Nathaniel Margolies | Student Life

Sophomore Rachel Ing dribbles down Francis Field on Saturday. The Bears lost to No. 4 Wheaton Saturday afternoon after Wheaton scored in two penalty kicks.

“It was a great game,” head coach Jim Conlon said. “Wheaton is a talented team and they really made us play to our assets.”

In the first half, the two unbeaten teams were evenly matched. The Bears controlled possession and went into halftime with three more shots than Wheaton. One of Wash. U.’s best chances in the game came early, when freshman Lillie Toaspern had a left-footed shot from close in get kicked out by a Wheaton defender on the goal line.

“I think we let a couple balls get away from us a little bit, and their pressure was able to jump on that,” Conlon said.

In the second half, Wheaton controlled possession. The Thunder finished with a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks and had three more shots than the Bears in the second half. In the 65th minute, Wheaton’s Jaime Orewiler dribbled into the box from the left side and was fouled, giving Thunder its first penalty kick opportunity. Keri Shannon took the kick and drilled it into the right corner for the first goal of the game.

“Jamie Orewiler did a nice job dribbling through a couple times,” Conlon said. “We played well, we just need to find the back of the net.”

Toaspern had another good shot on goal, but the Wheaton goalkeeper made a diving stop to keep the Bears scoreless for the game.

In the 87th minute, Orewiler dribbled into the box and drew another penalty. She took the penalty herself, and though junior goalkeeper Clara Jaques guessed correctly, Orewiler sent the ball into the left corner.

“I hoped to guess the right way but they had two shots into the corners; they finished well.” Jaques said.

The Red and Green were unable to find a sustained attack for the second half to put enough pressure on the goal.

“We’re just going to come back even harder. You can’t let something keep you down,” senior Alyssa Marulli said.

Wash. U. will hope to avenge this loss in their next game this Thursday, Sept. 22, against Millikin University in Decatur, Ill.

“We’ll refocus, take a look at what we did well in this game, what we can slightly improve on and get ready.” Conlon said.

Matt Lee | Student Life

Freshman Becky Berels executes a flip throw-in against Emory University on Oct. 3. A flip throw-in travels much farther than a traditional throw in.

The 2010 Washington University women’s soccer team showcases a skill that not many other teams possess—a flip throw-in. Freshman midfielder Becky Berels brought this non-traditional technique to Wash. U. and has used it throughout the Bears’ season.

The flip throw-in provides a team the opportunity to turn a restart into an offensive attack by hurling the ball far into the the pitch instead of along the sideline.

“Any time you have a restart, you are looking to penetrate the defense as far as you can,” head coach Jim Conlon said. “The flip throw sometimes offers a longer throw-in than a traditional throw-in, so we can get it deeper and closer to our goal.”

Berels, a Detroit native, took gymnastics for four years in elementary school, which helped her develop the necessary abilities to learn the technique. As she moved through her soccer career, playing for Utica High School and the Michigan Gators F.C. team, Berels picked up the throw-in.

At one of her practices for the Gators, Berels and her teammates were goofing off, and she did a front handspring. Her teammates immediately told her to try a flip throw-in.

“I tried one and landed on my butt,” Berels said. “But I kept working on it and working on it, and finally, I can do it.”

The flip throw-in is a difficult maneuver to perform, requiring a lot of momentum and flexibility.

“First you have to figure out how much space you need to build up the speed to actually land the handspring,” Berels said. “Then, you run up and set the ball on the ground and kick your feet over your head while your hands are still on the ball, and once you get perpendicular to the ground, you arch your back. When your feet hit the ground, you snap your upper body forward and release the ball as you straighten your body.”

Berels said that developing the skill took about two years, but it wasn’t until she arrived at Wash. U. that she first started using the flip-throw in games.

“I am definitely using it here more than I ever have,” Berels said. “At club and high school I never used it, but, here, Coach [Conlon] really seems to enjoy it.”

