best starters in the league, but we made probably five errors a game, so it’s hard for them to recover when that happens.”

The poor showing at Sanford, Fla., did little to damage the team’s approach to playing. On Tuesday, the Bears swept a doubleheader against Dominican University, 5-4 in the first game and 12-1 in the second.

“Part of being an athlete is just having a short memory. You’ve got to forget when you play poorly and just remember that you’ve got the tools to get the job done,” Hrovat said. “Having that mentality going out there every day, you’re going to be successful.”

A jumper from senior Janice Evans put the Bears ahead of the Saints 8-6 with 15:01 remaining in the first half, and the Bears held the lead for the remainder of the contest.

Junior Kathryn Berger led Wash. U. with a career night off the bench, scoring 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds. Classmate Alex Hoover fell one assist short of a double-double and ended the game with 16 points and nine assists, while graduate student Jaimie McFarlin finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Bears displayed their prowess on both sides of the ball, shooting 45 percent from the field and 47 percent from behind the three-point line while holding Thomas More to 37 percent shooting and just 15 percent from three-point range. No Saint scored more than 12 points.

To make the second-round game against the Saints, Wash. U. needed a strong second half to defeat Maryville College (Tenn.) in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Maryville shot 40 percent from the field in the first half and took a 43-41 lead into halftime. But the Bears tightened up the defense in the second half, holding the Scots to 24 points on just 19 percent shooting.

The Red and Green then sealed the game on the offensive side, scoring 40 second-half points on 40 percent shooting. The team also converted 18 of 21 free throw attempts.

Senior Zoë Unruh led the Bears with a career-high 31 points, while Evans added 17 points. Both players also had nine rebounds.

Wash. U. (25-2) will face Mount Union College (26-4) in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Friday. The winner of that game will then face either No. 14 Carthage College (24-4) or No. 5 George Fox University (27-2) on March 13. George Fox beat Wash. U. in the NCAA final game last year to win the championship. The location of the next two rounds has yet to be announced.

The No. 11 Tigers are a familiar foe for the No. 15 Bears as they knocked out Wash. U. by the same score in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year. The Red and Green are currently not scheduled to face DePauw again in the regular season.

Wash. U. faced trouble early on as each doubles duo fell to their opponents. Junior Karina Kocemba and freshman Kate Klein, playing together for only the second time, fell 8-1 at No. 1 doubles. Despite the loss, Kocemba is optimistic. “We’ve meshed really well together,” Kocemba said. “I’m loving it…and I think we can only get better.”

Adding to the Bears difficulty were a 8-4 loss by sophomore Natalie Tingir and senior captain Allison Dender at No. 3 doubles and a close 8-6 defeat by juniors Elise Sambol and Jaclyn Bild.

Despite the 3-0 deficit, the conclusion of the match was not foregone. “We had to regroup,” Coach Kelly Stahlhuth said. “We were kind of in shock. We didn’t have much time. We just got back to work.” Last weekend, doubles was the strongest component of play with the Bears sweeping Case Western Reserve. This weekend, singles nearly saved the day.

The wins started trickling in for Wash. U. in singles play as junior Karina Kocemba rolled over Greer Mackie in straight sets at No. 3 singles and sophomore Natalie Tingir downed Tricia Wilks 6-1, 6-3 at No. 4 singles. Freshman Kate Klein overcame a 2-6 loss to Kelly Gebert with scores of 6-3, 6-0 to net another Wash. U. point at No. 2 singles. “We came out ready for singles,” Kocemba said. “Everybody wanted to bounce back. We are just as good as their team. We’ve shown that we can come back from being down.”

The Red and Green rally began losing steam as junior Jaclyn Bild was blanked at No. 1 singles by Janelle Arita. But another hard fought battle between junior Elise Sambol and Courtney Ulrich resulted in Sambol’s 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-2 triumph and gave hope for a Wash. U. upset. The upset attempt was short lived as captain senior Allison Dender fell 6-4, 6-4 at No. 6 singles, sealing the Bears second loss in a row.

The women’s tennis team takes a break next weekend before heading to Sewanee, Tenn. to take on the University of the South on March 6. “We’re going to play a wide range of teams, in and out of our division,” Kocemba said. “It’ll get us going strong into the full season…hopefully it will get us some matches underneath our belts.”

The match will be the first of five during Spring Break. “We just have to put it all together singles and doubles from no. 1 all the way down to doubles 3,” Stahlhuth said. “It’ll be a good test for us hopefully.”

