From Washington University Athletics
Riverdale, N.Y., November 3, 2013 – No. 1 ranked Washington University in St. Louis secured its second-straight conference title and gained an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship with a 4-0 win at New York University Sunday afternoon in Riverdale, N.Y.
The University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship for head coach Jim Conlon is his fourth in six seasons on the Danforth Campus, and the ninth in school history. The Bears will be making their eighth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 13th overall in school history.
"New York was very energetic and pressured us the entire game. We were happy to have the 1-0 lead going into halftime, and added a few goals in the second half," said Conlon. "Its nice to know that we have a bid to the NCAA Tournament, but our focus now shifts on winning the conference outright."
Washington U. outshot New York, 11-2, in the first half but did not find the net until the 42nd minute after senior Jessica Johnson scored the eventual game-winner on an assist from senior Lauren Steimle. The goal for Johnson was her eighth of the year and 21st of her career.
It took just over two minutes for the Bears to add on to their lead in the second half as sophomore Olivia Lillegraven scored at 47:12 off a corner kick from senior Kate Doyle to make it 2-0. The goal for Lillegraven was her 11th of the season, tops in the UAA.
Junior Kaylin Balley scored at 68:24 on an assist from junior Anna Zambricki to make it 3-0, and freshman Katie Chandler added an insurance goal at 79:04 to round out the scoring.
Sophomore goalkeeper Amy French made three saves and picked up the shutout for Washington U., its 13th of the season. The 13 shutouts are the second most in a single season. Washington U. outshot New York, 18-5, and had a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Washington University (16-1, 6-0 UAA) closes out regular season play at the University of Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1:30 p.m. Chicago has an 11-3-3 overall record, and sits in third place in the UAA standings with a 3-1-2 mark.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series with New York, 14-3-1, and has won the last two meetings … The victory for Conlon was the 192nd of his women's coaching career and 300th overall … The Bears have outscored their opponents, 64-4, this season … Doyle's assist in the second half was the 19th of her career, tied for 10th most in school history … The Bears have a 17-game UAA unbeaten streak dating back to the 2011 season.