Women's Sectional Previews: Midwest

By Jim Matson

Third Round - Saturday

Quarterfinals - Sunday

Sectional Final, 1:00 pm CT

How they reached the Sweet 16

2015 Statistical Overview

Washington U. Season Review

It's not like the Bears aren't used to the post-season. But after an early exit in the first round last season, Washington U. reset their goals for a high finish in 2015 despite losing D3soccer.com Midfielder of the Year Lillie Toaspern to graduation. The season started slow for the Bears, returning from an early trip to California with a win over Cal Lutheran but also with a 2-1 loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Bouncing back, the Bears sat at 4-1 after a 2-1 win over Wartburg. But looming were two matches with an increasingly powerful Illinois Wesleyan squad, fresh off a Final Four appearance in 2014, and the only nemesis the Bears have in Wheaton (Ill.)—in the 25 years of their rivalry, the Bears are 4-13-2 against the Thunder. The test not only proved successful for Washington U., but also gave them confidence that they can beat anyone after a 1-0 home win over then-No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan and a 3-1 road win over a then-ranked Wheaton. A 9-1 run to finish the season followed in which the Bears outscored their opponents 19-2. The only loss in that stretch was a 1-0 stumble at ranked Brandeis, but they picked up shutouts in Top 25 tilts against Carnegie Mellon and Chicago. After winning the UAA automatic berth, the Bears travelled to Denison for the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament and took down York (Pa.) and the hosts in shutouts, 4-0 and 1-0, respectively.

In his eighth year, head coach Jim Conlon has led a program at Washington U. that has seen 10 straight years of NCAA post-season action. The Bears have been nationally competitive for as long as anyone, and has been a team that excels at both scoring and defending. This season, the Bears have dominated in many games, while fighting tough in others. With only six goals allowed all season, the Bears give themselves a chance of winning every match, no matter how strong the opponent. Key offensive players include UAA Player of the Year, Olivia Lillegraven, a senior midfielder (12g, 5a), and Rachel Mikelson, a sophomore forward (4g, 6a), and Katie Chandler, a junior forward (7g, 2a). Defensively, the Bears are led by Hannah Rosenberg, a junior defender, and Sam Ezratty, a senior center back. Lizzy Crist, a junior goalkeeper is 14-2 on the season (.46 GAA, .899 Sv. Pct., 12 ShO).

Wartburg Season Review

The Knights are in their first NCAA sectional since 2007, and in their fourth tournament appearance overall. After a lackluster season in 2014, Wartburg had some questions to answer about the upcoming campaign: for starters, with only four seniors on the 2015 team, who would provide the on-field leadership so needed on a team with 21 freshmen and sophomores? The answer seemed apparent after a 3-2 start to the season, but a potential bright spot was hidden in the fifth match, a 2-1 loss to Washington U. It was after that match that the Knights found their legs, losing only two and giving up one draw in their final 13 matches of the regular season. The two losses were back-to-back 1-0 shutouts to conference rival Coe and Illinois neighbor Augustana. For such a young squad, the two losses made for a bad week, but also was an opportunity to bounce back and see if this side could indeed get back to the post-season. And since throughout the season, the Knights had been a team not of a couple stars, but rather a line-up of 11 demonstrating real teamwork, any lessons learned would be learned as one. And so in the IIAC conference tournament, Wartburg dispatched Luther 2-0, and edged Loras in PKs. Their earlier struggles against Washington and Augustana, two tough sides, paid off in experience that was evidenced when the Knights shutout St. Scholastica in the first round of the NCAAs and got by Puget Sound in PKs to advance to the Sweet 16.

IIAC Coach of Year Tiffany Pinns has five years at Wartburg, with three NCAA post-season appearances. This will be her first look at the sectional round as a head coach, her second in her career. Wartburg has been regionally competitive for most of the past eight years, but now the Knights will need to draw from their coach's experience as they step into a new level of play in St. Louis. Offensive players to look for include sophomore forward Morgan Neuendorf (9g, 1a), freshman forward Alyssa Drewelow (8g, 1a), and senior forward Brittany Frush (6g, 5a). Defensively the Knights are led by senior back Lisa Trizzino, and sophomore keeper Beth Crow. 14-2 (.70 GAA, .883 Sv. Pct., 11 ShO).

