After an early lead and weathering a comeback by Carroll, the Bears dug in to regain a lead they would never relinquish early in the second half and pulled out the win.

With the win, WashU closed out its home slate in dominant fashion, improving to 8-2 on the season and giving its 19 senior class members a fitting send-off. The victory served as both a celebration of the team’s success and a tribute to the seniors who helped shape the program’s culture over the past four years. 

The Bears came into this matchup as unequivocal favorites, having won their last four games against the Big Blue by an average margin of almost fifty points. Still, with the regular season winding down and playoff hopes on the line, WashU had little room for complacency.

This year, heartbreak struck again. Even though it had the ball with seconds left in prime field position, WashU lost to Wheaton for the sixth consecutive time, falling 28-24. 

The Bears came into their sixth game of the season on a solid two-game win streak, looking to extend their momentum against the Bluejays. However, with Saturday’s game taking place in the midst of a raging thunderstorm, the course of the game was unpredictable. 

Now a junior on the varsity men’s soccer team, Kshirsagar’s story is different from most. Kshirsagar is the only player on the team to join as a walk-on, joining the team after a season playing for the men’s club soccer team.

North Central has also been a historically unfavorable matchup for the Bears, who have a 1-10 all-time record against the Cardinals. North Central continued their streak of dominance against the Bears in 2025, defeating WashU 41-14.