Sophomore midfielder Jack Hayeems dribbles the ball down the field. (Ben Ganz | Staff Photographer)

For much of Saturday morning on Oct. 10, the WashU men’s soccer team had everything but the goals. The Bears outshot their opponents, dominated corner-kick opportunities, and spent much of the second half on the offensive. But in the end, the opportunities proved to be too futile against one of the nation’s best defenses. After playing their best soccer of the year so far and winning five consecutive matches while scoring 18 goals over that stretch, WashU was shut out 2-0 by No. 7 Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). 

Coming into the game, the Bears sat at 8-1-2 overall, and 1-0 in conference play. Before Saturday, WashU had scored 31 goals in 11 matches. On the other hand, the CWRU Spartans entered the game having not conceded a goal in their previous four matches. The matchup looked like a battle between an unstoppable force and an immovable object.

When the match began, WashU quickly found themselves in an uphill battle. The Spartans struck first, just three minutes in. A CWRU player sent a shot from 30 feet out careening off the crossbar, where his teammate was able to knock in a header off the rebound. WashU had ample opportunities throughout the remainder of the half to equalize, earning six corner kicks. Senior midfielder Nik Avillo came particularly close to scoring in the 14th minute as he struck the crossbar following a corner-kick opportunity. Nevertheless, the Bears entered halftime trailing 1-0.

The second half brought more of the same frustration. In the 50th minute, CWRU capitalized off an errant clearance from WashU, knocking another shot into the back of the net and doubling their advantage. Although the Bears would outshoot the Spartans 7-2 in the second half, they were unable to overcome the 2-0 deficit and notched their second loss of the season. 

Senior forward Ethan Wirtschafter, who had scored eight goals through WashU’s first 10 games, led the Bears with four shots. 

The loss dealt a blow to WashU’s hopes of breaking into the national rankings and marked their first defeat in University Athletic Association (UAA) play this season. The Bears now sit at 8-2-2 overall, and 1-1 in conference play. The team will have a chance to bounce back on Saturday, Oct. 17, when they travel to Pittsburgh to face Carnegie Mellon University in its third UAA matchup.