LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's soccer team scored in the 85th minute to walk away from Randolph College with a 1-1 tie on Saturday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Trailing by a score of 1-0 after a first-half goal, the Generals (8-2-4, 6-1-1 ODAC) kept clawing at the WildCats' (4-4-4, 2-2-3 ODAC) defense looking for the equalizer. In the 85th minute, that chance came when a corner kick taken on the near side by junior
Lucas Pleasants was headed in on the back post by junior
PJ Ryan.
W&L continued to fight and try to win the game over the final five minutes. First-year
Nick Apostolou managed to find space in the box just a minute after Ryan's goal, but his shot was blocked wide. The Generals sought one final rush with time winding down as Ryan sent a long throw-in from the right side into the middle of the box, but it was headed back out by a Randolph defender just before the buzzer sounded.
The WildCats moved ahead with an initial 1-0 lead in the 39th minute off a header from Brian Kuhl. Randolph maintained possession of the ball on the left sideline where Jayden Buckles got a long cross off into the box. Kuhl ran under the ball and headed it into the back of the net inside the right post.
Randolph also had a chance to take a 2-1 lead late in the second half. Following a header by Ryan in the 81st minute that was saved just inside the left post, the WildCats countered and got a breakaway opportunity with Anelka Ngoy. The Generals recovered, however, and caught up to Ngoy, disrupting his momentum and blocking his shot wide left.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Ryan was one of seven Generals who all tied for the team high with two shots each. Ryan was the only player of the seven to put both attempts on goal, while junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe and first-years
Spencer Furman and
Brad Dulin each put 1-of-2 shots on target.
Kuhl led the Randolph offense with his goal and two shot attempts with Buckles collecting the assist on the play.
Goalkeepers Kelly Carter and
Will Joseph played all 90 minutes for their teams. Joseph made one save for the Generals and Carter stopped four shots for Randolph.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Ryan's goal for the Blue and White was his third this season, third-most on the team, as he continues to be a threat to opposing defenses on set pieces. Pleasants earned his third assist of the year on Ryan's goal, which is tied for second this season with Dulin and sophomore
Buster Couhig.
The Generals remain unbeaten in their last five games (4-0-1) and they are 7-1-1 over their last nine games.
TEAM STATS:
W&L outshot Randolph in both halves, 7-2 in the first and 9-3 in the second, to finish the night with a 16-5 advantage in total attempts. The Blue and White also earned eight corner kicks, all in the second half, and conceded two.
UP NEXT:
The Generals' next contest will mark their final road game of the regular season. They will travel to Bridgewater on Wednesday for a 4:00 pm start.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
