Case Western Reserve University’s women’s soccer ended their strong 2019-2020 season in December after reaching the NCAA Division III Championship tournament under the guidance of new coach Jen Simonetti.

The Spartans earned a bid to travel to Wheaton, Illinois to face off against The College of Wooster in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, they fell in overtime 4-3, ending their triumphant season with a record of 13-5-1. 

Many Spartan players received honors and recognition for their strong performances throughout the season. Second-year midfielder Anika Washburn had a stellar season and was named to the D3Soccer.com All-America Second Team. She led the team with 33 points and five assists, setting numerous records for the team. She started all the games in the season and set a school record of seven game-winning goals. Third-year defender Bailey George also led a record-breaking campaign, starting all 19 games and yielding opponents to ten and five shots on goal per game. George earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region Second Team. 

The women’s soccer team started their season with a 9-0 undefeated winning streak, which catapulted their ranking into the top ten in the nation for D3 soccer, a program first. They continued that streak and finished non-conference play with an 11-0 record, another first for the team. After the seasonal non-conference play ended, they went on to play opponents in the UAA conference. They beat two ranked opponents, the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago, but, unfortunately, fell to Carnegie Mellon in their last game. Luckily, they still earned a spot in the NCAA draw. 

Along with the accomplishments on the field, 15 players earned UAA All-Academic recognition for their achievements in the classroom: third-year goalkeeper Lauren Metz, second-year midfielder Taylor Bova, fourth-year forward Kimberly Chen, second-year forward Ella Copich, fourth-year defender/midfielder Mary Kate Ford, second-year goalkeeper Jenna Ruccolo, second-year defender Lizzie White, fourth-year goalkeeper Lauren Unterborn, second-year defender/midfielder Maria Prokos, second-year midfielder Molly Whelan, third-year defender Ali Sivilotti, third-year defender/midfielder Emily Hauser, third-year midfielder Lizzy Barna and Washburn.

The women’s soccer team looks forward to coming back even stronger next season.