Sophomore Dylan Richter scored 14 points to help defeat the University of Rochester on Friday. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The Washington University men’s basketball team capped off a four-game road trip unscathed, highlighted by two victories this weekend against conference rivals University of Rochester and Emory University.

On Friday in New York, graduate student Sean Wallis led the squad in an 82-78 thriller over Rochester, tying his career high of 27 points and adding 10 assists.

“It was really important for us to continue this road trip with a win,” Wallis said. “I was able to get to the free-throw line and make some free throws. I wasn’t really thinking about the points or anything like that, just getting the team a win.”

The largest lead of the game was 10 points in favor of the Bears, but that lasted only 35 seconds. Bur the Bears’ smart plays and perseverance helped them escape the contest with a victory.

“We gave them a bunch of different looks that caused them problems,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “In the last few minutes of the game we didn’t have a true post on the floor. Even though our posts were playing pretty good, it just gave us a little more flexibility.”

Junior Spencer Gay chipped in with 15 points for the game, while sophomore Dylan Richter added 14.

After Friday’s win, the Bears headed to Atlanta to face Emory in a game that decided sole possession of the University Athletic Association conference lead. Drawing on experience in high-pressure situations, the Bears came away with a 65-56 win over the Eagles.

“We have an experienced team that knows what it’s like to play in this conference,” Edwards said. “They know that on Sundays you have to be just as sharp as you were Friday night or you’re going to get caught, especially when you’re playing somebody that’s already first place in the conference.”

“Knowing that the conference was on the line, I feel like it energized us a little bit,” Gay added. “One thing that we stress a lot is that the UAA championship is won on Sundays, so every Sunday we have to come out and play as hard as we can.”

With these two victories, the Bears improved their road record to 8-1 on the season, and have continued to assert their dominance away from home.

“I think it’s our ability to leave everything back in St. Louis— distractions, class,” Wallis said. “Now it will be nice to head home, play on our own court, and hopefully we will have the fans out to support us on Friday night.”

The Bears return to the Field House at 8 p.m. on Friday and noon on Sunday, and those two games will once again be against Rochester and Emory.

“It’s not going to be any walkover, and both teams are coming back ready because of what we did last weekend on their home courts,” Wallis said. “Obviously [last weekend] was a confidence builder, but at the same time, if we are not playing our game—playing well—we could come out on the other end [without the win].”

Junior Hannah Cusworth scored a career-high 12 points in a loss to No. 24 University of Rochester on Friday night. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

In the latter half of their four-game UAA road trip, the Bears suffered their second loss of the season, falling to the University of Rochester 63-51 on Friday in Rochester, N.Y. The loss was both the first for the Bears in conference play and the first loss since November.

The team did manage to split the weekend with a 70-60 win on Sunday at Emory University in Atlanta.

The results moved Wash. U. to 16-2 overall and 6-1 in UAA play. This marks the second straight year that a road game at Rochester (15-3, 5-2) has been the team’s first conference loss.

“They’re a well disciplined team, and they did a great job defensively,” head coach Nancy Fahey said. “Their defense forced the shots that we missed.”

Despite out-rebounding Rochester at the break 27-23, the Bears shot a paltry 6 of 32 from the field, were held scoreless for the first seven minutes of the game and had their lowest-scoring half of the season, as they found themselves in a 30-16 hole at the break.

“It doesn’t matter as much if we miss a shot usually because there are four other people crashing the boards,” senior Zoë Unruh said. “But that’s one thing they really took away from us.”

Despite posting significantly better numbers in the second half, scoring 35 points on 40 percent shooting, the Bears never got within 12 points of the Yellowjackets. Time ran out, and the Bears had suffered their first loss in the conference since over a year ago on the same court.

Despite the loss, the Red and Green received solid performances from the bench. Junior Hannah Cusworth set a career high with 12 points, and sophomore Claire Schaeperkoetter tied hers with 11 while shooting 3 of 4 from three-point range. Graduate student Jaimie McFarlin led the team with 10 rebounds.

The team bounced back in a close contest against Emory on Sunday. Though the contest opened up the same way as the previous Friday’s, with the Bears trailing by as much as 13 points in the first half, the team fought back and had the contest tied at the break. Unruh came alive just in time, with 15 of her career-high 25 points coming in the first half. She also grabbed 10 rebounds.

“Zoë’s such a capable shooter,” Fahey said. “I just think as a senior that day you could see in her eyes that she would keep her own confidence going.”

