Senior Ella Koleno, who scored against Case Western, is the Bears’ third-leading goal scorer this year. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

The No. 2 women’s soccer team and the No. 6 Case Western Reserve University both held unbeaten records going into the conference matchup on Oct. 11. Only one team would come out undefeated. In a hard-fought match between two of Division III’s best squads, WashU kept its near-perfect record, winning 2-1.

The start of every game is a critical time to gain the advantage, but it was even more so for Saturday’s game. In eight out of the first 12 games of the season, both the Bears and the Spartans scored their first goal of the game within the first 20 minutes. It was evident that whichever team scored the first goal could indicate who would ultimately be triumphant in this matchup.

“In the game of soccer, whoever gets the first goal is a big difference because it changes the momentum and look of the game,” head coach Jim Conlon said.

In a timely manner, senior forward Ella Koleno collected a blocked shot from senior midfielder Grace Ehlert, depositing the ball in the lower left corner of the goal in the 20th minute, to put WashU on the board first.

Fourteen minutes later, sophomore forward Olivia Clemons registered her ninth goal of the season to put her team up 2-0. With the Bears failing to score again for the rest of the game, this goal became the game-winning marker. 

By the end of the first half, the Spartans still had not taken a shot on sophomore goalkeeper Kassidy Lanthier.

In the second half, however, the Spartans registered their only goal of the game in the 64th minute. While it, as Conlon said, put the team on their heels a little bit, the Spartans’ goal ultimately did not hinder the Bears’ ability to demonstrate their skills.

The Bears’ 2-1 victory at Case Western marked the team’s first conference road win this season. All eight teams in the University Athletic Association (UAA) are nationally ranked, so playing a conference game away is a particularly crucial indicator of success.

“I think that the big piece that we will continue to grow off of is how gritty we were to find a way to win,” Conlon said. “I thought our women did a great job of locking down and making sure [Case Western] didn’t get the equalizer in the second half. So I think we’re gonna build off that grittiness we’ve had and try to build that momentum from there.”

WashU will next meet its conference rival No. 19 Carnegie Mellon University at home on Sunday, Oct. 19. Now that the rest of the regular season play consists of UAA matchups, each game is especially critical for the Bears to defend their status as national champions.

“While it was a nice win, it was just one win,” Conlon said. “You need six or seven of them to win the league, and I think that’s more what we’re focused on.”