The No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis women’s soccer team won its second-straight NCAA Division III national championship Dec. 6 with a 2-1 win over rival Emory University at Roanoke College in Salem, Va. It is the third national title in program history, all under Head Coach Jim Conlon.
The win also marked Conlon’s 500th career victory, and the Bears finished the year without a loss at 21-0-3. As a department, it marks WashU’s 28th national title and the first back-to-back titles for a Bears program since men’s basketball in 2008 and 2009.
“These women have done a great job of being sisters for each other and what a way to end it! I’m happy for them,” Conlon said.
First-year student Monica Morales-Martinez, sophomore Cami Colpitts, sophomore Kassidy Lanthier and junior Sophie Viscovich were all named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Sophomore Olivia Clemons was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player for the second year in a row.
The Eagles scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute as Madison Teng took a pass from Kaitlyn Nimmer and fired a high shot into the left corner.
The Bears scored the equalizer 22:10 into the second half as Clemons played a short pass to Morales-Martinez, who fired the ball into the top right corner for a 1-1 game.
“That goal was pretty memorable,” Morales-Martinez said. “The journey we took to get here was so much deeper than anything I could have ever imagined. The extra runs we do in the weight room, that all just pays off. Kudos to my teammates, who I could not do it without. They are the best people in the world.”
Less than two minutes later, Colpitts found nearly the same spot in the net, drilling the ball from the top of the box to make it a 2-1 game. From there, the Bears defense locked the Eagles down and did not allow solid chances at tying the game.
The Bears advanced to the final game after a thrilling 10-9 penalty kick shootout win Dec. 4 against another University Athletic Association rival, the University of Chicago.
