ATLANTA, Ga. --- The No. 18 Washington and Lee women's soccer team saw its 2022 season come to an end on Saturday after a 2-1 loss to Centre in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Generals conclude their campaign with a 14-2-5 overall record, while the Colonels improved to 16-3-1 overall with the win. Additionally, the W&L senior class closes its time in the Blue and White with a four-year record of 53-7-10 (0.829), which is the highest winning percentage for a single class in program history.
 
The Colonels broke through first on the scoreboard in the 29th minute when Lydia Bowling put a shot into the back of the net. Towards the end of the first half, the Generals were awarded a free kick that was taken by senior defender Brenna Wehner (Crosswicks, N.J. / The Hun School of Princeton). Wehner sent the ball in and it found the inside of the goal, but the score was waved off due to an offsides call.
 
Centre added to its lead in the 60th minute when Mills Mullen scored off a feed from Alexis Kronenthal. The Generals kept fighting and were able to dent the scoreboard in the 78th minute when junior Cameron Grainger (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Country Day) scored following passes from Helen Otteni (Arlington, Va. / The Potomac School) and Bryn Bissinger (Greenville, S.C. / St. Joseph's Catholic).
 
Only three shots were taken in the game following the W&L goal, two from Centre and one by the Generals. The W&L defense was able to block both of the Colonels' shots to prevent further damage. Otteni then sent a game-tying attempt goalward with just 45 seconds remaining, but Centre goalkeeper Jonelle Barron was there for the save.
 
Grainger's goal was her fourth of the season, and she finished the day with two shots. Bissinger's and Otteni's assists were their fifth each, and it marks the first season since 2011 that multiple W&L first-year players will have finished a season with at least five assists (Katie Rossi, Katherine Rush, Emily Scott).
 
Sophomore Ann Riley Huber (Atlanta, Ga. / Holy Innocents' Episcopal), senior Grace Wielechowski (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Catholic) and junior Emma Mansfield (Washington, D.C. / The Potomac School (Va.)) also tallied two shots in the game for W&L. Junior goalkeeper Sydney Smith (Damascus, Md. / Damascus) (14-2-5) allowed two goals and made one save to finish the season with a 0.72 goals-against average.
 
Mullen notched a game-high four shots for Centre, with Kronenthal and Bowling coming in next with two each. Barron made a total of four saves over the 90 minutes of play.
 
W&L finished with the edge in total shots for the game, 12-10, after outshooting the Colonels, 8-4 in the second half. Centre held the corner-kick advantage, however, by a 3-2 margin.