By Dominic Rapposelli
Sports Editor
Washington College women’s soccer picked up their second Centennial Conference win on Oct. 13 in a 2-0 road shutout over the Haverford College Fords. WC improves to 6-2-5 overall and 2-2-1 in Conference play.
WC trails the all-time series to Haverford 21-2, but has won each of the last two matches in shutouts.
Senior forward Regan Longridge put WC on the board 14:18 into the contest, scoring on an open net after a helper from sophomore forward Kaileigh Brady. Longridge added her second goal of the season, scoring each of the last two weeks.
“You must take risks, be gritty enough to capitalize on all opportunities, and play with heart even when it’s late in the game,” Brady said. “Our team is great at putting the ball in dangerous places and keeping the opposing team on their toes. As long as we continue to stay calm, make selfless passes, and trust in one another we will continue to get wins.”
Brady eventually joined in on the scoring, adding an unassisted goal in the 50th minute of play off the left goalpost, putting the Shorewomen ahead by two. Brady added her fifth goal of the season, leading the Shorewomen in goals scored.
Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Allen added five saves to her already impressive season, which has included a pair of Centennial Conference defensive player of the week awards.
She has tallied 45 total saves with only seven goals allowed in the 2024 campaign. Allen is second in the conference in both categories and leads the conference in shutouts this season with nine.
“I know for me, and I think for all of my teammates, we love this point of the season. Conference games are the ones that we prepare all year for, so it’s so much fun to go out and compete each week. We have a loaded conference with some very good teams, so each game is a battle,” Longridge said.
The Shorewomen capitalized on a bounce back opportunity after falling 3-0 to the ninth ranked Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays on Oct. 9. WC was out-shot by the visitors 34-2 with Allen registering 11 saves.
“It’s tough to lose, but it happens. Sometimes games don’t turn out how you planned even after all the preparation. We just need to bounce back, stay confident, and continue to grow. We know that we are more than one game,” Brady said.
WC has a pair of upcoming home contests against the Gettysburg College Bullets on Oct. 19 and the Muhlenberg College Mules on Oct. 26 before ending their regular season with a pair of road outings.
The Shorewomen have yet to lose on the road, sitting at 3-0-2 when away from Chestertown, Md., and still 3-2-3 when playing on Kibler Field.
“Home games are huge for us. Not only does the crowd from the stands and the hill really play into our momentum, but just the atmosphere of our stadium is unmatched. There are not many Division III stadiums that are as nice as ours, so we really love home games,” Longridge said.