LEXINGTON, Va. – A goal scored in the eighth minute by senior midfielder
Michael Kutsanzira (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe / Putnam Science Academy (Conn.)) proved to be the difference in the No. 11 Washington and Lee men's soccer team's 1-0 win over Randolph on Tuesday evening.
With the win, the Generals improve to 10-1-4 overall, 6-0-2 in the ODAC, and they extended their unbeaten streak to 14 games, tied for the third-longest undefeated run in program history. With the shutout, the Generals now have four consecutive clean sheets, also tied for the third-longest such streak in program history.
Kutsanzira's goal came on a corner kick opportunity that he played short to senior midfielder
Samuel Bass (Charlotte, N.C. / Myers Park) standing with him near the corner. Bass took a couple steps in and left the ball ahead for Kutsanzira, who now had a better angle from which to shoot. From just inside the left side of the 18, Kutsanzira ripped an in-swinging shot inside the left post.
The WildCats (5-6-2, 2-5-1 ODAC) finished the contest with just two shots on goal, but both forced W&L into a pair of tough saves. The first came in the 18th minute following a Randolph free kick from midfield that was sent into the box. Ethan Meyer controlled the ball for the WildCats at the penalty spot and sent a right-footed shot goalward. However, W&L junior midfielder
Grant McCarty (Dallas, Texas / Parish Episcopal) was positioned well on the goal line, and he kicked the ball away before it could cross.
Randolph's final shot on goal came in the final seconds of the game. The ball had been cleared out of the box by the W&L defense, but was sent back in by a Randolph defender. Cooper Sayles then flicked the ball on at the top of the 18, where Brian Kuhl whipped around for an off-balanced shot with his left foot. Despite the ball making its way through a crowded goal box, first-year keeper
Will Joseph (Wilmette, Ill. / New Trier) made the stop and fell on top of the ball with less than a second remaining.
Kutsanzira's goal was his seventh this season, the second most on the team, while Bass's assist on the play was his team-leading sixth. Bass is also now up to 21 helpers in his career, just one away from tying Mike Mitchem '93 and Patrick Brown '90 for second on the program's all-time assists list.
W&L's chances came from a myriad of players, as 12 Generals attempted at least one shot in the game, with Kutsanzira leading a group of seven players with two shots each. Joseph's save in the waning seconds of the game was his only save of the game. With the shutout, Joseph (10-0-4) is now second in the ODAC with six clean sheets, while an active consecutive shutout minutes streak of 344:12 has lowered his season goals-against average to an ODAC-best 0.61.
Five different WildCats tallied one shot each, as the team finished with five attempts on the night. Kuhl and Meyer were the only two Randolph players with shots on goal (one each). In net, Zach Aylor (3-6-2) played all 90 minutes and made 10 saves.
Shot totals favored W&L by a final count of 19-5, including a 10-1 margin in the first half. The corner kick advantage was also held by the Blue and White, 6-1.
The Generals will be on the road for their final two games of the regular season, and they will return to action on Saturday at 1:00 pm at Randolph-Macon.
