Touting their first undefeated regular season in program history, the Case Western Reserve Women’s soccer team also clinched their first University Athletic Association (UAA) championship on Nov. 5 on DiSanto Field against seventh-ranked Carnegie Mellon University 1-0. The conference-clinching win automatically guaranteed the Spartans a spot in the 2022 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship tournament. CWRU finished the season 15-0-1 overall and 6-0-1 in the conference, setting program records on both counts.

The men’s team also defeated CMU 3-2 that day, finishing their regular season with an overall record of 10-3-3 and a conference record of 5-1-1. Their .786 win percentage is also the best in program history. On Nov. 7, the Spartans earned a bid to their fourth ever NCAA tournament after ranking second in the UAA.

The women’s team quickly struck first with a goal from first-year midfielder Jamie Goldfarb five minutes into the match. Fourth-year defender Elizabeth White launched a 40-yard free kick into the box. Goldfarb ran into the six-yard box and headed the ball past the goalkeeper into the bottom right corner for the lone score. Goldfarb recorded her second goal of the season while White notched her second assist.

The Spartans attempted 5 more shots, including 2 from graduate student forward Camryn Hartman, but to no avail. CMU mounted a stronger attack, taking 9 shots total, but CWRU’s defense, anchored by third-year goalie Maggie Storti, forced a shutout. Storti saved two shots in her 17th career shutout, lowering her goals-against average to 0.54. White, fourth-year midfielder Lexi Gomez, fourth-year forward Merry Meyer and second-year defender Katie Rishel played all 90 minutes to seal the victory.

Goldfarb was named the UAA Offensive Athlete of the Week and Spartan Club Athlete of the Week for her conference-winning goal. Storti was named the UAA Defensive Athlete of the Week.

The CWRU men’s team faced a different challenge, quickly finding themselves down 1-0 a little over five minutes into their match against the Tartans. The rest of the first half went back and forth between the two teams until graduate student defender Alexandru Rumleanschi netted CWRU’s first goal at 43:41. Third-year defender Josh Cook lobbed the ball to third-year defender Alex Lippiatt into the box. Lippiatt headed it to Rumleanschi, who was left unguarded, and scored a clear shot into the top right corner of the goal. Lippiatt and Cook earned their first and second assists of the season, respectively.

In the second half, the Spartans took a 2-1 lead via a rebound score from second-year forward Kysen Kroeger. Fourth-year midfielder Matt Vatne took a shot that hit the crossbar. Kroeger collected it and sent it into the top left corner for his third goal of the season. Vatne earned his sixth assist of the season.

CWRU scored one final time four minutes later. Lippiatt sent a free kick from 45 yards that deflected off a Tartan player’s head into the goal. It marked his third goal of the season. Lippiatt was also named the UAA Offensive Athlete of the Week and the Spartan Club Athlete of the Week.

The Tartans scored once more in the 87th minute, but their comeback effort proved fruitless as the Spartans came away with the 3-2 victory.

CWRU outshot CMU 17-8, clearly dominating the possession of the ball and putting pressure on the Tartan defense throughout.

The No. 4 ranked women’s team is set to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. The first round, taking place on Saturday Nov. 12, will feature the Spartans against the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg at 11 a.m. on DiSanto Field. Ithaca College and Capital University will face off for the second match at 1:30 p.m. The winners of the two matches will play in the second round on Sunday Nov. 13 at 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, the men’s team will travel to Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia for the first two rounds of their NCAA tournament. On Nov. 12, they will face Muhlenberg College, the Centennial Conference champions, at 3:30 p.m. The winner of this match will face either Washington and Lee University or Brevard College on Nov. 13 at 3 p.m.