The eighth-ranked Case Western Reserve University women's soccer team saw its season come to a close in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday afternoon, falling 1-0 to John Carroll University in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship at DiSanto Field in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Spartans conclude the year with a 12-2-4 overall record. John Carroll improved to 15-1-5, and will advance to the round of 16 of the NCAA postseason to face 14th-ranked MIT.

CWRU suffered the loss despite dominating possession for most of the contest, finishing with a 32-9 edge in total shots and a 14-4 advantage in shots on goal. However, the Spartans were held at bay by John Carroll goalkeeper Madeline Martin Kosier, who made 14 saves in the contest to keep the clean sheet intact and earn the win.

The Spartans fell behind in the first half of the game when John Carroll's Abby Walker scored her first goal of the season in the 26th minute. CWRU goalkeeper Maggie Storti was able to bat out a corner kick just before the goal, but it was recovered by John Carroll's Madyson Rosado, who was able to pass it out to Walker. Walker went on to launch a shot from about 27 yards out that sailed just above the leaping reach of Storti and into the back of the next to give the Blue Streaks the early advantage.

Despite the early pressure from John Carroll, the Spartans found their footing over the final 20 minutes of the frame and outshot the Blue Streaks 14-6 in the first half, including a 5-4 edge in shots on goal, but could not find the equalizer as the score remained 1-0 heading into halftime.

CWRU continued to apply pressure in the second half, getting a number of strong scoring changes, including a pair of shots of free kicks, one by sophomore midfielder Ceci Dapino in the 57th minute that was saved by the keeper and the second by senior midfielder Aniya Hartzler that sailed just over the crossbar in the 81st minute. In the final minute of the game, sophomore forward Maggie Farra had an attempt with a shot that sailed just wide of the post. However, the Blue Streaks were able to thwart the Spartans and hold on for the 1-0 win.

The loss was the Spartans' first to a non-nationally-ranked opponent since a 2-0 loss to Emory on October 18, 2019.

Sunday's game concludes another successful season for the Spartans, who qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship for the fourth-straight season and reached at least the second round for the third-consecutive year. Over the past three years, the Spartans have gone a combined 48-5-7, giving this year's senior class the highest winning percentage of any group in program history.