The final penalty kick hit the back of the net, beyond the outstretched arms of senior goalkeeper Nick Tannenbaum in the upper left corner. Just like that, the No. 23 Washington University men’s soccer team’s season came to an abrupt end, for the second year in a row.

Down 2-0 at halftime and forced to play a man down for 95 minutes against No. 7 University of Rochester, the Washington University men’s soccer team faced their toughest challenge of the season thus far.

If life imitates art, then the Washington University men’s soccer team is about to reach the crest of a three-year crescendo.

Jack West spent the last two years of his undergraduate career as arguably the most critical member of the Washington University men’s soccer team. From 2014 to 2015, he tallied 14 goals and 10 assists in 37 games; in total, 17 more points than any other member of the team over the same time span.

The No. 18 Washington University men’s soccer team has made a habit of scoring early, netting 13 of their 16 goals in the first half.

The Bears took care of business on Sunday with a 2-0 win against New York University to push their overall and UAA conference records to 8-6-2 and 1-4-1, respectively.

It took two long years, but junior midfielder Jack West felt the relief wash over him when his penalty kick for the Washington University men’s soccer team ended up in the back of the net in an early September game against Greenville College.

In the 95th minute, junior midfielder Jack West’s shot was saved by Carnegie Mellon University’s goalkeeper, and the Tartans were able to draw a penalty kick of their own in the 108th minute. The ensuing shot snuck past sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Geanon’s outstretched hands, and Carnegie stole a 1-0 victory on Saturday.

In its first conference game of the season, the Washington University men’s soccer team was two long throw-ins away from stealing an upset victory against No. 5 Emory University, but the Bears lost 2-1 in overtime on Sunday at Francis Field.