Berels has used the special maneuver at least once in each of the team’s games. She said that she aims to perform the flip throw-in at least once every practice to ensure that she can execute it during game-time.

“Becky practices it when she feels good enough to practice it,” Conlon said. “We make sure we have her ready to use it when needed.”

The Bears don’t have any set plays off of her throw-in. However, Conlon wants to continue to use it as an offensive threat.

“It’s been successful in getting it into the box and deeper than some other throw-ins,” Conlon said. “We probably need to fine-tune it and make sure it’s something we grow off of.”

Even though the Bears use the flip throw-in as an offensive threat, Conlon is not trying to teach other members of the squad how to do it.

“It’s not something we teach, it’s something they bring or don’t have in their repertoire,” Conlon said.

Berels is the only player on the team to have this skill and the first in Conlon’s three years as the Bears’ coach to use it.

“It is a special skill that not everyone possesses, and that’s why it is a unique skill that Becky can do it,” Conlon said.

Matt Lee

Junior Lee Ann Felder fires a shot on goal in the second half of play against Brandeis University on Oct. 29. Her corner kick on Oct. 31 set up freshman Jen Reed for her first goal of the season against New York University. Reed’s goal tied the game with the Violets at one.

“We needed to win [against NYU] to have a chance of moving on [to the NCAA Tournament],” sophomore Lauren Clatch said.

The Bears picked up the intensity after freshman Kate Doyle was taken down and left the game with an inury, but the NYU Violets would score first at the 22:44 mark. Serra Tumay ripped the ball left-footed from 20 yards out into the top-right corner of the goal, far out of sophomore goalkeeper Clara Jaques’ reach.

Wash. U. responded five minutes later with a goal from freshman Jen Reed off a corner kick taken by junior Lee Ann Felder. Felder’s cross went into the middle of the box, ricocheting off an NYU defender right to Reed, who got a foot on the ball and slammed it into the back of the net.

“I was really pumped about the [goal] because we haven’t scored off of a corner kick the whole year,” Felder said. “I saw Jen Reed, and I was looking to get it to her.”

The goal was the first of Reed’s collegiate career. “Jen put in some good minutes and had a really big game for us today,” head coach Jim Conlon said.

The game went into the second period tied 1-1, but the tie didn’t last long, with a game-winning goal coming after only 10 minutes of play. After receiving a pass from Felder, captain Julie Tembunkiart, a senior, played the ball to freshman Becky Berels. Berels took a right-footed hook shot that soared over the keeper.

“I wasn’t facing the net, so I just wanted to turn and shoot it,” Berels said. “It looked like it was going over the goal, but then it luckily dipped at the last second.”

The Bears played very physically against the Violets, fueled by Friday’s loss to Brandeis. “Two days ago, we felt a little soft, and we pride ourselves on being tough. We wanted passion and got inspired by the men’s game,” Clatch said on Sunday.

Besides Doyle’s injury, Clatch and freshman Darcy Banco were both hurt as well. Clatch was taken down in the middle of the field while Banco was spiked. “We finally had some college physicality,” Conlon said.

The Bears outshot the Violets 12-8 and accumulated 18 fouls to NYU’s eight. “Today’s game was one of our best games of the season because we were in it the whole time and were connecting,” Felder said.

On Friday, the Brandeis Judges upset the Red and Green. After a very slow first half, with no scoring opportunities for either team, Brandeis scored two goals in the second half. Rebecca Assing scored the first goal from 20 yards out after the ball ricocheted off the post and into the goal. Five minutes later, the UAA’s leading goal scorer, Leslie Smith, ripped the ball from the top corner of the box into the far corner of the Bears’ net for the Judges’ second goal.

“We were hoping to win at home, but we didn’t get it done,” Conlon said. “We played well but were a little short on some of the details.”

Even though the team was down two goals, the Bears never stopped playing, outshooting the Judges 15-10 in the second half.

