LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 11 Washington and Lee men's soccer team eased past North Carolina Wesleyan by a 4-0 score in the squad's home opener on Friday.
 
The Generals improve to 2-0-1 overall with the win, while the Battling Bishops fall to 0-2-1 overall with the loss.
 
W&L put its first tally on the board in the 21st minute when a corner kick was taken short by junior midfielder Samuel Bass (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park). Bass then sent a cross to the back post where senior defender Jack Rawlins (Springfield, Va./Lake Braddock Secondary) booted the ball past the keeper for the score.
 
The game remained at a 1-0 score until the 69th minute when first-year defender PJ Ryan (Morristown, N.J./West Morris Mendham) headed in a corner cross taken by senior midfielder Connor Wharton (Littleton, Colo./Colorado Academy). Less than 60 seconds later, Bass finished on an opportunity after getting a through ball from first-year forward Sandor Franch (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn European School).
 
The Generals scored their final goal in the 75th minute when junior defender Tyler Smith (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephens & St. Agnes) found sophomore defender Park Bruner (Atlanta, Ga./Atlanta International) inside the box, who one-timed a shot inside the left post for the score.
 
Bass's goal was his second of the year, while his three-point performance marked his fourth career game with at least that many points. He took a game-high three shots in the contest. Ryan's and Bruner's goals were the first of their collegiate careers, while Rawlins' score was his seventh career tally.
 
Senior goalkeeper Michael Nyc (Kildeer, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) (2-0-1) and junior keeper Rye McMillen (Fairfax, Va./The Heights School) combined on the shutout for W&L. Nyc played the first 83:45, while McMillen covered the final 6:15. The W&L defense held strong all game, allowing just two shots and none on goal.
 
N.C. Wesleyan senior midfielder Lucas Wittstatt and first-year midfielder Cam Middleton registered the Bishops' shots, taking one each. Sophomore goalkeeper Matteo Torchio (0-2-1) took the loss, as he made six saves and allowed four goals.
 
The shot total in the game favored W&L, 17-2, while the Generals won 12 corner kicks and conceded two.
 
The Generals will be back in action on Saturday night when they host Lynchburg at 7:00 pm on Watt Field. The game will not count toward either team's conference records.