WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College women's soccer team (7-8-2, 5-5-1) closed out the regular season with a 2-0 win over the Chatham Cougars (5-9-2, 4-6-1) to book the final spot in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Quarterfinals
Junior
Madison Rose (Butler, Pa./Butler) led the Presidents with a two-goal performance. Rose finished the regular season with eight goals, the most in a single season by a President since 2017. Classmate
Alexa Taylor (Aliquippa, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) finished the contest with four total shots, three of which were on frame. Additionally, sophomore
Rylin Bugosh (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant) recorded an assist and had two shots.
W&J got out to the start they wanted, coming into the match needing at least a point to keep their season alive. Taylor recorded two shots on target in the first 10 minutes, and senior captain
Dove Corrette-Bennett (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) also hit the crossbar.
The Presidents continued on the attack and Rose secured her first goal of the contest in the 18
th minute on a shot around 25 yards out that went just under the crossbar. Rose repeated the effort in the 31
st minute to score a brace on a pass from Bugosh. The W&J back line held strong and kept the 2-0 lead going into halftime.
Chatham tried to find their way back in the contest to start the second half, but the back line for the Presidents continued to hold strong to keep the two-goal advantage. W&J settled into the second half and started to push for a third. Rose, Taylor, and sophomore
Natalie Faingnaert (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) each recorded a chance to help the Red & Black to stay on the front foot.
Both teams traded attempts throughout the remainder of the second half, but each defensive line held together, and W&J went on to claim the 2-0 victory. The win allows W&J to claim their first berth in the PAC tournament since the 2023 campaign.
The W&J defensive line, led by senior goalkeeper
Molly Schoch (Burgettstown, Pa./Burgettstown), only allowed the Cougars to have five shots in target in the contest. Schoch secured her fifth individual shutout of the season, recording five saves throughout the match.
W&J will enter the PAC Conference Championships as the No. 6 Seed. The Presidents will travel to Latrobe, Pa. and face the Saint Vincent Bearcats. Kickoff against the No. 3 seeded Bearcats is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