“We never gave up. We stayed in it after their two goals. We never stopped trying, which is a testament to our character,” sophomore Nicole Martin said.

The Bears will face the UAA-leading University of Chicago Maroons on Saturday, Nov. 6, in their last home game at noon at Francis Field.

Members of the Conlon Crazies get excited at the semifinal match between Washington University and Lynchburg College on Friday afternoon. Twenty-three fans made the approximately 15-hour bus journey to San Antonio to support the Lady Bears, who eventually went on to lose to Messiah College in the title game. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

SAN ANTONIO—Twenty-three students might not sound like a lot compared to Washington University’s undergraduate population of more than 6,000, but they made their presence felt at the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer National Championship game in San Antonio.

During 210 minutes of play and a penalty shootout, the group of fans, led by the Conlon Crazies, sang and cheered in support of the Lady Bears. The Conlon Crazies, named after head coach Jim Conlon, made their mark this postseason with appearances at every game. “We felt like it was worth it,” said junior Alex Neumann, a leader of the Crazies. “We wanted to see Wash. U. win a national championship.”

The spirit of the students carried over to the group’s chaperones and won praise from Wash. U. parents. “They put in a lot of work to get here,” said Joseph Ackerman, a chaperone. “I’m here with some crazy kids.” Ackerman even dressed as a bear. Prior to both games, the fans grilled burgers and hot dogs while painting their bodies.

Neumann, junior Andrew Serio and sophomore Kevin Privalle created more than 20 ditties with small cheers for specific players. Wash. U. parents joined in on some of the cheers.

Many fans on the bus considered “Glory, Glory Wustl FC” their theme song, though a particular favorite was the song created in honor of senior back Libby Held.

“The Libby Held song was the best because we got so into it,” junior David Klein said. “Basically all we want is something with a beat that we can jump around and yell to.”

When the soccer team arrived at the stadium, fans serenaded them with a revised version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Instead of presents, the team called out player’s names, sending the Lady Bears into fits of laughter.

The Office of Residential Life organized the trip, paying for the group’s transportation, game tickets and a hotel room. The students and three chaperones left St. Louis at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3, on a chartered bus for San Antonio. The Bears entertained themselves with movies, cards and homework as they crossed Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

“[The girls’ team] worked so hard the whole game, tackled hard and competed for every ball,” junior David Klein said. “They were an inspiration for us to work to get here.”

Every play elicited strong reactions from the fans. The penalty shootout against Lynchburg College was emotionally draining for all. “I don’t handle PKs well,” junior Stephanie Dresner said. “I honestly think I broke [Andrew] Serio’s arm holding on to it. There’s so much riding on every shot.”

The women’s soccer team greatly appreciated the students’ presence. “We have the best fans,” senior back Paula Davis said. “You can quote me on that.” The fans were allowed to join the team on the field for a short while after the awards ceremony and rushed in with hugs and cheers.

The fan bus continues a recent tradition in Wash. U. athletics. In 2008, three busloads of students traveled to the men’s basketball national championship game in Salem, Va. Trips were also organized for the 2009 basketball Final Fours in Holland, Mich., and Salem, Va.

Despite the runner-up finish, fans expressed no regrets for missing out on classes and events in St. Louis. “Wash. U. is awesome any way you put it,” sophomore Evan Winograd said. “I want to do this again next year.”

Washington University sophomore Alyssa Marulli takes a shot in Friday’s 4-1 victory over Southeast Missouri State University. (Matt Lee | Student Life)

Senior Caryn Rosoff led the Washington University women’s soccer team to victory over Principia College and Southeast Missouri State with hat tricks this past week. The Bears extended their win streak to seven with a strong offense.

Wash. U. 7, Principia 2

After only seven minutes of gameplay, Rosoff found the corner of the net off a cross from sophomore Lee Ann Felder, which Rosoff one-touched off her left foot. Five minutes later, sophomore Emma Brown pushed the score to 2-0 in favor of the Red and Green when she received a pass behind the defense and shot far post.

