While most Americans enjoyed a relaxing Labor Day weekend, the Bears went to work on the road, bringing home seven wins and one draw. 

Here’s a recap of the soccer, cross country, and golf matches you might have missed!

Junior Olivia Clemons scored three goals over the weekend (Bri Nitsberg)

Women’s soccer 

And the streak continues! The No. 1 women’s soccer team shut out Westminster College 11-0 and Simpson College 7-0 on the road on Sept. 4 and 6, respectively, advancing to a 3-0 record this season. 

The team’s new Division I transfer from Saint Louis University, junior midfielder Emily Fox, scored the first goal of the weekend. Fox scored her second goal as a Bear during Sunday’s game, putting WashU on the board once again.

The weekend’s scoring leaders were junior forward Olivia Clemons with three goals, while senior forward Julia Moore and sophomore midfielder Monica Morales-Martinez both tied with two. Junior forward and midfielder Cami Colpitts led the Bears with two assists. 

This week, the Bears will travel to play Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Thursday, Sept. 10 and will celebrate Senior Day at home against Elmhurst University on Sunday, Sept. 13. 

Men’s soccer

After winning 5-0 in their home opener, the No. 14 men’s team looked poised for a dominant road trip. However, the squad’s matches against North Park University on Sept. 5 and Elmhurst University on Sept. 7 proved more challenging than expected, tying the Vikings 1-1 in the first game and just edging out the Bluejays 3-2 in the second. 

The North Park Vikings were dominant from the start, getting their first shot off at the 1:25 mark. Less than 15 minutes later, they scored off a 40-yard pass. The Bears tried to respond, and after four shots, sophomore defender Hale Fernandez found an opening, putting his team on the board with less than a minute left in the first half. Neither the Bears nor the Vikings could find the back of the net again. 

In Monday’s game against Elmhurst University, the Bears’ offense produced many opportunities to score, outnumbering the Bluejays in shots 22-4. Yet, Elmhurst was the first team to score. The Bluejays already had two goals when the Bears finally got on the board in the 69th minute with a goal from sophomore defender Wole Adeoye. Roughly three minutes later, sophomore midfielder Daniel Kochen scored to equalize. With less than 10 minutes left, WashU drew a foul in the middle of the field right outside the box. Senior midfielder Colin Link took the free kick, which soared over the wall of Elmhurst players and into the back of the net to give the Bears a 3-2 lead. 

The men’s team returns home to play Hanover College on Friday, Sept. 11 and Rhodes College on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Sophomore Miles Newman controls the ball along the sideline (Ben Ganz)

Cross country

On Sept. 5, the WashU men’s and women’s cross country teams opened their seasons in emphatic fashion, as they swept the Gabby Reuveni Invitational in Edwardsville, Illinois, with first-place finishes in both races.

The No. 10 women’s cross country team took home the victory in a tightly contested four-team meet. Junior Lucinda Laughlin led the way with a third-place finish in a time of 19:16. The Bears packed the top 10, with sophomore Taylor Buese, first-year Lucy Luetkemeyer, sophomore Lucy Peterson, and sophomore Leah Sekulich claiming sixth through ninth place, respectively. In the end, every finish proved to be crucial, as WashU finished in first place with 29 points — just one ahead of Maryville’s 30 points. 

The No. 17 men’s cross country team put on an astonishing performance, claiming victory in the seven-team meet by a wide margin. The first Bear to cross the finish line was junior Sean Green, who claimed fourth place, clocking in at 16:40.2. Green was the first of an unbelievable nine-straight Bears finishers, all crossing the finish line within a half-second of each other. The display of teamwork landed the Bears in first place, with 25 points.

Following impressive victories in their first races of the season, the men’s and women’s cross country teams will now have two weeks to prepare for their next meet, the John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana on Sept. 19.

Golf

The women’s golf team followed the early-season winning trend across WashU athletics as they opened their season with a victory at Denison University’s Lynn Schweizer Invitational on Sept. 5-6. 

The Bears finished the two-day tournament with a score of 603, edging out Randolph-Macon College by a singular stroke to claim the title. They entered the final round tied for first after shooting a 298 on Saturday, before pulling away on Sunday. 

Senior Amy Beanblossom led the Bears throughout the weekend, tying for the individual title with a two-round score of 148. After opening with an even-par 71, Beanblossom followed with a 77 on Sunday. Other important contributions included senior Reagan Robinson’s fourth place finish, including a final-round score of 73, and sophomore Angela Chen’s tie for sixth with a two-day score of 151.

With their first win under their belt, the women now look toward the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, which will take place on Sept. 14-15 in Batavia, Ohio.