Centre faced its toughest test of the 2025 season on Saturday as defending national champion, Washington University, came to Amend Field. The Colonels held tough through the first half, but the Bears proved too strong in the end en route to a 5-1 win, handing Centre its first loss of the season.
WashU put Centre's
Gracie Zutterman to the test early with 4 tries in the first 12 minutes. The first resulted in a goal that no keeper would have stopped as it was a perfect strike from the corner of the 18-yard box into the upper-90 for the early Bear lead. While the next 2 missed wide, Zutterman was tall to the task on the third, deflecting a shot away to keep the game scoreless. The Colonel offense needed time to adjust to the speed and technical ability of the Bears and finally showed promise near the midway point.
Mary Martin Hampton had a quality try in the 21st minute but was denied at the doorstep. As Centre regained form going into the 22nd minute,
Riley Givens had a go on goal, but the shot was straight at the WashU keeper for a routine save. Luck was also on Centre's side as the half wore on. Two shots from the Bears hit the crossbar and stayed out of the goal. Zutterman also stopped 2 more shots to keep Centre down just 1-0 at halftime.
The Bears continued the pressure from the start of the second half. It paid off with a second goal in the 49th minute for a 2-0 lead. Zutterman stopped 2 more shots in the 52nd minute and another in the 54th, but the Bears kept charging and added to the lead in the 55th minute. In the 59th minute, Zutterman was under attack again as she blocked a low shot but could not corral the rebound, leaving the ball on a golden spot for a tap-in to give WashU a 4-0 lead. The shot was Zimmerman's last as
Madeline Redmon came on for the final 30 minutes. Centre got its lone tally in the 71st minute as
Zara McCarthy laced a shot from 20 yards out by the Bear keeper to get the Colonels on the board. The Bears countered with the final tally in the 76th minute to seal the win.
The WashU offense was just too much on this day as the Bears fired 30 shots in total to just 4 for Centre, including a 15-3 edge in shots on goal. Despite taking the loss,
Gracie Zutterman still turned in an impressive 8-save performance as she did all possible to keep Centre within earshot.
With non-conference play in the rearview, Centre turns its focus to the SAA and a 3-game road trip, starting next Friday at Millsaps. Kickoff from Jackson, MS is set for 8:30pm ET.
