Senior midfielder Colin Link dribbles past Emory defender. (Rachel Benitez Borrego | Staff Photographer)

After settling for a tie against Carnegie Mellon University last week, No. 1 women’s soccer returned to Francis Field on Friday, Oct. 23, and Sunday, Oct. 25, for the final time this regular season. The Bears had a University Athletic Association (UAA) doubleheader against two ranked opponents, No. 23 University of Rochester and No. 21 Emory University. The game against Emory was a highly anticipated national championship rematch from last year.

The Bears’ attack started early against Rochester, as senior forward Madi Foley connected with senior midfielder Sophie Viscovich, who scored just one minute into the game.

WashU’s next goal came just four minutes later. A rebound off a shot on target by junior forward Olivia Clemons found Foley’s foot to give the Bears an early 2-0 lead.

The first-half scoring frenzy continued for the Bears in the 24th minute. This time it was Clemons doing the damage by maneuvering around a defender and finishing off an assist from sophomore midfielder Annika Park. 

The Clemons and Foley duo struck once again seven minutes into the second half, when Foley notched her eighth goal of the season to give the Bears a 4-0 lead, a lead they held for the rest of the game.

WashU’s four goals against Rochester are just one example of an attack Head Coach Jim Conlon has been satisfied with this season.

“We are playing great team soccer and creating goal-scoring opportunities. I am pleased with how we’re playing,” Conlon wrote in a statement to Student Life.

The second half of the doubleheader brought a familiar opponent to Francis Field on Sunday: the No. 21 Emory Eagles, whom WashU defeated in the national championship last season.

For the first time this season, WashU was held scoreless in the first half. However, they outshot the Eagles 7-1 at the halfway mark, an encouraging sign for the Bears’ attack.

The Bears came out of halftime firing. Just one minute into the second half, Foley hit a strike to the left side of Emory’s net on an assist from Viscovich to break the game’s scoring drought.

The Bears protected their 1-0 lead until the 77th minute, when a foul inside WashU’s box gave Emory a penalty kick. Emory then made a rare call, sending its own goalkeeper up to take the penalty, and she drilled into the bottom left corner to even the score.

Both teams brought a new level of intensity and physicality in the second half, as five yellow cards were tallied in the last minutes of Sunday’s rivalry game.

The Bears played aggressively in the final 13 minutes following Emory’s goal, making five substitutions and outshooting Emory 4-0, but could not capitalize, resulting in a 1-1 tie.

Despite the tie, Conlon was pleased with how his defensive unit played against the Eagles.

“Team defense is a core pillar of ours,” Conlon wrote. “We will continue to work hard for each other.” 

The Bears will now head to New York City to face No. 22 New York University (NYU) in their second-to-last game of the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 31.

“Tomorrow we will get back to work and prepare for NYU,” Conlon wrote. “We will continue to grow one game at a time.”