How No. 1 WashU women’s soccer built one of Division III’s best defenses

and | Managing Sports Editor and Junior Sports Editor

Through 15 games this season, WashU has reeled off 11 shutouts and only conceded four goals en route to a 14-0-1 start to the season. (Scott Zarider | Contributing Photographer)

In an ever-changing world of college sports, the strength of the WashU women’s soccer team’s defense has remained constant. Over the past decade, the Bears have allowed only 94 goals — less than 10 per season.

As a popular saying goes, “defense wins championships,” and the team’s defensive solidity has laid the foundation for one of Division III’s best women’s soccer programs. Since 2014, the Bears have won eight University Athletic Association (UAA) titles, finished as national runners-up in 2015 and 2023, and won the 2016 National Championship. 

In 2024, as the No. 1 Bears chase the program’s second-ever national title, the team’s defense is once again the bedrock of their success. This year, through 15 games, WashU has reeled off 11 shutouts and only conceded four goals en route to a 14-0-1 start to the season.

Recently, head coach Jim Conlon’s backline has relied on a back three, with the center back trio of graduate student Ally Hackett, senior Emma Riley McGahan, and sophomore Regan Cannon typically lining up in front of graduate student goalkeeper Sidney Conner this season.

Conner holds the all-time (38) and single-season (16) records for clean sheets at WashU. Growing up, however, she was mainly a forward, and it was not until she got to St. Louis in the fall of 2020 that she began to consistently play in the net.

“I honestly never really have settled into a position until I came here, which is funny. I played forward and midfield all throughout high school, and I played goalkeeper when they needed me,” she said. 

After leading the Bears to last season’s National Championship game, Sid Conner returned in 2024 as a graduate student. (Clara Richards | Student Life)

Though the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID, Conner became the Bears’ starting goalkeeper in 2021, and after being named the UAA’s Sophomore Rookie of the Year, kept the position for her junior and senior seasons, earning All-UAA recognition and being named a First-Team All-American in 2023.

Four years and over 6,000 minutes played later, Conner found herself in Salem, Virginia at the 2023 D-III National Championship. It was assumed that the game would be the last of her collegiate career, but when considering her next steps, Conner decided to return to WashU to pursue an MBA and have one last season on the pitch.

“I was thinking a lot about my career aspirations after school, and so getting to travel and learn about business in this program is a great opportunity for me — also playing with this team that I love and have loved for so long,” Conner said. “Getting to do that for another year has been the best opportunity.”

Head coach Jim Conlon said Conner’s decision was “the greatest surprise in my life.”

On the team, Conner plays a key role both on and off the field. With a trio of young goalkeepers — sophomore Charlotte Shapiro and first-years Suzie Green and Heidi Schultz — behind her, Conner’s leadership is setting the program up for future seasons.

“Sid Conner is a great goalkeeper, [but] she’s an even better teammate,” Conlon said. “I think her leadership has magnified to offer perspective to some of the newer players coming into their own, as well as this keeper core that she’s going to leave a legacy behind by instilling the right things in them.”

Conner has also formed a formidable partnership with Hackett, a fellow graduate student. In 2022, at 19 years old, Hackett graduated from the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) in just two years. 

“Greensboro was awesome. It gave me the opportunity to play at the highest level against some of the best players out there, and that’s something I always wanted to do from being a little girl,” she said.

As Hackett considered what her future might hold after graduating, WashU popped up on her radar, and she reached out to Conlon. 

“Once I graduated, I knew I wanted to continue academically, challenge myself in the classroom, and set myself up for a great career,” she said. “And it’s awesome that I get to do that and continue to play and compete for titles with a great team and a great coach. It was mostly focused on my future career path, and it’s not so bad getting to play at the same time.”

Since transferring from UNC Greensboro, Ally Hackett has become a mainstay in the Bears backline. (Scott Zarider | Contributing Photographer)

In her two seasons at Division I UNCG, Hackett appeared in all 39 of the team’s matches, logging 20 starts. In 2023, her first season in Division III, Hackett started 19 games in the heart of WashU’s back three and earned Second-Team All-American honors.

While Hackett has been a consistent performer at the back, she’s also had crucial moments at the other end of the pitch. When the Bears’ 2023 quarterfinal and semifinal matchups went to penalty shootouts, Hackett stepped up as the Bears’ fifth and final penalty-kick taker and clinched two crucial wins. 

“That’s something we practice all season long,” Hackett said about penalty kicks. “I couldn’t even count how many times people stay after practice and practice [penalty kicks] over and over and over again, and then using the confidence that your teammates have in you is one of the best motivators.”

Hackett is often accompanied by McGahan, her defensive partner and roommate.

“She’s definitely one of my best, best friends,” McGahan said about Hackett. “Having that relationship off the field is what helps us have a good relationship on the field. We can get on each other without taking it to heart [and] hold each other accountable.”

After playing mainly as a reserve in her first two seasons, the Atlanta native stepped into the spotlight in 2023, playing in all 22 games and getting named to the All-UAA First Team.

“I think, as a player, I’ve developed a lot,” McGahan said. “As a freshman, I wouldn’t say I got a whole lot of playing time. I kind of grew into my role a little bit my sophomore year and junior year, and was just ready whenever my number was called. That just happened to be towards the end of my sophomore year and majority of my junior year, and I really just learned from all the upperclassmen who were on the team before me.”

After playing limited minutes her first two seasons, Emma Riley McGahan stepped into a larger role as a junior last fall, earning All-UAA recognition. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

McGahan added that as she’s become more experienced, her belief in herself on the pitch has grown.

“Even though I’m not someone who started all four years, I know that I’ve got people behind me, and now I’m able to play with a little bit more confidence now that I’m a little bit older.”

On the other side of Hackett, Conlon has had more flexibility. After Sarah Neltner, who made 20 starts in 2023, graduated, Conlon was left with a void to fill.

In the 2024 season, Conlon has what he describes as a “healthy competition” for the final defender slot, with sophomore Regan Cannon emerging as the team’s main option. In 2023, Cannon played through an ankle injury to make six starts in 21 appearances. This year, Cannon has returned to full strength and has become a regular on the team sheet, starting 12 games.

“Unbeknownst to us, Regan was actually dealing with a pretty significant ankle injury, and so that slowed down her growth a little bit. [She] did some serious rehab over the spring and summer, and now she’s gotten into a place of starting, [and] she is one of the fittest players on the team,” Conlon said.

Sophomore Regan Cannon will look to continue the Bears strong defensive tradition into future seasons. (Anna Calvo | Contributing Photographer)

In addition, senior Olivia Foster has provided experience off the bench, logging 495 minutes in 15 games so far this season. Though Foster, McGahan, Conner, and Hackett are all playing in their final season for the Bears, Conlon isn’t worried about rebuilding the defense in the future, with Cannon and other younger players ready to continue the legacy. 

“We’ve got two women in house right now, [first-year] Addi Soroka and [sophomore] Alex Karolak, who are going to be tremendous. You know, they’re game-ready right now,” he said. “They just happen to have some seniors and fifth-year seniors ahead of them, but we don’t feel like we’re gonna have to blink [next season].”

For the Bears, keeping up with the rigor of WashU academics as they chase a national championship on the pitch is difficult. But, according to Conner, the team has a saying: “Pressure is a privilege.”

In 2024, as the Bears’ backline continues to impress, they will look to continue leaning into the “pressure” in their pursuit of the program’s second national title.

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