Unruh continued her surge with 10 more in the second half, while McFarlin chipped in 10 of her 12 points. They led the Bears on a 24-3 run that spanned nearly 10 minutes of the half and put the game away.

“One thing I felt was that we can’t lose twice in one weekend. That’s just not acceptable,” Unruh said. “Down 13, we decided this was not happening again. That loss from Rochester really gave us the fire we needed to win Sunday.”

Despite their first loss in over two months, the Bears aren’t too worried about their abilities, and they’ve got a chance at some much-desired payback this upcoming weekend.

“I think that this loss is really going to provide us with some momentum,” Unruh said. “The loss is still fresh in our minds and we’ll remember how we felt.”

The Red and Green get another shot at these same two teams, as they take on Rochester at 6 p.m. Friday at the Wash. U. Field House, followed by Emory at 1 p.m. Sunday.

“To escape the top half of the conference with a 2-1 record is something we’re okay with,” graduate student Sean Wallis said. “We’re not thrilled about it, but it’s no reason to hit the panic button at this point.”

The Bears worked to keep up with the Judges in their Jan. 15 contest. An 18-14 Wash. U. lead at the 10:34 mark in the first half was quickly erased by a 14-1 Brandeis scoring run. Despite the 8:54 run, the Bears took only a 30-26 deficit into the break.

Both teams struggled to score in the second half. After battling back from a seven-point deficit, both the Bears and the Judges went cold. In the next 8:34, the teams scored only a combined six points. Junior Spencer Gay’s game-tying layup with only 12 seconds left in the game was the first field goal for the Red and Green in nearly 9:30 minutes.

“We didn’t necessarily get some of the looks we wanted to get, but I mean those are things that happen every season,” senior Cameron Smith said. “Every year you have times when you’re not playing your best and you’re making little mistakes.”

In overtime, down 55-53 with only 10 seconds left, Wash U. missed two crucial free throws, allowing Brandeis to escape with a victory. As a team, the Bears were 10 of 22 from the free-throw line.

A Jan. 4, 64-60 win over University of Chicago and a Jan. 17, 60-57 win over New York University could not have come closer.

After trailing by as many as seven points to the Maroons in the first half, a three-pointer from Wallis with 2:38 left in the period cut the lead 28-27.

Coming out of halftime with a 30-28 deficit, Wallis’s jumper with 18:14 remaining gave the Bears their first lead of the game. Wallis recorded 24 points in the contest.

“I just made a concerted effort to start trying to get to the basket a little more than I had been and…not just relying on my outside shot,” Wallis said. “It definitely was a more conscious [effort] on my part, but at the same time, it also is taking what the defense gives you.”

Minutes later, senior Aaron Thompson’s three-pointer gave the Bears a 39-38 lead. The Bears would stay ahead for the rest of the game.

Wallis and Gay led the Red and Green through another tough game against NYU, scoring 22 and 11 points, respectively. Gay scored the team’s first six points against the Violets, but the Bears were cold from the floor.

Wallis’s three with 16:35 left in the first half put the Bears on top 9-8. It was the only basket from behind the arc, with the Bears shooting 1 of 13 (7.7 percent) from long range and 9 of 29 (31 percent) from the field in the first half.

Despite the poor shooting, rebounding kept the Bears alive. Wash. U. out-rebounded NYU 26-14 in the first half, limiting the Violets to only one offensive board. Gay recorded nine rebounds in the win.

“Whenever I’m in the game, I try to focus on my energy and try to get the energy of [my teammates] up,” Gay said. “Most of that focuses on defense.”

The game was a back-and-forth battle in the second half, but Thompson’s layup with 4:18 left in the game gave the Bears a lead they would not relinquish.

For the next four games, the Bears are on the road, taking on UAA foes Case Western Reserve University (9-5, 1-2) at 8 p.m. (ET) tonight in Cleveland and Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

“We’ve just got to keep making steps forward on this road trip,” Gay said. “I feel like the other teams really know what to expect of us, so we’re not trying to send any messages. We’re just trying to get back on track.”

Senior Zoë Unruh, seen here in a Nov. 29 game against Rhodes College, led the Lady Bears to a 67-57 victory against Brandeis University on Friday. With seven wins over winter break, the team improved to 13-1 on the season and extended its win streak to 11. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

After a strong showing in its non-conference play, the No. 3 Washington University women’s basketball team began University Athletic Association play on the right note, taking out its first three opponents to run its season record to 13-1.

