BUCKHANNON — West Virginia Wesleyan women’s soccer wrapped up its 2025 campaign Wednesday evening at Culpepper Stadium, falling 1–0 to Davis & Elkins in a tightly contested Mountain East Conference matchup. Despite generating more scoring chances and shots on goal, the Lady Bobcats couldn’t convert as the Senators capitalized on a second-half strike to secure the win.
The loss eliminated Wesleyan from the MEC postseason tournament as they finished fifth in the MEC South. Only the top four advance.
Both sides opened the match cautiously, trading possession and early attempts. Wesleyan midfielder Ava Badallo tested D&E goalkeeper Olivia Jones twice in the first 25 minutes, including a shot to the bottom center that forced a diving save in the 22nd minute. Lady Bobcat keeper Maite Coutinho matched her counterpart, making a key stop on Rafaela Leão’s shot in the seventh minute to keep the match level.
By halftime, Wesleyan held a slight edge in attacking pressure with three shots and one corner kick, while D&E matched with three attempts of their own. The defenses for both teams stayed organized, as neither side could break through the final third in the opening 45 minutes.
The pace quickened after the break with Wesleyan creating multiple opportunities in the early minutes of the second half. Tessa Grisez fired just over the bar at the 52-minute mark, followed by a strong attempt from Ashley McGee that was denied by Jones. Minutes later, Sydne Alexander’s low shot in the 55th minute nearly broke the deadlock, but Jones once again came up with a clutch save.
The Senators found their breakthrough in the 69th minute when Frédérique Morin capitalized on a defensive lapse to score the lone goal of the match. Despite the setback, Wesleyan pressed forward, earning late corner kicks and testing the D&E defense. Badallo’s curling effort in the 76th minute forced yet another save, but the equalizer never came.
West Virginia Wesleyan outshot Davis & Elkins 11–7, including a 6–3 advantage in shots on goal. Jones recorded five saves to preserve the shutout for the Senators, while Coutinho made two stops for the Bobcats. Both teams played physically down the stretch—Wesleyan drew seven fouls and picked up three yellow cards in the final 25 minutes.
Badallo led Wesleyan with four shots (two on target), while Grisez, McGee, and Alexander each contributed key attacking efforts. Defenders Kierra Hoiler and Kaydence Bonneau anchored a backline that allowed just one goal in open play.
The loss brings Wesleyan’s season to an end with a record of 7–9–2 overall and 5–9–1 in MEC play, marking a year of competitive performances and notable improvement in the attacking third.
The team’s goals champions were Badallo and Zamora Paloma who each had 5 goals. Badallo led the team in assists with three.
Coutinho started 15 games in net and turned away 53 shots for a 1.82 goals-against-average.
