After a rare skid last week, the Washington University women’s soccer team rebounded convincingly on Friday night with a 2-0 road victory over the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

The Bears dominated possession in the early going, outshooting the Elephants 12-2 in the first half. A close opportunity ricocheted away in the 25th minute when freshman midfielder Jesse Rubin hit the post, but after 251 scoreless minutes, Wash. U. mustered a goal at the end of the first half.

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Junior midfielder Gillian Myers handles the ball in the Bears’ 8-0 shutout win against Greenville. Myers had two shots an an assist in the game as the Bears’ defense allowed no shots on goal.

Rubin was involved once again, taking one of her game-high five shots, which was blocked by a Rose-Hulman player. The rebound fell to sophomore midfielder Jessica Ridderhoff, who scored in the 42nd minute to give the Bears a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish. After being held scoreless last weekend, the goal was, in some ways, cathartic.

“Jess Ridderhoff, who’s a backup forward, getting us on the board late in the first half after four scoreless consecutive halves in the last two games, was a big moment,” head coach Jim Conlon said.

Following the halftime break, the Bears continued to control play, adding to their lead in the 59th minute. Junior Mariana Alisio crossed the ball from the left side of the field, and junior forward Rachel Mickelson was able to convert, doubling the Bears’ advantage over the Elephants.

Wash. U. entered Friday’s game looking to move on from last weekend’s loss 1-0 to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and 0-0 tie against Illinois Wesleyan University. Against Whitewater, the Bears gave up their first goal of the season, and against Illinois Wesleyan, they could not convert, despite outshooting the Warhawks 20-3.

Conlon said he was very pleased with how his team bounced back.

“The biggest thing that we really wanted to do was for everyone that went in to do their job and really work hard and give a total 90 minutes,” he said. “I think we did a great job at putting together an entire team effort.”

Another positive sign from this game was the return of senior goalie Lizzy Crist, who had been sidelined since Whitewater after being kicked in the head. Crist looked sharp on Friday—although she wasn’t tested often. The rest of the Bears’ defense did most of the work, allowing just five shots, only one on goal. She finished with her 22nd career shutout, tied for fourth all-time in Wash. U. history.

Conlon was extremely confident about Crist’s level of play as the team moves toward conference play.

“She seems to have really bounced back—we were really cautious for about a six-day span, got her medical treatments every day [and] kept doing multiple evaluations, but she clearly seems to be showing absolutely no signs,” he said. “I wouldn’t even say she’s at 95 percent of progression—she’s at full 100 percent. We were very cautious with making sure she got back no sooner than she was fully ready—Lizzy’s back and good to go.”

After Friday’s game, the Bears sit at 6-1-1, while Rose-Hulman fell to 5-4.

One of the team’s greatest strengths so far in the season has been its defense. After eight games, the Bears have only allowed a single goal and have held their opponents to a paltry 3.1 shots per game.

“I think our team defense has been pretty good, lately,” Conlon said. “But generally in the game of soccer, sometimes you only need to give an opponent one opportunity. Things can change pretty quickly. So, I think our defense has been pretty good at minimizing opportunities, and I think our goalkeeping has been very good because it’s hard to stay focused when you’re not getting a lot of reps. They haven’t had to make as many saves, but they’ve made a lot of great saves for us when we need them.”

The Bears have their eyes on conference play, which is set to begin with a match against the University of Rochester on Oct. 1. But before they travel to upstate New York, they have to take care of business on Big Bend Boulevard with a game at Webster University on Wednesday.

“Webster’s an inner-city rival, and they’re always going to come play us really, really tough, and we’re going to have to be ready and focused for that game,” Conlon said. “I think the biggest thing with those is the mid-week games, where Wash. U. students are going to class and studying, so to go away for a night and still get a result—it’s going to take a very focused effort from us.”