The Bears opened UAA play on Jan. 9 with a strangling 63-34 win against the University of Chicago, and followed up the next weekend with a 67-57 win against Brandeis University on Jan. 15 and a 70-50 win against New York University on Jan. 17.

The wins added to a streak that currently stands at 11 straight for the team.

“Having a good start in UAA is crucial, so it was really big that we took these three games,” senior Zoë Unruh said.

In the first game, the Bears’ defense locked down Chicago, forcing 29 turnovers and holding the visiting Maroons to a 22-percent field goal percentage. Graduate student Jaimie McFarlin led the way, recording eight rebounds, five blocks and three steals in addition to her 14 points.

Against Brandeis, five different players scored in double figures for the Bears, who jumped ahead 8-0 to start the game and never looked back. Unruh was the leading scorer with 15 points, while McFarlin added 13 and senior Janice Evans pitched in 12.

Wash. U. relied on another strong defensive effort against NYU. Midway through the first half, the Violets were held to a scoreless seven-minute stretch, helping the Bears jump ahead en route to another win in their final contest of the weekend.

“However you start, you want to be playing to your potential,” head coach Nancy Fahey said. “I think we all knew we should have a good start. We were trying to live up to some expectations, and that led to the kind of play we’ve been producing lately.

The Bears took advantage of 24 offensive rebounds, leading to 23 second-chance points. McFarlin’s double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, was a key part of the team’s victory.

“Considering that NYU is one of the best rebounding teams in the UAA, it’s very helpful,” Evans said. “We knew we needed to beat them on the boards, and we did.”

The Bears will take their show on the road for the next four games. They face Case Western Reserve University on Friday, Jan. 22, in Cleveland, and Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday, Jan. 24, in Pittsburgh.

“We need to go on the road. It’s time,” Fahey said. “We need to experience a hostile environment. We need to prove that we can do it in different venues.”

On Tuesday, about twenty athletes sacrificed a few hours of finals studying to go to the Build-A-Bear Workshop in the Galleria Mall, where they stuffed bears for the St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The event was organized by the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC). . Build-A-Bear Workshop donated the 50 bears athletes created and an additional 50 bears that had already been stuffed.

According to the athletes present, SAAC’s mission is to foster a tighter athletic community within Wash. U by making events for athletes to participate within the university and out. Stacey Niese, a senior co-captain on the women’s basketball team and a member of SAAC, said that one of the most important aspects of SAAC is “promoting sport to sport cohesion”.

As part of the teddy bear drive, SAAC completed an inter-sport competition to see which athletic team could donate the most amount of stuffed animal bears. The softball team succeeded by a large margin, obtaining over 100 bears, and will be receiving some sort of “surprise”, according to sophomore Emma Brown, a member of SAAC and the women’s soccer team.

(L-R) Freshmen Sondra Polonsky, Claire Downs, sophomore Corissa Santos and junior Claire Voris of the Washington University softball team rub hearts on their noses as they created bears for the St. Louis Children's Hospital. Athletes stuffed 50 bears on December 8 at the Build-A-Bear Workshop in the Galleria Mall. (Johann Qua Hiansen | Student Life)

Isaac Stein, a member of the men’s tennis team and the SAAC executive board, was the lone male athlete at the event. “One of the biggest goals of SAAC is to promote interaction between the teams, “ Stein said. “You know your teammates well enough, but one of the goals is to encourage interaction between sports.”

Even though Stein was the only male athlete at the event, Build-A-Bear employee and Fontbonne junior Jessi Rowan said that he “did well” with the heart ceremony, which boys sometimes have trouble with.

The heart ceremony includes rubbing the heart on your forehead so the bear is “super smart like you”,  putting it on your cheek “for lots of smiles” and kissing the heart to “seal in your wish” inside the bear. These hearts are then placed inside the bear before they are stuffed.

(L-R) Sophomore Emma Brown, junior Julie Tembunkiart, freshman Emily Gosché and junior Katy Southworth of the Washington University women's soccer team rub hearts on their ears as they stuff bears bound for the St. Louis Children's Hospital. (Johann Qua Hiansen | Student Life)

The bear drive is a relatively new charity event, as it was just started two years ago. Junior Katy Southworth, who organized Tuesday’s event at Build-A-Bear and is a member of the women’s soccer team, appreciated the brief break from studying for finals. “It’s exciting to do something that’s not sports related with all of us athletes together,” Southworth said. “It’s fun to do it during exam week, cause then we have a de-stress moment that is helpful to everyone else, because all the bears are going to  [the] Children’s Hospital.”