UW-Whitewater Season Review

The Warhawks are playing in their fifth straight NCAA tournament and, like their male counterparts at UW-Whitewater, are becoming a known competitor in the North Region and a growing name on the national scene. So two losses in their opening six games might have been considered a disappointing start. A season opening 1-0 loss to last year's national semifinalist Illinois Wesleyan wasn’t a concern, but there might have been some head scratching after a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Concordia (Wisconsin). Maybe the second loss was just one of those flukes—after all, this was a team with only one senior. But with that senior being one Jenna Woodson (not enough room to list her career honors), perhaps the win-loss column would go left-leaning once again. And lean left it did as the Warhawks used a powerful offense to notch nine straight wins to improve to 13-2. A loss to WIAC rival UW-Oshkosh didn't have much effect on the team as they rolled through the WIAC tournament with three straight shutouts, including a 1-0 win over Oshkosh for the automatic NCAA berth. Whitewater then erased the memories of previous first and second round exits with NCAA tournament shutout wins over Carroll and Wheaton (Ill.). Notch one up for all-out commitment (and good timing) as the win over Wheaton was the first ever for the Whitewater program.

Head Coach Ryan Quamme is in his fourth season at Whitewater. He has experience in the NCAA post-season both as a head coach and as an assistent coach. The goals are high for this program, and while there may have been some doubters about the Warhawks ability to earn quality wins, those doubts were put to rest last weekend , as Quamme led the women to perform at a high level defensively. Offensive leadership comes WIAC Offensive Player of the Year junior forward Brianna Reid (20g, 4a), junior midfielder Carly Pottle (10g, 5a), and sophomore midfielder Marie Lesperance (7g, 6a). On defensive, key players include junior defender Carina Krausert, an all-WIAC selection. Freshman Erin Dooty is the goalkeeper and earned a 19-4 record (.84 GAA, .768 Sv. Pct., 9 ShO).

Illinois Wesleyan Season Review

There are still those who ask why Illinois Wesleyan women's soccer is ranked so consistently in the top ten every week. Yes, the Titan's rise to a force to be reckoned with has been a quiet one, as they become the second CCIW team to make its mark nationally. The Titans are back from a Final Four appearance in 2014, and are enjoying perhaps their best season ever. After six NCAA Tournaments in the previous seven years and with sixteen returning players, it was clear that the Titans were going to try for an undefeated season and nothing short of a return to Kansas City. And things looked good from the start as the Titans went 7-0 to start their campaign, allowing just one goal against. Two of those wins came against UW-Whitewater and Calvin, both now Sweet 16 teams. After a 1-0 loss to another Sweet 16 team, Washington U., they returned to their dominating ways, winning ten in a row, including shutouts of Chicago and Wheaton (Ill.), both NCAA tournament teams. The Titans play as balanced a scheme as they ever have with the strong ability to both score and defend, and with the experience of annual battles with Wheaton and Washington U., they've matured into a true top ten program. It wasn't until the conference tournament final that they lost again in a close 1-0 match with rival Wheaton. Two more shutouts of Westminster (Mo.) and Pomona-Pitzer in the tournament’s opening weekend and here they are, ready for that second run to the Final Four.

In his 15 years as head coach, Dave Barrett has won the CCIW Coach of the Year four times, including this season. And in his time at Illinois Wesleyan, the Titans have developed into a nationally competitive team one year at a time. With last season's national semifinal loss to eventual champion Lynchburg, Barrett's Titans aren't afraid of any team, and with their returning players, they have a strong chance of repeating their trip to Kansas City. Key offensive players include Sydney Fox, a senior forward (12g, 12a), Tess Bottorff, a senior forward (10g, 6a), and Skyler Tomko, a junior forward (10g, 1a). Defensively, the Titans are led by CCIW Co-Player of the Year Mary Kate Schmidt, a senior defender who helped keep opponents to a conference-low 22 shots. Katie Denney, a freshman goalkeeper, was the winner of the CCIW Newcomer of the Year award, recording a 20-2 record with 10 shutouts (.34 GAA, .877 Sv. Pct.).

