The Case Western Reserve University women's soccer team saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion, losing 1-0 to fifth-ranked Messiah University on a last-minute goal in the Second Round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship on Sunday afternoon at Shoemaker Field in Chatham, Pennsylvania.

The Spartans concluded the season with a record of 9-5-5, while the Falcons improved to 18-1-3. Messiah will face UChicago in the sectional semifinal round on November 23.

The game was scoreless midway through the first half with both goalkeepers making one save. CWRU had two shots and Messiah had three in the first 25 minutes of play. Though the Spartans did not control most of the possession in the first 45 minutes, the team applied constant pressure to the Falcons throughout the field.

With under 12 minutes to play in the half, graduate student goalkeeper Maggie Storti made an impressive one-on-one save to keep Messiah off the board. Neither team had a shot for the remainder of the half, keeping the score tied at zero heading into the break.

Six minutes into the second period, the Spartan defense stopped a Messiah attack on the near side, blocking a shot from inside the six-yard box. In the 60th minute, Case Western Reserve earned a corner kick. The cross by junior Alexis Sassower reached the near post and nearly crossed the goal line, but the Falcons were able to clear the ball before it advanced fully over the line.

A few minutes later, the Spartan defense prevented a goal by clearing a cross, blocking a shot, and getting a save from Storti. CWRU applied pressure in the 76th minute, getting a pair of shots off that required team saves off a free kick. Juniors Ceci Dapino and Jamie Goldfarb both had attempts saved at the goal line. Three minutes later, Storti made another impressive save, blocking a shot from the end line back into play. Messiah's ensuing shot sailed high, keeping the score tied at zero.

With 8:28 remaining in regulation, Storti saved a header shot off a corner kick, her fifth save of the game. On the counterattack, junior Molly Shamah had a shot blocked from just outside the box.

With 70 seconds left, Messiah scored the tie-breaking goal. Hannah Adair beat two Spartan defenders and curled a shot into the bottom right corner for the score, stunning the Case Western Reserve team and fans who traveled for the postseason games. CWRU could not find the tying goal before the final whistle.

The Spartans recorded six shots in the contest with three coming from Shamah. Additionally, Dapino, Goldfarb, and first-year Kinzly Gootman each attempted a shot. Storti finished the contest with five saves.

Spartan Notes

• The Spartans were making their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and reached the second round for the fourth time in a row
• Storti started and appeared in her 80th career game for CWRU, breaking the program appearances record of 79 set by Aniya Hartzler in 2023. She has started six more games than any student-athlete in program history with her 7,009 minutes on the field 261 more than anyone else
• Senior Carolyn Koutures made her 75th career appearance, playing in all but four of Case Western Reserve's games during her career
• Senior Katie Rishel made her 59th consecutive start on the team's back line, a streak that dates to the start of her sophomore season
• Senior Sydney Schenk, who started all 19 games for the Spartans this season, played in 62 games throughout her four seasons with the team
• All five of the Spartan losses this season were to teams that advanced at least to the second round of the NCAA Tournament
• The Falcons, who had scored 80 goals in 21 games prior to the contest, had not been held scoreless in the first half of a game since September 14 in an eventual 1-0 loss to William Smith. The Herons and the Carnegie Mellon Tartans on August 30 have been the only teams to keep Messiah off the scoreboard for a full 90 minutes in 2024
• CWRU held Messiah, which averaged 24.7 shots per game entering the contest, to just 15 attempts, the Falcons' fifth-lowest total of the season. The team's six shots on goal were tied for the fourth fewest in a game by the hosts in 2024