Women’s Soccer Makes History

The 2025 season will go down as one of the most memorable in Washington College women’s soccer history, marked by record-breaking achievements, including making the playoffs for the first time, clutch performances, and a level of consistency that will set the standard for the program in years to come. From earning a new single-season win record to celebrating signature victories against top conference opponents, the Shorewomen showcased growth, resilience, and a competitive identity.

“By the end of the season, we had accomplished three ‘records’ for the program: making the playoffs, winning 10 games, and beating Johns Hopkins, all for the first time in school history,” said Head Coach Tom Reilly, who completed his ninth year at the helm in 2025. “The season could have been declared a success if we had done just one of those things, so accomplishing all three over the past three months was unbelievable. Now the team is determined to build on this banner year.”

The Shorewomen’s season began encouragingly with a win against Widener. By the time they headed into their first conference game of the season, against Franklin & Marshall, they were already 4-1-1.

Then, on October 11, the Shorewomen (7-3-1 at that point) faced longtime conference rival Johns Hopkins in the teams’ 26th matchup. In a rather one-sided rivalry, the Blue Jays had 24 wins to the Shorewomen’s zero, with the points shared in one game back in 2019. The teams were tied 0-0 at the end of the first half. Johns Hopkins scored first, two minutes into the second half. But the Shorewomen were not prepared to face another defeat. Bridget Whiteside ’26 and Lily Barnum ’29 scored, and the Shorewomen held on for their first-ever win against the Blue Jays, 2-1.

The Shorewomen went on to earn their ninth win of the season with a 3-2 victory over Marymount in Arlington, Virginia—the first time a team has reached the nine-win mark. They earned their record-setting 10th win at home against Bryn Mawr on senior day, 1-0.

When conference play ended, the Shorewomen had posted a 10-6-2 record to earn a spot in the Centennial Conference Playoffs. Seeded sixth, the team faced third-seed Dickinson in the first round of the playoffs where their storied run came to an end.

“The team and staff were confident we had the capability to achieve our number one stated goal, to qualify for the Centennial Conference tournament,” said Reilly. “To reach that goal and participate in the postseason was really gratifying, so I salute our players, coaching staff, and supporters for helping to get us over the line.”

— Courtney Hardy