The women’s soccer team mobs senior Grace Ehlert after she scored the game-winning goal against NYU. (Riley Herron | Editor-in-Chief)

With an already incredible season performance, this weekend, women’s soccer added one more trophy to their stacked shelf: their third consecutive University Athletic Association (UAA) conference championship.  

Clinching the championship this weekend was no easy feat. The Bears’ match against No. 22 New York University proved to be one of their most challenging games this season. After the first half, the undefeated Bears found themselves down 1-0. It was the first time the team has trailed since their tie to Trine University in September, so the tension on the Bear’s side was palpable. NYU’s defense proved to be the main source of challenge for the Bears. 

“It was a physical game,” senior forward Grace Ehlert said. “We didn’t play our best in the first half, and credit to NYU, they are a great team.”  

Physical the Violets were, finishing the game with a total of eight fouls and three yellow cards. The Bears’ aggressive opponents came into St. Louis with a wave of energy, and their assertive goal in the 40th minute seemed to set the stage for a potential upset.

 The Bears were caught off guard. At halftime, WashU needed to regroup and change approaches if they were to turn the game around. 

“I think we just needed to settle down, connect a few passes and play within ourselves,” head coach Jim Conlon said.

With a new strategy and mindset, the Bears entered the second half with a commanding presence. Within the first nine minutes of the period, sophomore midfielder Kate Martin evened up the score, depositing a cross from junior midfielder Sophie Viscovich past the NYU keeper’s short side. Six minutes later, Ehlert stomped out NYU’s bid for an upset win with her own go-ahead goal assisted by junior Keira Smyser. The game was back in the hands of the Bears, who took the familiar reins and steered the remainder of the game to a 3-1 victory, with sophomore forward Olivia Clemons adding an insurance goal in the last four minutes. Just like that, the Bears were back on top. 

[Our] goals are to continue rising, trust our preparation, and focus on playing to our highest level individually and collectively,” Ehlert said. “We are excited to get back on the practice field this week.”

The Bears will host their final conference game against the No. 7 University of Chicago this upcoming weekend. With this key game next weekend and the beginning of tournament action on the horizon, women’s soccer plans to take things one step at a time.

“We’ve got to finish the regular season and make sure we are doing our due diligence of finishing this part of the season before we really look forward to the playoffs, but [we are] obviously excited that we have already clinched a spot in the 64 and try and continue to get better,” Conlon said.

Immediately following the game, the Bears stormed the field and celebrated their massive accomplishment. They celebrate today, but tomorrow it’s back to business. The job’s not done, and the Bears are ready to hunker down and take on their next opponents, one game at a time.