Head Coaches

Seniors' 4-year Record (through Nov. 15)

Tournament Experience

Washington U.'s current squad has three years of tournament experience as their program has appeared in each of the last ten tournaments. With Elite 8 runs in 2012 and 2103, the Bears own the experience edge in this sectional. That said, Illinois Wesleyan has perhaps the most relevant experience, coming off a Final Four match last season and, combined with tough annual non-conference scheduling, the Titans know exactly how to play at this level. The Wartburg and Whitewater squads have no experience at this level though the Warhawks have made five straight tournament appearances, so their juniors and seniors know what to expect.

Players to Watch

Washington U.: M Olivia Lillegraven (Sr.) – 12g, 5a, 6 GWG (UAA MVP, 1st Team All-UAA) | F Katie Chandler (Jr.) – 7g, 2a, 5 GWG (1st Team All-UAA) | D Hannah Rosenberg (Jr.) - 1g, 4a, 1 GWG (1st Team All-UAA) | GK Lizzy Crist (Jr.) – .907 Sv. Pct., 0.41 GAA, 9 ShO (1st Team All-UAA)

Wartburg: F Morgan Neuendorf (So.) - 9g, 1a, 4 GWG (2nd Team All-IIAC) | F Brittany Frush (Sr.) - 6g, 5a (2x 1st Team All-IIAC) | F Olivia Jansen (Jr.) - 3g, 4a, 1 GWG (1st Team All-IIAC) | D Lisa Trazzino (Sr.) - (1st Team All-IIAC, 3x 2nd Team All-IIAC)

UW-Whitewater: F Brianna Reid (Jr.) – 20g , 4a, 10 GWG (3x 1st Team All-WIAC , 2x WIAC Off. POY) | M Carly Pottle (Jr.) – 10g, 5a, 2 GWG (1st Team All-WIAC) | M Marie Lesperance (So.) - 7g, 6a, 2 GWG (1st Team All-WIAC) | D Carina Krausert (Jr.) - 0g, 6a (1st Team All-WIAC)

Illinois Wesleyan: F Sydney Fox (Sr.) – 12g, 12a, 4 GWG (1st Team All-CCIW) | F Tess Bottorff (Sr.) – 10g, 6a, 6 GWG (2x 1st Team All-CCIW) | F Skyler Tomko (Jr.) – 10g, 1a, 6 GWG (1st Team All-CCIW, 2nd Team All-CCIW) | D Mary Kate Schmidt (Sr.) - 2g, 2a (CCIW Co-POY, 3x 1st Team All-CCIW, 2014 D3soccer.com 2nd Team All-American)

Tournament Re-Matches

Due to the results of the first two rounds, this sectional provides at least two re-matches from the regular season in round three with the potential for another rematch in the sectional final. Each previous encounter was a one goal affair which points to the potential for tightly-played matches, perhaps even a couple overtime matches. Host Washington U. played both their Saturday opponent Wartburg, winning 2-1, and their potential quarterfinal foe Illinois Wesleyan, winning 1-0. The later Sweet 16 game reunites the Titans and Whitewater, the former having won their early season tilt 1-0. It should also be noted that in facing Wartburg on Saturday, Washington U. coach Jim Conlon is going up against the team who he previously coached from 2000 to 2007.

Why they will advance to the Final Four

Washington U.: The Bears have the experience, the players, and the keeper to make a run through the sectional. They also have the hunger to finally capture a national championship after so many years of success through the third round.

Wartburg: Anything can happen, right? This Knights team has not been dominant, nor have they been in the spotlight as a ranked team. Yet they have continued to win and have never doubted themselves or their ability to make the post-season. But they will have to put together two very strong matches in order to taste the Final Four this season.

UW-Whitewater: Experience from four straight appearances in the tournament, and the desire to take advantage of this opportunity to "just win two more" will propel UW-Whitewater. Youth and energy, combined with an attitude of nothing to lose, puts the Warhawks into a Cinderella role in Kansas City.

Illinois Wesleyan: By all rights, this team might be the odds-on favorite to not only get to Kansas City, but to make the final. The Titans were just there, and most of their players are back this season. Last year’s national semifinal pitted them against a powerful Lynchburg side that was expected to light it up against the flat-landers, but they held their own in a 2-1 loss. The results proved IWU's fearless approach, and that experience should give the Titans the ability to fight their way through to Swope Soccer Village

Comments or feedback for the author?  E-mail Jim Matson.