The Bears pounded two more goals in, one by Felder from a give-and-go with Rosoff, and the other Rosoff’s second goal off a cross from junior Julie Tembunkiart.

“They were all good buildups, with everyone making good movement and making penetrating passes,” Rosoff said.

Principia then suffered an own goal, which raised the score to 5-0. However, the Panthers took it back by scoring from about 20 yards away and finding the far corner of the goal. The Bears responded quickly, as Rosoff scored 30 seconds later off an assist from Felder, her second, for her third goal of the game and fifth of the season.

The Bears went into halftime with a commanding 6-0 lead. The Bears didn’t see another goal until 20 minutes into the second half when senior Emily Bylsma scored her first career goal.

“One of the outside midfielders played it in to Lauren [Clatch],” Bylsma said, “and Lauren dropped it back to the top of the box, and I was lucky enough to get a good shot off.”

A minute after Bylsma’s goal, Principia found the net off a free kick from 25 yards out, the final goal of the game.

“The team came together, and it’s good to see seniors leading the way,” Rosoff said.

Wash. U. 4, SMSU 1

Even with a strong showing of Southern Missouri State’s fan base, the Bears dominated most of the game against the Division I team. Rosoff, coming off her hat trick against Principia College, scored 20 minutes into the first half off an assist from Brown, who passed the ball into the box. Rosoff took a left-foot shot under pressure from a defender to slide the ball far post past the Raven’s keeper. Nine minutes later, Brown scored her ninth goal of the season.

“Caryn and I had a buildup of a couple headers, and Lee Ann got to it and threaded in a great cross, and I just headed it in,” Brown said. The Red and Green led at the half, 2-0.

Following Brown’s method in the second half, Rosoff received a cross from graduate student Sam Murphy and headed the ball just inside the near post.

Just four minutes later, Rosoff finished her second hat trick in two games off a pass from Brown. Rosoff was able to break away from the defenders and go one on one with the goalie for her goal.

Missouri scored later from a pass that snuck behind the defense, which the Bears had no answer for. The game ended 4-1 as Wash. U.’s record improved to 7-2.

The Bears are averaging 3.22 goals scored per game, yet they are allowing opponents only 0.78 goals per game. Rosoff and Brown are tied for the lead in the University Athletic Association for most points per game.

“Caryn, Lee Ann and Emma are special, special talents, and the reason they are so special as a unit is because of their unselfishness to each other,” head coach Jim Conlon said. “The team is reaping the benefits, and everyone behind them in midfield and defense are setting them up really well.”

The Lady Bears take their seven-win streak on a road trip to Atlanta for a match against UAA conference rival Emory University on Oct. 4.

The first victim of women’s soccer was Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Athenas kept the ball mostly on Wash. U.’s side in the first half. Thirteen minutes into the game, CMS’s Nicole Sady-Kennedy struck from the right side, sending the ball across from 20 yards out and ricocheted it off the far post into the goal.

In the 32nd minute the Bears received a free kick just outside the box, resulting in a scramble just in front of the goal line. After three close range shots, all denied by CMS’s goalkeeper, the ball clipped a Claremont defender and rolled inside.

Sophomore Emma Brown scored a hat trick in a 10-0 victory over Grinnell College on Saturday. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

Both teams took eight shots, tying the game at 1-1. Frustration was evident on the Bears’ side, who had missed some key scoring opportunities.
Senior Caryn Rosoff scored quickly with an assist from sophomore Rachel Haas.

Rosoff distracted the goalie during her run as sophomore Natalie Callaghan’s first career goal off a free kick from 40 yards out slipped in to make the score 3-1.

The brief homestead gave the team their first home win. According to Coach Jim Conlon, the team’s objectives were to get a shutout and finish opportunities.

Just how much offense, however, nobody could have guessed as Wash. U. demolished Grinnell 10-0.