Sophomore Liz Phillips, a member of the track and field and cross country teams, was able to take a break from studying to come down to the store.

“It’s really exciting, and it’s really great that Build-A-Bear has agreed to donate so many bears,” Phillips said. “[It's] a great opportunity for us to help out in the community and help the kids.”

Members from the women’s basketball, women’s tennis and softball teams were represented as well.  At one point during the stuffing, Santa Claus made an appearance making sure everyone there had been nice during the past year.

The drive opens up to the Wash. U. community this Saturday as Red Alert sponsors a half time shooting contest. Fans who bring any type of stuffed teddy bear to the men’s basketball game against No. 15 Augustana at 7 p.m. will be eligible to compete.  The No. 1 Wash. U. Men’s basketball team escaped with a 64-62 win over No. 8 Wheaton on Wednesday evening.

(L-R) Forwards sophomore Lee Ann Felder, sophomore Emma Brown and senior Caryn Rosoff console each other after falling 1-0 to Messiah College in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer National Championship on Dec. 5. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The rankings would have put No. 1 Messiah College five goals ahead of No. 17 Washington University, the same score the Falcons won with last year. But the underdog gave the No. 1 team a true batttle, allowing only one Messiah goal in 90 minutes and nearly sending the game into overtime.

“The score was only one-nothing. Last year, [the championship game] was five nothing,” junior Laura McGinnis said. “We did stay in it till the last minute. We didn’t stop fighting.”
The Falcons, who are on a 56-game unbeaten streak, held the Bears to six shots in San Antonio on Saturday, with only one on goal, one of their lowest amounts this season, en route to the Falcons’ second straight NCAA Division III national title.

Offensive opportunities were few and far between, except for the last few minutes of the game as the Red and Green were determined to leave all their efforts on the field. In the 89th minute, senior Emily Bylsma took the last shot the team had in the game.

“The last few minutes were pretty exciting…We were pressing until the very end,” Bylsma said. “Elyse [Hanly] had a really good cross, and the keeper managed to get a hand on it, and I was off by a few inches or a foot from getting a better shot off.”

The Bears had the daunting task of recovering after Friday’s draining game against Lynchburg College, which they won in sudden-death penalty kicks. Coming back on the field less than 24 hours later to try to defeat the team that had won the championship last year in a decisive 5-0 rout was a challenge the Bears came very close to overcoming.

In addition to stifling the Bears’ normally effective attack, the Falcons took 16 shots and were awarded two corner kicks to the Red and Green’s zero. Wash. U.’s lack of opportunities, namely corner kicks, sealed the Bears’ fate.

Messiah found the back of the net in the 23rd minute of the first half when Amanda Naeher received a cross and shot just outside the box into the near corner of the goal, just inches past the diving freshman goalie Clara Jaques, who had six saves throughout the game.

The Falcons kept the Bears’ momentum in check as they opened the game with three forwards, something head coach Jim Conlon had not expected.

“They had us on our heels in the first half with three forwards, and we were able to adjust,” Conlon said. “They did get the goal in the first half, but we just could not get the equalizer.”

Even when the time was short, Wash. U.’s effort was relentless. The Bears’ passion was matched closely by the 23 students on the fan bus, namely the “Conlon Crazies,” a group of men’s soccer players and other fans. According to Bylsma, one of the referees commented on how impressed she was with the dedicated Wash. U. fans.

Senior captain Libby Held and sophomores Emma Brown and Lee Ann Felder were named to the NCAA championship all-tournament team.

The team’s group of eight graduating seniors led the team to its best NCAA appearance in history, making it to the Final Four for the second time ever and the first championship game appearance.

The group also led the team to four consecutive UAA championships.

“These eight seniors have been through a lot together—been through coaching switches, people playing, not playing, people quitting…It’s all about the heart and the common goal all of us shared from the beginning,” senior captain Carter Schwarberg said. “I love my team; I’m so proud of them, and I know they’ll be here next year.”

While the departing eight will be sorely missed in next year’s roster, their influence will remain.

“I’m just excited that our team made it this far,” Brown said. “Our seniors especially pulled our team together. I’ve never been on a team that played for each other as hard as we played for each other all season.”

