From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Down 2-0 with just 32 minutes potentially remaining in its season, the Case Western Reserve University women's soccer team rallied to score four unanswered goals to defeat #6 William Smith College 4-2 in the quarterfinal round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship at DiSanto Field in Cleveland on Sunday.
With the win, the #4 Spartans (19-0-1) advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history. CWRU will face either Virginia Wesleyan or #3 Christopher Newport on Friday, December 2 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia at either 1 or 4 p.m. More information will be posted on athletics.case.edu and the CWRU Athletics social media accounts (@caseathletics) when it is available.
After conceding goals in the 34th and 54th minutes, Case Western Reserve found itself trailing by two goals for just the second time this season. Just four minutes later, senior forward Helina VanBibber started the comeback with her first goal of the match. Graduate student forward Camryn Hartman dribbled into the far corner and passed the ball toward the box to an unmarked VanBibber. The senior executed a sliding shot just outside the six-yard box, hitting the ball into the top right corner of the goal to get the Spartans on the board. Hartman earned her first of two assists of the match on the play.
In the 71st minute, first-year midfielder Mackenzie Mueller, who had entered the match just two minutes prior, tied the score at 2 with her third goal of the season. Senior midfielder Anika Washburn fired a shot toward the goal that required a diving save by the Heron goalkeeper. Mueller collected the deflection and hit a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. Washburn tallied her first of two assists of the match on the play.
The Spartans did not let up with the score tied, finding the goal-ahead goal just 90 seconds later. Washburn sent a pass to senior forward Aniya Hartzler in the middle of the box. Hartzler then found VanBibber, who set up for a shot and fired the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal to give CWRU its first lead of the afternoon. Hartzler and Washburn earned assists on the goal, the single-season program record tying 10th of the season for Hartzler and career program record tying 21st for both players. VanBibber's second goal of the match was her ninth of the season and the 13th of her career. It is her fourth match this season with two goals and her second such match of the NCAA Tournament, after she scored twice in the team's 6-1 First Round win over Pitt.-Greensburg. CWRU scored two goals in under two minutes for the second consecutive match after scoring in the 43rd and 45th minutes in the 3-1 Second Round win over Loras.
First-year midfielder Jamie Goldfarb secured the win for Case Western Reserve with a goal in the 82nd minute on a corner kick play. Hartman sent a high-arcing ball from the near corner into the middle of the box which Goldfarb headed into the back of the net for her third goal of the season. It was Hartman's 10th assist of the season, tying her with Hartzler (2022), Washburn (2021), and former Spartan Hallie Graor (1999) for the single season program record. The two assists pushed Hartman's points total to 36, second most in a single season in CWRU history, and gave her two matches with multiple assists in 2022. Hartman has either scored a goal or recorded an assist in 17 of the team's 20 matches this season.
In the second half, CWRU allowed just four William Smith shots and none after the 59th minute, using strong defense to lay the groundwork for the comeback. Junior goalkeeper Maggie Storti saved one shot and earned her 19th win of the season and the 36th of her career. Senior Lexi Gomez, sophomore Katie Rishel, and senior Elizabeth White all played 90 minutes on the Spartan backline. Overall, Case Western Reserve outshot William Smith 15-6 in the contest, including an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal.
A historically tough team to score against, the four goals were the most the Herons had allowed all season and the most allowed by William Smith since Misericordia scored four times in the 2021 NCAA Round of 16. Case Western Reserve's 19 goals in the NCAA Tournament (6 in the First Round, 6 in the Second Round, 3 in the Round of 16, and 4 in the quarterfinals) are two away from tying the all-time record of 21 scored by Messiah in 2011.
The Spartans completed an undefeated season at DiSanto Field, going 13-0-1 on home turf in 2022, including a 4-0-0 record in the NCAA Tournament. CWRU had never reached the quarterfinal round in program history, advancing as far as the Round of 16 in 2021, and the team improved its all-time NCAA Tournament record to 7-2-1 (.750) with the win.