Rosoff delivered the first punch only four minutes into the game, receiving a pass from midfield and pounding the ball in from the 15 yard line. Six minutes later, Rosoff fed junior Julie Tembunkiart for a successful one-on-one with Grinnell’s goalkeeper.

“Since [Caryn] moved out to the outside wing, I continued my run to fill in where she had been so I was in a position for a cross I would’ve given to her,” Tembunkiart said.
A mere 42 seconds later, Haas found the back of the net off a cross by sophomore Lee Ann Felder. A scoring drought ensued for 20 minutes until Felder scored with 15 minutes left and Wash. U. took a 4-0 lead into the half.

Felder opened the scoring after two minutes with a left side rebound from graduate student Sam Murphy. Eight minutes later, Murphy took one for herself off a cross by sophomore Ashley Nault.

“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I tucked it in the corner,” Murphy said.

With a 6-0 lead, things were just starting to heat up. Sophomore Emma Brown received Nault’s second assist of the night to add another to the rising score.

“We pointed out that the goalie didn’t have the greatest hands and so we knew we had to follow up on shots,” Brown said. “[There was a] shot and it came off her hands and I knew it was coming out and I was there.”

Sixty-five seconds later, freshman Lauren Clatch received a perfectly placed corner kick by senior middie Emily Bylsma and headed it into the goal. Members of Clatch’s freshman floor cheered on her first career college goal. “Being a little jittery and having people cheering your name felt awesome,” Clatch said.

Brown complemented Clatch’s goal a little over a minute later, with a feed from Rosoff for a one-on-one with Grinnell’s goalkeeper for her second goal. With four minutes left to play, Brown completed her 18-minute hat trick with an assist from sophomore Michelle Peterson.“Once the team got into a rhythm, it was easier to go out there and just kind of have fun,” Brown said.

The last time Wash. U. scored in double digits was in 2004 against Blackburn, with the record being a 12-0 win in 1999 against Anderson.

Wash. U.’s defensive line allowed only four shots as freshman goalie Clara Jaques got her first shutout in the first half. Junior Katy Southworth and freshmen Caitlin Heim split the second half. “Hopefully it launches us for the rest of the season,” Jacques said.

The Red and Green prepare for Alma College and Calvin College next weekend. “It’s start from scratch,” Conlon said.

Although Illinois Wesleyan leads the all-time series 4-3-4, Wash. U. won both meetings last year. In their last game at the NCAA regional finals, the Titans and Bears squared off through regulation and two scoreless overtime periods.

The ticket to the 2008 NCAA sectionals was punched during a penalty shootout as 2009 Wash. U. graduate Amanda Boe made save after save. Sophomore Alyssa Marulli scored the deciding shot.

“We don’t lose at home,” senior co-captain Carter Schwarberg said. “It’s our field.”

Two new things will debut at the game against the Titans. One is a new offense-minded formation designed to put the pressure on opponents early on. The other is free live streaming videos of home soccer games via the athletics Web site.

Eight seniors return filling various leadership roles.Co-captain Libby Held was an All-American back while co-captain Becca Heymann and Caryn Rosoff earned All-Central Region honors. “All three of them will be the heart [of the team],” head coach Jim Conlon said. “Everything will feed off of those three. There’s no doubt about it.”

Last year, a freshman scored the first goal of the season in under nine minutes against Calvin College. That freshman, now-sophomore Lee Ann Felder, returns with a host of other talented sophomores and juniors. The returners have greatly improved over the summer and are expected to fill the role of last year’s graduates, according to both captains. “It’s just a question of who’s going to step up,” Heymann said.

While the current batch of freshmen may not make an immediate impact offensively, three freshmen are in contention with junior Katy Southworth for goalkeeper. Southworth has 80 minutes in goal and made three career saves in her two seasons. Conlon said the Bears will evaluate the go-to keeper throughout the first week of play.

Heymann and Schwarberg feel a strong team chemistry has already formed. “We have a philosophy this year of no excuses,” Schwarberg said. “Losses and wins are on our shoulders.”

