W&L Men's Soccer Season Preview

No. 3 Generals picked to reclaim conference crown

8/26/2022 2:00:00 PM

LEXINGTON, Va. - The Old Dominion Athletic Conference released its 2022 Men's Soccer Preseason Poll on Friday and Washington and Lee topped the poll with 143 points.

The Generals claimed 11 of the 13 first-place votes to edge out defending ODAC champion Lynchburg by 10 points. The Hornets were the recipients of the final two first-place nods. Rounding out the Top 5 was Roanoke (120 points), Randolph-Macon (110) and Virginia Wesleyan (89).

W&L is coming off its most successful season all-time, after posting an 18-2-2 overall record and reaching the National Semifinals for the first time in program history. Despite being knocked out in the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament, the Generals, who were ranked No. 1 in Division III for the final six United Soccer Coaches Top 25 polls of the 2021 season, earned an at-large bid and went 4-0 on their home turf en route to earning one of the four national semifinals spots.

Led by ODAC Co-Coach of the Year Mike Singleton, W&L had numerous updates to Top 5 lists in the team record book, including all-time program records for goals in a season (70), longest single-season unbeaten streak (16) and longest unbeaten streak to start a season (16).

2022 ODAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll

Washington and Lee University (11) 143 pts.
University of Lynchburg (2) 133 pts.
Roanoke College 120 pts.
Randolph-Macon College 110 pts.
Virginia Wesleyan University 89 pts.
Hampden-Sydney College 88 pts.
Randolph College 86 pts.
Averett University 62 pts.
Bridgewater College 55 pts.
Shenandoah University 53 pts.
Guilford College 32 pts.
Ferrum College 26 pts.
Eastern Mennonite University 17 pts.

National Poll

The Generals will open up the 2022 season as the No. 3-ranked team in Division III following the release of the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25. Defending national champion Connecticut College begins the season atop the national poll, followed by Amherst at No. 2, Chicago at No. 4 and Messiah rounding out the Top 5.

A release schedule for all 2022 United Soccer Coaches Top 25 polls can be found here.

Coming off last year’s historic season, our guys are more excited and driven than ever to enter this season, and expectations are soaring high. Over the summer, I felt the guys' passion and enthusiasm through our talks and the team came into preseason in better shape than for any previous season.

We will stick with our mantra of 'one game at a time' and try to make sure every day we improve. If we do that, we know our talented group will have another phenomenal season. We certainly hope we stay healthy and want to continue to raise the bar for our program this year!

We open up the season with what is becoming a storied match-up of two top D3 programs, so we have much work to do this preseason to be ready right from gate for top challenges.

Head Coach Mike Singleton (Ninth Season)

2022 Schedule Overview

The Generals will be tested right away to begin the 2022 campaign, as the team welcomes fifth-ranked Messiah to Lexington for a 7 p.m. kick-off on September 1, a rematch of the teams' 2021 National Quarterfinals game. Played on November 21 last season with a trip to the National Semifinals on the line, W&L prevailed by a 3-1 score over the Falcons, and even held a 3-0 lead until a late second-half Messiah penalty kick put the Falcons on the board.

Following the Messiah game, the Generals will play five straight non-conference contests, three of which will be in Lexington. The two non-conference road games will come right after the Messiah game, when the Generals travel to Maryville (Tenn.) on September 4 and N.C. Wesleyan on September 6. They will then return home for a three-game home stand against Sewanee (9/10), Oglethorpe (9/16) and No. 22 Emory (9/18).

W&L will return to action on September 21 with a home game against Bridgewater, the start of a five-game ODAC slate before the team's final non-league game at No. 11 Christopher Newport on October 8. Before the CNU game, the Generals will play Hampden-Sydney at home (10/1) and Shenandoah (9/24), Roanoke (9/28) and Lynchburg (10/5) on the road.

Following CNU, W&L gets back into ODAC play for three straight home contests against Virginia Wesleyan (10/12), ODAC newcomer Averett (10/15) and Randolph (10/18), before closing the regular season at Randolph-Macon (10/22) and Guilford (10/26).

The non-conference schedule features some familiar opponents, not only from last season's schedule but from an annual outlook as well. The Generals defeated N.C. Wesleyan by a 4-0 margin last season, and the teams also battled to a 1-0 W&L win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

The 2022 season will mark the fifth straight year that the Generals will play both Oglethorpe and Emory. W&L is 3-0-1 all-time against Oglethorpe, including a 1-0 victory last season on September 4 at the Sonny Carter Invitational in Atlanta. Emory owns a slight edge in the all-time series against the Generals (4-3-1), but two sides tied last year (1-1), also at the Sonny Carter Invite.

