From Washington University Athletics
Freshman Ryan Sproule scored in the 105th minute to lead the No. 11-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's soccer team to a 1-0 double overtime victory over Case Western Reserve University Sunday afternoon on Senior Day at Francis Field in St. Louis.
WashU improved its overall record to 11-3-3, including 3-2-1 in the University Athletic Association (UAA), while Case Western Reserve fell to 12-4-1, 3-3 in the UAA. The Bears remained in third place in the UAA standings with 10 points, and trail second-place Carnegie Mellon University by one point.
Prior to today's contest, WashU honored its four seniors – Cole Davis, Pay Estakhri, Drew Gottwald and Jack West. This year's senior class holds an overall record of 39-19-10, good for a winning percentage of 64.7. The Bears captured the 2012 UAA Championship and made an appearance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Sophomore Thomas Hutchings started the combination on the game-winning goal with a pass to sophomore Andrew Zingone, who flicked the ball to Sproule. He charged down the right side and went directly at the goal before firing a shot inside the box above the head of Boyle.
The goal for Sproule was tied for his team-leading sixth of the year, while the game-winner was the first of his career.
"Andrew (Zingone) played a great ball to me down the line," Sproule said. "I just got around the corner and decided I was going all the way. I ripped it as hard as I could to see what happened."
WashU outshot Case Western Reserve 9-4 in the opening half, but neither team found the back of the net. The Bears put five shots on on goal in the opening 45 minutes, and junior Corey Meehan nearly broke the tie when his shot from inside the box was stopped by a diving Calvin Boyle.
The Bears continued to pepper the net early in the second half, as freshman Marc VandenBerg had a pair of shots in the opening 90 seconds. VandenBerg's second shot from inside the box was just wide right.
Junior goalkeeper Daniel Geanon made a diving save off a header from Paul Darmstadler at 101:58 to keep it tied 0-0. WashU sent the ball down the field and junior Kevin Goon nearly ended it 43 seconds left with a point-blank shot at the near post that Boyle stopped.
WashU outshot Case 18-16, and the Spartans had a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks. Geanon (8-2-2) made seven saves in the win, and preserved the Bears' ninth shutout of the season.
WashU plays its final regular contest at University of Chicago (10-5-2, 2-3-1 UAA) on Saturday, Nov. 7. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. in Hyde Park.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with Case 25-4 … 20 of the 29 meetings between the two teams involved a shutout … The Bears are 4-1-3 this season at home … The Bears have recorded 11 or more victories in 12 of 19 years under Clarke … The 11 wins in 2015 are the most since the 2011 season.