Men's Soccer Tops Dominican University (Ill.), 1-0, in Overtime

DU-WU BOX

Whitewater, Wis., November 10, 2007 – The No. 20 Washington University men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Sectional Semifinals with a 1-0 overtime victory over No. 24 Dominican University (Ill.) in Whitewater, Wis., on Sunday afternoon.  Sophomore Ryan Grandin scored the game winner for Washington U. in the 99th minute of the game.

The Bears’ trip into the Sectional Semifinals matches the furthest that head coach Joe Clarke has guided WU in the NCAA tournament, a feat which he accomplished in 1997, his first season on the Danforth Campus.  Sunday’s win was the team’s 15th of the season, which is a new single-season best for Clarke at WU, and is the most games a Washington University team has won since the 1995 season, when WU reached the NCAA quarterfinals with a 15-6-1 record.

In the overtime period, senior defender Elie Zenner sent a long pass down the right sideline to senior forwardMarshall Plow.  Plow took the ball and sprinted by three defenders before sending a long cross to Grandin on Dominican’s back goal post, which Grandin headed in to keep Washington U.’s season alive.

“Our guys fought really hard, and it was a tough game,” Clarke said.  “Dominican started the game really well and they were able to nullify a lot of what we were trying to do offensively.  We changed the way we were attacking and started sending in three central attackers, and we sent a log more balls over the top to weak side attackers than we normally would.”

Statistically speaking, the game was evenly played by both teams.  Dominican held a slight 10-9 advantage over WU in shots, but the Bears had a 4-3 edge in shots on goal, with the fourth attempt counting as the game winner.  The shutout is the Bears’ 12th of the season.  Sophomore goalkeeper John Smelcer made three saves in the scoreless win, his ninth shutout this year.

Washington U. has made five NCAA Tournament appearances under Clarke, and this year’s berth was the Bears’ second in a row, after not making the tournament since 1999.  Clarke’s inaugural season at WU, 1997, resulted in a trip to the Sectionals, and the Bears returned to the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and in 1999.

Washington U. (15-4-2) will return to action on either Friday, Nov. 16, or Saturday, Nov. 17, when it will take on Transylvania University (17-2-1) in the NCAA Sectional Semifinals.  Transylvania reached Sectional play after beating Carroll College, 4-3, on penalty kicks.  Both of Transylvania’s tournament wins came via shootout.