First-year Wole Adeoye drives to the net. Adeoye is part of a 14-man first-year class driving the Bears’ success this season. (Matt Eisner | Managing Sports Editor)

As the final whistle blew in the WashU men’s soccer team’s 4-0 victory over Greenville University on Sept. 30, the Bears did something that no WashU men’s soccer team has done in 14 years: they’ve won seven games in a row. 

For this iteration of WashU men’s soccer, this success is novel. With the wins this week, WashU has tied its win total from all of last season. None of the Bears’ five seniors have been on a WashU team that has made the NCAA tournament. Late breaks and bounces are going WashU’s way, for once, after years of conceding late goals to their opponents. Most of all, though, the Bears are simply outplaying their opponents. WashU is ranked 11 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, ending a staggering three-year rankings drought for one of Division III soccer’s most storied programs. Finally, it looks like the pieces are falling into place for the Bears.

“It’s a good feeling,” junior defender Quentin Gomez said. “We definitely have got to keep pushing, but things are looking good.” 

WashU started the weekend strong, but more nerve-wracking than expected, with a 2-1 win against Webster University on Sept. 27. WashU, who have never lost to their crosstown rivals, got off to a hot start, scoring in the 36th minute. Junior Nik Avillo sent a pass through to fellow junior striker Ethan Wirtschafter, who kicked the ball up to himself and scored. The Gorloks tied the game shortly after halftime, evening the game for most of the second half. 

In the 87th minute, senior Zach Susee lobbed a ball into the box. His pass found first-year Daniel Kochen, who unknotted the tie with his second goal of the season. The Gorloks could not find an equalizer in the remaining three minutes, sending the Bears back to WashU with a victory. 

“He’s arriving at the areas at all the right times,” head coach Andrew Bordelon said of Kochen. “He’s a player that’s full of confidence and arrives in the box in really dangerous times.”

WashU continued their dominance early against Greenville, with Wirtschafter connecting with Susee for the junior’s team-leading ninth goal of the season in the eighth minute. WashU held the Panthers to just one shot throughout the game, and goals from Gomez, Kochen, and junior defender Carter Sasser extended the Bears’ lead to 4-0. Gomez, who is second on the team in goals despite being a defender, is one of the key pieces to WashU’s game on both sides of the ball. 

“This year, we’ve got a great team culture,” Gomez said. “We all seem like we’re going towards the same goal. It’s translating to the field and off the field, and we’re building a team connection.”

The Bears will have a massive challenge on Saturday, Oct. 4, when they face No. 12 Brandeis University in their University Athletic Association (UAA) season opener. While the Judges will pose a threat to WashU’s winning streak, Bordelon believes his team is up for the challenge. 

“I think it’s only going to get tougher in UAA [play],” Bordelon said. “We’re building some momentum. We’re playing with a lot of confidence, and there’s a lot of belief in this squad, so we’re really excited.”