The last time the now No. 3 WashU women’s soccer lost a game, the current seniors were first-years living on the South 40. The program’s historic winning streak ended on Saturday, Nov. 7, as No. 2 University of Chicago Maroons beat the Bears 2-1 to claim the University Athletic Association (UAA) title, snapping WashU’s monumental 1,071-day unbeaten streak. The men’s 2-2 draw earlier in the afternoon against the No. 9 University of Chicago Maroons didn’t make the weekend any better for Bears fans, with the men’s team being left out of the upcoming NCAA tournament.

No. 3 women’s soccer

Dorian Zhang | Contributing Photographer

Before Saturday, Nov. 7, WashU women’s soccer had not lost a game in 1,071 days. That streak came to an end at UChicago, as the Maroons dethroned the Bears 2-1 to secure the UAA title in the last game of the regular season. Saturday’s feat marked the first time a WashU first-year, sophomore, and junior lost a game under Head Coach Jim Conlon.

The Bears came into Saturday’s regular season finale needing a win for their fourth-straight UAA championship. The Maroons only needed a draw. 

Not intimidated by the Bears’ recent dominance, UChicago struck first in the 34th minute by sending a shot into the top left corner of WashU’s net. 

WashU’s experienced attack didn’t plan on trailing for long. The Maroons’ lead lasted just 21 seconds, as junior forward Cami Colpitts chipped it over the UChicago goalkeeper to find the top of the net off an assist from sophomore midfielder Monica Morales-Martinez. This was Colpitts’ ninth goal of the season.

The score would remain tied 1-1 entering the second half. Early in the half, a WashU foul inside the box gave UChicago a penalty kick, which was drilled to give the Maroons a 2-1 lead in the 51st minute.

WashU found itself in uncharted territory, trailing in the second half for the first time all season. Desperate to tie the game, the Bears’ attack pushed for an equalizer the rest of the game, outshooting the Maroons 9-4 in the second half. However, the Bears couldn’t capitalize, and the game ended in a 2-1 loss.

“We didn’t play the game we were hoping to on Saturday, and it resulted in a loss,” Conlon said. “I thought we did a really good job of reflecting Saturday on the field and on the bus ride home.”

The 2-1 final score also broke a pattern that has been prevalent during the last week of the regular season for these teams year after year. WashU and UChicago have tied in each of their last six regular-season meetings, and UChicago hasn’t beaten WashU since 2010.

“That was a moment we have not been accustomed to recently, and it was just a matter of how we were going to respond,” Conlon said. “Losing is not fun, but I thought they responded well, and I think they’ve got their eyes wide open moving forward.”

The Bears returned to practice the day following the game, looking for ways to respond after the unprecedented loss ahead of the NCAA tournament.

“Can you connect the next pass? Can you connect the shot? Can you make a save?” Conlon said. “You just go back to the basics and make it tangible. Make them succeed right away.”

Although the WashU and UChicago rivalry has ended in ties during the regular season, the Bears historically have had the final word against UChicago in the NCAA tournament. WashU beat the Maroons 1-0 in the 2024 Elite Eight and 10-9 in an intense penalty shootout in the 2025 Final Four. Since both teams made the 2026 field, a third-straight tournament meeting is possible.

On Monday, Nov. 9, WashU received an NCAA Division III Tournament bid and will host rounds one and two at Francis Olympic Field for the fourth straight year. The Bears will play the Belhaven University Blazers in the first round on Friday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m. The winner of Belhaven and WashU will face the winner of Hope College and Simpson College the next day on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m.

“You just don’t know if you’re ever going to be able to put your feet back on Francis, and we have that option now,” Conlon said. “We know Bear Nation supported us quite well so far, and we’re hoping that that’s going to continue this weekend.”

Men’s soccer

Ben Ganz | Staff Photographer

In the 2025 NCAA tournament, WashU ended UChicago’s season in the second round, only a few weeks after defeating them to claim the 2025 UAA Championship title. This year, the reigning UAA champ Bears, who have struggled in conference play, had an outside shot at claiming a share of the title. To earn the UAA’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid, the Bears had to win and hope other conference results over the weekend went their way.

The Bears’ season was on the line, and it nearly slipped away before fans at Stagg Field found their seats. The WashU defense gave up a goal to the No. 6 Maroons inside the first minute and trailed 2-0 before the 20-minute mark.

With 24 seconds left in the first half, sophomore defender Wole Adeoye split the gap between two Maroon defenders and sent a shot into the top of the net to cut the UChicago lead to 2-1 and score his sixth goal of the season. Instead of heading into the locker room facing a two-goal deficit and the likely end of their title hopes, the Bears went into the break down only 2-1. 

“My goal at the end of the first half gave us a lot of confidence,” Adeoye said. “We were only down one goal with 45 minutes to play, so it completely changed the game.”

The second half was vastly different. Both defenses settled in, and 40 minutes went by without a goal, as the Bears’ time to find an equalizer ran short. The WashU attack showed more aggression, though, firing seven shots in the second half after being outshot 10-1 in the first half.

With the clock winding down to the final minutes, WashU was desperate to try and save its season with a goal. 

The Bears’ hail mary came late in the game. Adeoye was tripped by a UChicago defender in the box, and though a foul was not originally called, replay review rewarded the Bears with a penalty kick. With the game on the line and five minutes remaining, senior forward Ethan Wirtschafter stepped up to take the penalty. Wirtschafter drilled it into the bottom left corner, beating UChicago’s keeper, who dove right, to tie the game at 2-2. 

Though quiet in the second half, the Maroons quickly drove down the pitch to try and put the game away. UChicago nearly answered the Bears’ equalizer right away. With about four minutes left, senior goalkeeper Cal L’Hommedieu made a sliding save to keep the game even and secure the comeback tie for the Bears. He finished with seven saves as the Maroons outshot the Bears 16-8.

WashU had come back from behind several times this season, but in a rivalry game and a chance to make the playoffs on the line, Saturday’s comeback felt more special.

“We’ve been down before, but the circumstances have never been that high,” Adeoye said. “You could feel the tension amongst the group, but I think we knew that if we played our game, we’d give ourselves a chance.”

The draw left WashU in a five-way tie for second place in the conference, meaning the Bears need an at-large bid to make the NCAA Tournament. This year, 22 teams got at-large bids — teams that still had a strong regular season but did not win their conference’s title for automatic qualification.

The NCAA selection show on Monday, Nov. 9, did not go the Bears’ way. WashU was left out of the 64-team tournament field, ending their season a year after their first Sweet 16 run since 2007.

That made Saturday the final collegiate game for a senior class of 11 players.

“[The senior class], even last year as juniors, [are] super involved in the team. [They] kind of make the team what it is. I feel like I’ve learned not just how to be a leader more, but also how to be a better person through these guys,” Adeoye said.

The Bears’ 2026 season ended with a 10-3-4 record, though a strong fight against a highly ranked UChicago team ended their regular season on a positive note.

“If that is the way we go out, it’s all right,” Adeoye said. “Our last game, we put it all out there.”