ATLANTA – The No. 11 Washington and Lee men's soccer team came away with a 1-1 draw in its 2021 season opener against Emory on Friday night to kick-off the Sonny Carter Invitational.
 
The Generals got on the board in the 26th minute when junior midfielder Michael Kutsanzira (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe/Putnam Science Academy (Conn.)) stole a pass from the Emory (0-0-2) keeper just outside the box. Kutsanzira dribbled in on the right side, avoided a sliding defender and found sophomore forward Adrian Zimmerman (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) in the middle of the box. Zimmerman collected the ball at the penalty spot, took one touch and scored to give W&L a 1-0 lead.
 
The Eagles' best chance in the opening half came in the 43rd minute when senior midfielder Will Tichy let a shot loose from just inside the box, but his attempt sailed high.
 
In the 65th minute, Emory tied the game when junior midfielder Alejandro Gomez headed in a pass from sophomore midfielder Alex Mills. W&L senior goalkeeper Michael Nyc (Kildeer, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) made four of his saves in the second half and after the Eagles' equalizer to keep the game tied.
 
In the second overtime period, senior defender Jack Rawlins (Springfield, Va./Lake Braddock Secondary) chased down an Emory attacker in the 104th minute and, on the ensuing possession, Zimmerman got a left-footed shot off, but the ball deflected off the left post. On the game's final possession, Nyc stopped a shot from close range off the foot of senior forward Charlie Scruton to preserve the draw.
 
Zimmerman took a game-high five shots and put two attempts on goal, while junior midfielder Samuel Bass (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) finished the game with four shot attempts. Kutsanzira's assist was the third of his career, and he tallied one shot in the game. Nyc (0-0-1) covered all 110 minutes on the night and he made a career-high nine saves, eight of which came after the first half.
 
For the Eagles, senior defender Josh Berman and junior midfielder Trey Rielly finished with three shots each to lead the team. Gomez's goal came on one of his two shots in the contest, while Mills shot once. Senior goalkeeper Jack Hudson (0-0-2) stopped three shots on frame in 110 minutes.
 
Shots were balanced in the game, with Emory edging W&L, 20-18, but the Eagles held a 10-4 advantage in shots on goal and an 8-5 edge in corner kicks.
 
The Generals will return to the pitch on Saturday night at 7:00 pm when they take on Oglethorpe in the second day of the Sonny Carter Invitational at Emory.