The Yellowjackets fell decisively to the Washington University in St. Louis Bears in women’s soccer Friday, Oct. 24, losing 5–0 in their nest at Fauver Stadium.
The Yellowjackets appeared poised and upbeat during their pre-game warmups and introductions, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that the visiting Bears entered the match as the defending national champions and ranked second in the country. URwent into the game ranked 16th.
Despite the first 15 minutes of play getting off to an unstable start that saw the ball flying up and down the field, the Bears eventually wore down the ’Jackets. The Bears, clad in red, dominated with speed and skill that put three balls in the back of the home net before halftime.
“We definitely had the momentum to begin with,” said Senior and soccer player Riya Kunderan after the game. “We had a lot of possessions … Even after they scored the first goal, we still thought we had it.”
WashU opened the scoring just before the 24-minute mark of the first half, and its control of the pace of the game from then on was evident. 30minutes into the match, the Bears had taken six shots on goal, while the Yellowjackets had none.
The second and third goals were scored just over a minute apart by Bears sophomore Cami Colpitts at 35:23 and then at 36:34 by sophomore Olivia Clemons who was also the University Athletic Association conference’s player of the year for the 2024-2025 season.
Throughout the match, Clemons demonstrated why she had earned the honor, scoring three goals in the contest to boost her conference-leading total to 13 this season. She achieved the accomplishment despite not taking the field until about 20 minutes into the game.
UR’s Coach Ashley Van Vechten said after the game that the plan when facing such a skilled team was to play solid defense and to try to capitalize on scoring opportunities when they came.
But WashU, with its relentless pressure, kept the home team on its back foot and its scoring chances to a minimum.
“In the UAA, with the caliber of teams that we see, you make three mistakes, you get punished with three goals on the scoreboard,” Van Vechten said.
The teams took to the field under the lights as the mercury fell to 45 degrees with a windchill that made it feel like a frosty 41. Unlike their namesake mascot in winter, the Bears were doing anything but hibernating throughout the game, pushing the Yellowjackets back into their end of the pitch for the majority of the second half.
Yellowjackets goalkeeper and graduate student Sydney Moore saved four shots on the night.
Rochester had two distinct opportunities to score, both coming late in the second half. First-year Delia McMullen shot wide at around the 74-minute mark, and sophomore Natalie Santangelo, who logged her team’s only three shots on goal, was stymied on a penalty kick and her own rebound.
A Yellowjackets win would likely have guaranteed them a place in the National NCAA Women’s Soccer tournament, although UR’s chances of receiving an at-large bid remain strong due to the strength of our conference and schedule.
The Yellowjackets, who as of Tuesday had climbed to 15th in the national rankings, are scheduled to play the No. 2 team, Emory University, Nov. 8. WashU has since moved into the top spot in the rankings.
