LEXINGTON, Va. – Sophomore midfielder
Michael Kutsanzira (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe/Putnam Science Academy (Conn.)) scored on a 48th minute penalty kick to give the Washington and Lee men's soccer team a 1-0 victory over Randolph on Saturday.
The Generals improve to 5-0-1 overall with the win and 4-0-1 in the ODAC. The WildCats fall to 4-2-1 overall and in league play.
In the 48th minute, the ball was played long up the right sideline where sophomore midfielder
John Peterson (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield) got a touch and worked his way into the box. Peterson was then taken down from behind, earning a penalty kick for the Generals. Kutsanzira stepped up to the spot and scored to the low-left corner of the frame for the lone score of the contest.
The WildCats' best scoring opportunity came in the 42nd minute when junior midfielder Johnny Watters let loose a shot from just inside the box on the right side. Junior goalkeeper
Michael Nyc (Kildeer, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) dove to his right and knocked the ball away to keep the WildCats off the board.
The Generals' defense clamped down on the Randolph offense in the second half, surrendering just one off-target shot in the final 45 minutes.
Kutsanzira shot five times in the game to lead the W&L offense. Sophomore midfielder
Samuel Bass (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) came in next with four shot attempts. Nyc (4-0-1) needed only one save to record his 22nd career clean sheet, extending his program record.
Randolph senior forward Evan Blow took two shots to lead the offense, while Watters and senior midfielder Steve Martinez both shot once in the game. Junior goalkeeper Zach Aylor played all 90 minutes in goal for the WildCats and made four saves.
W&L finished with a 15-4 advantage in total shots, including a 10-1 edge in the second half. Randolph earned seven corner kicks in the game, but all came in the first half, while the Generals took 10 corners on the day.
The Generals will close out their regular season on Saturday when they take on rival Lynchburg on the road at 1:00 pm.