With additional reporting from San Antonio by Johann Qua Hiansen

Senior Libby Held clears the ball in the national championship game over the weekend. Wash. U. fell 1-0 in the game against Messiah College who repeated as national women’s soccer champions with a 25-0-1 record. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

Senior Becca Heymann heads the ball in the national championship game against Messiah College. The Bears fell 1-0 in their program’s first-ever appearance in the national championship game. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

Senior co-captain Libby Held moves the ball up the field in the sectional semifinal game against Webster University on Nov. 14. Held and the women’s soccer team head to the Final Four for the second time in school history this weekend. Wash. U. faces Lynchburg College in the national semifinals in San Antonio. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

As the Washington University women’s soccer team travels south to San Antonio, the excitement and anticipation within the team is growing. It is the Lady Bears’ second appearance in the Final Four, and first since 1997. Wash. U. faces Lynchburg College in the national semifinal at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. The team enters the tournament with a 17-3-2 record, and boasts the leading scorer in the University Athletic Association, sophomore Emma Brown. Freshman goalkeeper Clara Jaques is in the top three goalkeepers of the UAA with a .870 save percentage. As student-athletes, the players must prepare not only for an intense two days of soccer but also for an imminent wave of finals. Below are the thoughts of players as they enter the final week of their remarkable soccer season.

Freshman goalkeeper Clara Jaques:
“We’re all really pumped for San Antonio and to experience what it means to be in the Final Four. Our goal since August has been to win a national championship, so to be within reach of that goal is really exciting.”

Sophomore midfielder Emma Brown:
“I’m very excited about the Final Four. No matter what the outcome is, it’ll be a great experience to have made it this far in a national tournament. I think the team is pretty excited and a little nervous. I honestly think we’re more nervous about making up our schoolwork right before finals than we are about the game, because we know that if we go to Texas and have fun out on the field and play hard for each other, we’ll do well no matter what.”

Senior co-captain midfielder Becca Heymann:
“I’m really excited. I haven’t been able to think about much else. At least for the senior class, it’s really exciting that we’ve made the Final Four. But our hearts are set on making the final game and winning the championship.”

“We’ve known for two weeks that we’re going to San Antonio this week. All season we were balancing our academics and [athletics]. It’s particularly hard to go during finals week. Some girls are taking exams on the road. It’s just sort of a part of being a student athlete.”

“I wish that in past seasons we had made it this far, but being here now is great—I’m hoping we will be in the finals. I’m just excited that we’re playing in December and I get to draw it out as long as possible.”

Head coach Jim Conlon:
“We’re just trying to keep it loose. We know what our abilities are on the field.”

“We’re excited that the University has decided to sponsor the fan bus. We’ve had some good followings in home and Rockford. I’m just glad that students have the opportunity to utilize that resource…hopefully we can get the word out fast enough.”

“We still got some things to accomplish. Our girls should be proud of what we accomplished but invigorated by what we can do.”

Senior co-captain midfielder Carter Schwarberg:
“[We’re] excited. It’s a huge deal for us. I mean, we’ve been practicing really hard…especially looking at this as the last time I’m going to be on a team like this…I want to do it [win the national championship]. This is my last chance for going all the way.”

“We will be [ready]. Even though we had a break, we worked. We had workouts every day. Everyone knows what’s at stake.”

“There are some nerves, but they’re not taking over. We know these games are going to be tough. [Lynchburg is] apparently pretty scrappy. It’s nerve-wracking. We know they’re the best teams we’ve ever played, [but] at the same time we’ve had tremendous success when we play our game and our style of soccer. [There aren’t] many nerves yet, but it will probably be different when we’re warming up for the game.”

“Even though this is really an exciting time for us, and going to the Final Four is great. We’re going in it to win. It’s definitely on the line. We will do anything we can to win. We really believe we can. We don’t feel like this is lucky or anything, we feel like we deserve this. [It’s] a really exciting position.”

Senior co-captain defensive back Libby Held:
“I think we’re feeling good, we’re confident. We’re in it to win the whole thing. We broke our overtime curse [against Calvin], and so I think we’re feeling good. We’re training really hard this week in order to prepare.”

“Everyone rested up over Thanksgiving break. We’re revitalized and ready to go. Right now it’s all excitement, [but] we’ll all be freaking out a little bit.”

“Honestly it’s a great ending to a career,  I couldn’t have asked for a better senior season, and hopefully we’ll continue to win and go all the way. I’m going to be extremely sad when it’s over. There is an extra sense of urgency in a way, [being a senior], but it shouldn’t affect how we play at all and and how we react to opponents.”

With additional reporting by Johann Qua Hiansen