Grace Ehlert (28) and the Bears had plenty to celebrate in 2023. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

In the fall of 2023, women’s soccer was Washington University’s team to watch. The Bears held opponents scoreless through the first 15 games of the season, earned their 16th University Athletic Association (UAA) title, and won two penalty shootouts during a run to the National Championship game, where they fell 1-0 to California Lutheran University. 

Key Players 

With a fresh slate of games ahead of them, the Bears’ returning squad and new players have the potential to be just as exciting this fall. Their attack, which averaged 2.76 goals per game last season, is led by a trio of All-UAA forwards — juniors Grace Ehlert and Ella Koleno and senior Gaelen Clayton. Behind them, a balanced midfield includes senior Meryl McKenna, junior Kaci Karl, and sophomore Sophie Viscovich. 

Sophomore Sophie Viscovich dribbles up the field in the national championship game. (Clara Richards | Student Life)

On the other side of the pitch, graduate student Ally Hackett, a Second-Team All-American last season, and senior Emma Riley McGahan, a First-Team All-UAA player, will lead a stalwart back line that allowed just two goals in the 2023 regular season. The leadership and shot-stopping ability from graduate student goalkeeper Sidney Conner, who was named a First-Team All-American after becoming WashU’s all-time leader in career shutouts in 2023, will be key between the pipes.

In addition to their returning core, the Bears bring in a recruiting class that includes new players ready to make an impact. 

“We like our class coming in…we really brought in a nice, balanced class,” head coach Jim Conlon said. “I think every one of them is college-ready.”

Alongside seven first-year players, the Bears also added senior midfielder Katie Leeker, who was named to the all-conference team in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last year while playing for Fontbonne University. Fontbonne will no longer be fielding a women’s soccer team this fall before the school’s closure in the summer of 2025.

With their new additions, the Bears will look to fill the holes of a class of six departing seniors whose play was crucial to the team’s success.

“Those seniors will definitely be missed. I think our women learned a lot from them, and I think we’re in a position to continue to move forward,” Conlon said. “I think we’ve got a lot of really bright things ahead of us because of what the seniors have left us.”

Key Matchups

Last season, the Bears went 10-0 in regular-season non-conference play, outscoring opponents 38-0. They will face some tougher opposition outside of the UAA this year, including a matchup with Trine University to start the season on Aug. 30 and a Sep. 23 rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 at No. 15 Calvin University.

Gaelen Clayton takes on a defender in the Bears only regular season loss of the 2023 season against Rochester. (Jialing Sun | Student Life)

Conlon’s side hopes that those non-conference matchups will prepare them well for the highly competitive UAA conference slate. Five of the Bears seven UAA opponents are ranked in the national preseason top 25, including No. 6 University of Rochester, the team who ended the Bears’ undefeated streak last fall, and No. 10 New York University. The Oct. 19 matchup against NYU will be one of the Bears’ three home conference matches, alongside crucial contests against No. 19 Carnegie Mellon University and No. 16 Case Western Reserve University the weekend of Oct. 25.

The Bears will need to be ready to fend off nationally ranked opponents to win another conference title, but the intensity of conference play should make the Bears battle-tested ahead of the tournament.

“The easiest way to do well in the tournament is to win the conference. So we have to be ready to do that — we have to be ready to take on anyone in the UAA — and ultimately, if we can accomplish that goal of winning the UAA, we know we’ll be ready for a good run, because the conference is very good,” Conlon said.

Entering the 2024 season, the squad can look to their history for inspiration. After 2015, when the Bears lost in the National Championship game, the squad rebounded to win the program’s only national title the subsequent season. With a strong core of returning players, a trip back to the postseason appears to once again be within reach for the WashU women’s soccer team.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Starting Line before the team’s rosters and schedule were available online. The article was updated on Aug. 16, 2024 to include information about Sidney Conner’s return as a graduate student, the addition of Katie Leeker, and the team’s rankings and schedule.