CHICAGO – The 2021 season was a long, sometimes strange trip for the Yellowjacket men's soccer team. The 'Jackets got off to an uncharacteristically slow start, dropping its first four matches, and didn't hit the .500 mark for the year until an Oct. 9 win.
 
As the season went on, however, the Yellowjackets began to find their stride, reeling off win after win and securing the No. 1 seed in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament, a post-season derby they won in dramatic fashion a week ago, securing the program's fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Saturday, the Yellowjackets walked onto the pitch at North Park University in Chicago, playing the role of underdog as they took on Washington University out of St. Louis. The Bears, known colloquially as WashU, entered the day ranked No. 3 in the country.
 
And the Yellowjackets gave Washington all it could handle and then some.
 
After a first half that tilted heavily toward the Bears, the Yellowjackets evened things out in the second half and stayed stride for stride with Washington. In the end it just wasn't meant to be, as Washington scored in the final 15 minutes and held on for a 1-0 win over the Yellowjackets in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
 
The loss, the only time the Yellowjackets were shut out in 2021, snapped the squad's winning streak at 11 matches.
 
In the first half Washington attempted 13 shots to just two for the Yellowjackets, but thanks to the play of senior goalkeeper Payton Anderson (Red Wing, Minn./Red Wing), things remained scoreless. In last Saturday's UMAC championship match against Bethany Lutheran, Anderson came on late in the second half after Alex Paredes (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) was issued a red card and was immediately thrown into the fire. Anderson had to face a penalty kick and made a diving stop, preserving the 1-1 tie and eventually backstopping the Yellowjackets to victory. Anderson made the start Saturday and finished the match with seven saves, including five in the first half.
 
As the second half unfolded the Yellowjackets pushed the offense more, but Washington always had an answer. The Bears got all the goals they would need in the 75th minute when Owen Culver put a shot into the lower left corner and it was 1-0, a score that would hold up as time expired.
 
Washington attempted 19 shots to six for the Yellowjackets, and shots on goal favored the Bears 8-1. The lone shot on goal for the Yellowjackets was recorded by Brandon Conklin (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior). Senior sharpshooter Blake Perry (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) was the only Yellowjacket to attempt more than one shot in the match, but neither attempt found its way on goal.
 
The Yellowjackets close out the 2021 season with a record of 16-7-0.