W&L's final non-conference game of the regular season will pit the Generals against the Christopher Newport Captains, a matchup that has seen some thrilling finishes over the last few years. Last season, the Generals defeated CNU, 2-1, on September 24, on Watt Field, with a goal from Samuel Bass in the 48th minute proving to be the difference in the game. The two sides met again in Lexington on November 20 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16, where the Generals prevailed, 3-2, with a late, sliding kick-save on the goalline by then-senior Seth Chapman keeping the Generals ahead with just 35 seconds remaining.

The Generals went 8-0-1 against conference opposition last season, with the lone blemish a 1-1 tie against Roanoke in Lexington on October 20. In their eight wins, W&L outscored opponents, 32-5, with three shutouts. The W&L schedule will now feature Averett as a conference opponent with the Cougars joining the ODAC ahead of the 2022 season. The Cougars own a 5-4-0 record in nine all-time meetings, with the teams' last meeting coming in 2001.

The 2022 ODAC Men's Soccer Tournament will commence with the Quarterfinals on October 29 at each of the top four seeds. The semifinals will then be played on November 2 at the two highest remaining seeds, followed by the championship game at the highest remaining seed on November 5.

Key Returners

The Generals return five of their eight All-ODAC performers from last season's team. Senior Samuel Bass returns to the midfield coming off a junior season in which he ranked second on the team in goals (12), assists (8) and points (32) to earn Second Team All-America laurels from the United Soccer Coaches, Third Team All-America honors from D3soccer.com, and First Team All-Region and All-ODAC laurels.

Senior Michael Kutsanzira completes the 1-2 punch in the midfield with Bass. He also earned All-America nods from the United Soccer Coaches and D3soccer.com, as well as First Team All-Region and All-ODAC honors. Kutsanzira's junior season was highlighted by his program-record 13 assists, which led the ODAC and was also tied for the fourth most in Division III.

Sophomore Weyimi Agbeyegbe claimed the 2022 ODAC Men's Soccer Rookie of the Year award, and he was also voted as the W&L Outstanding First-Year Men's Sport Athlete. A Second Team All-ODAC pick, Agbeyegbe tied for third on the team with six assists, while adding five goals for a total of 16 points.

Senior Tyler Smith and sophomore PJ Ryan round out the All-ODAC returners for the Generals, as both were selected to the third team in 2021. Both players aided the W&L defensive unit in posting a .83 goals-against average and eight shutouts on the season, while Smith provided 10 points on four goals and two assists on the offensive end.

Tyler Smith (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephens & St. Agnes School) has seen time in both the midfield and the defensive unit over his three-year career, with 51 total appearances.

Smith has aided to W&L yielding a goals-against average of just .783 over the last three seasons, while also compiling 18 points on eight goals and two assists on the offensive end. He was more involved as a scorer during his junior season with career highs in goals (4), assists (2) and points (10).

He scored two goals as a rookie and a sophomore, with an impressive 20-yard rocket to the top-left corner of the goal to give the Generals a 1-0 lead against eventual national champion Tufts during his first season.

Samuel Bass (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) returns for his senior season as one of W&L's top offensive weapons.

Bass is coming off a strong junior campaign that saw him recognized as a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American and D3soccer.com Third Team All-American, while also being tabbed to the United Soccer Coaches and All-ODAC First Teams. He finished second on the 2021 team in goals (12), assists (8) and points (32), all of which were single-season career highs. He also ranked tied for second in the ODAC in assists, while claiming the third-most points and fifth-most goals.

Bass is a three-time All-ODAC (two-time First Team) and two-time All-Region selection, who enters his senior season with 55 points on 20 goals and 15 assists in 53 career appearances.

Michael Kutsanzira (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe/Putnam Science Academc (Conn.)) is another major contributor on the W&L offense as both a scorer and a passer.

As a junior, Kutsanzira shattered the program record for assists in a season with 13, which bested the previous mark of 10 set by Dylan Ritch during the 2018 season. Additionally, Kutsanzira scored an additional seven goals to finish the season with 27 points. His 13 assists led the ODAC and was tied for fourth most in Division III, and he was lauded as a Second Team All-American by both the United Soccer Coaches and D3soccer.com, as well as a First Team All-Region and All-ODAC performer.

Kutsanzira has appeared in 39 contests in his three years, collecting two First Team All-ODAC, and owns 41 points on 13 goals and 15 assists.

Charley Colby (Prairie Village, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) is another player who has been a part of the Generals' tough defensive unit over the last three seasons.

As a junior, Colby helped the W&L defense post a 0.83 goals-against average, with eight shutouts, while appearing in 18 contests. He also provided an assist on the offensive end which came in a 2-0 win at Hampden-Sydney on October 9.

For his career, Colby has aided the defensive unit to a .783 GAA and 23 shutouts, while also adding nine points on nine assists on offense. He tallied a career-high six as a first-year, which included a program-record tying three helpers in his first career game, a 4-0 win against William Paterson.