The No. 8 Bears face an even larger test after the Titans. Over the weekend, the Red and Green head to Baltimore, Md., to square off against No. 6 John Hopkins University and No. 4 William Smith College. The John Hopkins match will be personal, as Libby Held plays against her twin sister, midfielder Natalie Held.

“We’re only going to achieve great things this season if we keep challenging ourselves,” Heymann said.

Although Wash. U. is ranked higher in the pre-season, the UAA has picked us to finish second this season. The conference has tabbed No. 16 University of Chicago as the 2009 champion. With both teams ending their regular season against each other, the UAA title may only be decided on Nov. 7. UAA rival Emory University is ranked No. 22.

Senior co-captain Carter Schwarberg clashes with an Emory University defender in an Oct. 12, 2008 game at Wash. U. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The Red and Green will become road warriors, playing 11 of 19 regular season games away. The final home game is on Oct. 25 versus neighboring Fontbonne University.
“I’m confident that if we make the Final Four, we can handle the rest,” Heymann said. “We just need to take every game one at a time and don’t get ahead of ourselves.”

“He wants to take care of his players,” senior Shirey Lane said. “He knows soccer and is a good guy. He wants to know us and is big on communication. He wants to make sure everyone understands things from all angles.”

Conlon’s coaching strategy should work well at his new job as he tries to create families out of all of his teams. This spirit is unifying the team after it faced cuts for the first time in several years. The 28-player roster is still considered to be large at any level, but will, according to Conlon, allow for much more effective practices than would have been possible on the original team of 37 players.

The team returns much of its strength from last year. Led by tri-captains Lane, Becca Heymann and Caitlin Malone, the team is poised to defend its UAA title. Junior Caryn Rosoff, an All-American last season, will again lead the offense. After notching 10 goals and 28 points last season, she now sits in eighth place on the all-time leaders lists for both goals scored and total points after just two seasons played at the Danforth Campus. Malone, a senior, and Heymann, a junior, finished second and third in last year’s points standings with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Malone also notched five game-winning goals last season, bringing her career total to nine, which ties her for fourth in the all-time standings and second in the single season standings. Freshman Lee Ann Felder has also come on strong during preseason and is a strong candidate to make an impact upfront.

The core defensive line-up, composed of Lane and juniors Libby Held and Cassie Scaman, also looks to make an impact as they play together for the third straight season. Three freshmen also look to add depth to the defensive rotation. Senior Amanda Boe will anchor the team in goal, after serving as Carrie Sear’s back-up for two seasons.

Sear proves to be the biggest loss from last season’s roster, after posting a 0.55 goals against average over the course of her career. The graduation of Kim O’Keefe also left big shoes to fill leadership-wise, though the team was forced to replace her on the field a year early when she missed her entire senior season with a torn ACL. Both of last year’s starting outside midfielders Abbey Hartmann and Marin McCarthy also graduated, as did key defensive sub Jessica Deneweth. Therese Fox, a starting forward last season, has also opted not to play this fall.

“We have a really deep team and a lot of girls are fighting for those positions,” Heymann said.

Overall, the freshman class looks very strong this fall, as do several of the returning players. Three other players who saw starting time last year also return, highlighted by all-UAA selection and senior Carly Anderson.

“I have to give a lot of credit to our seniors and captain,” Conlon said. “They have been great leaders. The freshmen are also showing good ability, though they have not handled the pressure of being student athletes.”

“We have several freshmen that play more than one position. Their versatility helps us in the long run,” Malone added.

For the first time in several years, the team will have the opportunity to start the season at home. The Washington University Classic is scheduled for this weekend at Francis Field, with the Red and Green facing Calvin College at 8 p.m. on Friday and Hope College at the same time Saturday.

As always, the team has lofty goals for the season. “We want to win a national championship,” Malone said. “We really want to establish Wash. U. as a power in soccer.”